France holds territory in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Southern oceans, giving it the second largest maritime zone in the world. The metric system was defined here in the 1790s.
France role in the Francophone world
France plays a leading—but not controlling—role in the Francophone world. It hosts the International Organisation of La Francophonie’s headquarters in Paris and supplies about 40 percent of the OIF’s budget, the largest single share. France was one of the founders in 1970, yet formal power is now (2025) shared among 88 member states and governments, which make decisions by consensus. Projections suggest that about 80 percent of French speakers will live in Africa by 2050, giving African nations a stronger voice in future policies.
12 metropolitan regions and 1 metropolitan collectivity with special status.
Metropolitan regions:
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Brittany
Centre-Val de Loire
Grand Est
Hauts-de-France
Île-de-France
Normandy
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Occitania
Pays de la Loire
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Metropolitan collectivity with special status:
Corsica
Regions of France map
France is a Country located in the Western Europe sub-region in the continent of Europe, member of European Union.
0300 km (186 mi)600 km (373 mi)900 km (559 mi)1200 km (746 mi)
Height
01003006001 0001 5002 0002 5003 000+ m
03289841 9703 2804 9206 5608 2009 840+ ft
0 m (0 ft), 100 m (328 ft), 300 m (984 ft), 600 m (1970 ft), 1000 m (3280 ft), 1500 m (4920 ft), 2000 m (6560 ft), 2500 m (8200 ft), above 3000 m (9840 ft)
Sea depth
01506001 8003 2005 200+ m
04921 9705 91010 50017 060+ ft
0 m (0 ft), 150 m (492 ft), 600 m (1970 ft), 1800 m (5910 ft), 3200 m (10500 ft), deeper than 5200 m (17060 ft)
metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as the mistral; French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation; Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average; Mayotte: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November); Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)
