France Informations

The name France originates from the Franks, a Germanic tribe that occupied the region after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. More precisely, the region around Paris.

France is known around the world as a diverse country in its people, architectures and landscapes.About 23% of the French population claim to have foreign background, which makes France one of the most multicultural countries in the world.

France is the most popular international tourist destination in the world, receiving over 75 million foreign tourists annually.
France is one of the classics among tourist countries. It offers mountain ranges, coastlines like in Brittany or along the Mediterranean Sea, cities with a rich cultural heritage, châteaux (castles) like Versailles, countryside, vineyards in Burgundy.

The capital city of Paris attacts tourists with museums such as the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and cathedral of Notre-Dame and dozens of other attractions. France's tourist industry, however, is not limited to the towns and cities, Paris and the Alpine ski resorts. All over France rental accommodations and hotels are available.

Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. French people often refer to Metropolitan France as L'Hexagone because of the geometric shape of its territory.

France is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra, and Spain. In some of its overseas departments, France also shares land borders with Brazil, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. France is also linked to the United Kingdom via the Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the English Channel (La Manche in French).

France's landscapes are extremely varied from one region to another, ranging from Paris and its suburbs to high alpine territory to oceanfront resort towns.

The French Republic is a democracy which is organised as a unitary semi-presidential republic. It is a developed country with the sixth-largest economy in the world.
Its main ideals are expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
France is one of the founding members of the European Union, and has the largest land area of all members. Under the constitution, the President of the French Republic is elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a 5-year term. Presidential arbitration assures regular functioning of the public powers and the continuity of the state.

The president names the prime minister, presides over the cabinet, commands the armed forces, and concludes treaties. The French parliament is a bicameral legislature comprising a National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) and a Senate. The National Assembly deputies represent local constituencies and are directly elected for 5-year terms.

France hosts the headquarters of the OECD, UNESCO, Interpol, and the International Bureau for Weights and Measures in charge of the international metric system.

France Regions : France is divided into 26 administrative régions.
The régions, départements, and communes are known as "territorial collectivities" (collectivités territoriales), meaning they possess local assemblies as well as an executive, while the arrondissements and the cantons are mere administrative divisions.

Monaco is an independent enclave on the south coast, while the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean is treated as an integral part of the country.