France ( in French), officially the French Republic (, ), is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and that also comprises a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents.For more information, see Category:French overseas departments, territories and collectivities Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and North Sea, and from the Rhine River to the Atlantic Ocean. French people often refer to Metropolitan France as l'Hexagone (the "Hexagon") 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).

The French Republic is a democracy which is organised as a unitary semi-presidential republic. It is a highly developed country with the sixth-largest economy in the world.Rank by nominal GDP: 6 (2006); Rank by GDP per capita: 17 (2005); Rank by GDP at purchasing power parity per capita: 21 (2005). 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. 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. With almost 75 million foreign tourists each year,France is the most popular tourist destination in the world above Spain (52 millions) and USA (41 millions} .

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A French Official Is Assailed Over Remarks About Muslims
By REUTERS Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500
A junior French minister has told young Muslims living in France that they should dress properly, find a job and stop speaking slang.
Medical Plight of France’s Elvis Holds His Country Spellbound
By MAÏA DE LA BAUME Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500
Johnny Hallyday, a beloved and aging French rock star known as the French Elvis, was brought out of a coma on Tuesday, but it is unlikely that France’s news media will look away anytime soon.
France to Digitize Its Own Literary Works
By SCOTT SAYARE Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500
The announcement of a nearly $1.1 billion digitization project underscored the government’s desire to maintain control over French cultural heritage.
Making Sense of Sarkozy's Currency Proposal
By JOHN VINOCUR Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has said he now supports a single world currency, but what is really up his sleeve?
As Web Challenges French Leaders, They Push Back
By SCOTT SAYARE Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500
France’s political class has been caught off guard by online comments and YouTube, and they have mounted a counteroffensive.
France Investigates Another Troubled Flight
By NICOLA CLARK Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500
French investigators have opened an investigation into another incident involving an Air France jet forced to abruptly descend after encountering extreme weather in the same area of the Atlantic Ocean.

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