France is a country located in Western Europe, bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra, and Spain. France is also linked to the United Kingdom via the Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the English Channel. There is a wide variety of landscapes which include coastal plains, and mountain ranges of the Alps, the Massif Central, and the Pyrenees.
Metropolitan France also has extensive river systems such as the Loire, the Garonne, the Seine and the Rhone. France has a very scenic landscape. The French Republic is a unitary semi-presidential republic with strong democratic traditions. The executive branch itself has two leaders: the President of the Republic, who is elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a 5-year term (formerly 7 years) and is the Head of State, and the Government, led by the president-appointed Prime Minister. France is a developed country with the sixth-largest economy in the world. It is one of the founding members of the European Union, and has the largest land area of all members. France is also a founding member of the United Nations, and a member of La Francophonie, the G8, and the Latin Union. It is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council wielding veto power, and it is also one of eight acknowledged nuclear powers.
France is the most popular international tourist destination in the world, receiving over 75 million foreign tourists annually. From fine wine and cheese tasting to witnessing the French National Day, a visit in France does not consist only of monuments but of gastronomy, landscapes and celebrations. The capital, Paris has long been associated with romance, culture and the arts. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Notre Dame Church, the Arc de Triomphe and the Palace of Versailles are only a few of the remarkable sights.
Quick Facts
Population: 65,630,692
Capital: Paris
Per-capita GDP: $ 35600
Size: 643,801 km2
Time Zone: (GMT + 01:00 hour) Brussels, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris
Country information is adapted from public domain resources including the CIA World Fact Book and www.Wikipedia.org.
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University of Maine Office of International Programs
