Pictures France

The French Republic is a democracy comprising Metropolitan France (the part of France located in Europe including Corsica) and overseas territories on other continents (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Réunion). The country called France borders on to Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain and Switzerland. France is one of the founder members of the European Union and the United Nations, and is also one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Metropolitan France has a land area of over 550,000 km2 and a population of over 61 million. Overall, the French Republic has a land area of almost 675,000 km2 and a population of over 64 million. The capital city is Paris. France has a varied climate: temperate in the north and north-west, predominantly oceanic in the west, Mediterranean in the south-east, continental inland and Alpine in the mountainous regions.

France is as varied as its 350 or more cheeses and is reputed to be the most visited country in the world, attracting around 75 million visitors annually. The explanation is simple: Paris, the “city of romance” with its chic shopping boulevards and wealth of museums and cultural attractions, various regions with sun-kissed vineyards offering fine wines and the sun-soaked beaches of the glamorous Mediterranean high-society resorts. The stately châteaux in the Loire Valley, the fragrance of Provence with its herbs and lavender and the rugged, unspoilt island of Corsica, “the mountain in the sea”. 

But let’s not forget the lesser-known regions deep in the heart of France – perhaps the true French France – where the simplicity of relaxing with coffee and croissants in a quaint village far from the beaten tourist track is unadulterated joie de vivre!