France is the largest country in Western Europe, with an area of 551,695 square kilometers, and one of the wealthiest nations in all of Europe. Metropolitan France is divided into 18 regions, as shown on the map.


Political Map of France

 

France is situated in western Europe, bordered by Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Italy, and just across the English Channel from the United Kingdom. France also shares its borders with the Atlantic Ocean, the Strait of Dover, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. Metropolitan France, or mainland France, has an area of 551,695 square kilometers (213,011 square miles), including the island of Corsica.

France is divided into regions and subdivided into departments and then arrondissements, cantons, and communes.

The estimated population of Metropolitan France is close to 67.75 million, an increasing number of which live in metropolitan areas.

Part of the European Union and the eurozone, France uses the euro as its form of currency. The economy of France is one of the strongest in Europe and the world.

There are 18 regions in Metropolitan France, including the island of Corsica off the southeastern coast.

Political Divisions of France

Region Capital
Alsace Strasbourg
Aquitane Bordeaux
Auvergne Clermont-Ferrand
Brittany Rennes
Burgundy Dijon
Centre Orleans
Champagne-Ardenne Chalons-en-Champagne
Corsica Ajaccio
Franche-Comte Besancon
Ile-de-France Paris
Languedoc-Roussillon Montpellier
Region Capital
Limousin Limoges
Lorraine Metz
Lower Normandy Caen
Midi-Pyrenees Toulouse
Nord-Pas-de-Calais Lille
Pays de la Loire Nantes
Picardy Amiens
Poitou-Charentes Poitiers
Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur Marseille
Rhone-Alpes Lyon
Upper Normandy Rouen

Major Cities in France

The capital and largest city of France is Paris, a city known worldwide for fashion, cuisine, art, and breathtaking landscapes, which have made it the most visited city in the world.

Other major cities in France include Marseille, Toulouse, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, and Lyon. These cities are the capitals of their respective regions. The most populous cities in France are Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nice, Nantes, and Strasbourg.

Department Wise Population of France

Department Population in 2013 Area (Miles) Capital
Nord 2,595,536 2,217 Lille
Paris 2,229,621 41 Paris
Bouches-du-Rhône 1,993,177 1,964 Marseille
Rhône 1,779,845 1,254 Lyon
Hauts-de-Seine 1,591,403 68 Nanterre
Seine-Saint-Denis 1,552,482 91 Bobigny
Gironde 1,505,517 4,141 Bordeaux
Pas-de-Calais 1,465,205 2,576 Arras
Yvelines 1,418,484 882 Versailles
Seine-et-Marne 1,365,200 2,284 Rouen
Val-de-Marne 1,354,005 95 Créteil
Loire-Atlantique 1,328,620 2,631 Nantes
Haute-Garonne 1,298,562 2,436 Toulouse
Seine-Maritime 1,254,609 2,424 Melun
Essonne 1,253,931 697 Evry
Isère 1,235,387 2,869 Grenoble
Val-d’Oise 1,194,681 481 Pontoise
Bas-Rhin 1,109,460 1,836 Strasbourg
Hérault 1,092,331 2,356 Montpellier
Alpes-Maritimes 1,080,771 1,660 Digne
Moselle 1,046,873 2,400 Metz
Var 1,028,583 2,306 Toulon
Ille-et-Vilaine 1,019,923 2,616 Rennes
Finistère 903,921 2,600 Quimper
La Réunion 835,103 967 Saint-Denis
Oise 815,400 2,263 Beauvais
Maine-et-Loire 800,191 2,767 Angers
Haute-Savoie 769,677 1,694 Annecy
Haut-Rhin 758,723 1,361 Colmar
Loire 756,715 1,846 St-Étienne
Morbihan 737,778 2,634 Vannes
Gard 733,201 2,260 Nîmes
Meurthe-et-Moselle 731,004 2,025 Nancy
Calvados 689,945 2,142 Caen
Loiret 665,587 2,616 Orléans
Pyrénées-Atlantiques 664,057 2,952 Pau
Vendée 655,506 2,595 La Roche-sur-Yon
Puy-de-Dôme 640,999 3,077 Clermont-Ferrand
Charente-Maritime 633,417 2,650 La Rochelle
Ain 619,497 2,225 Bourg-en-Bresse
Indre-et-Loire 600,252 2,366 Tours
Côtes-d’Armor 597,085 2,656 St-Brieuc
Eure 595,043 2,332 Evreux
Somme 571,675 2,382 Amiens
Marne 569,999 3,151 Châlons-sur-Marne
Sarthe 569,035 2,396 Le Mans
Saône-et-Loire 556,222 3,311 Mâcon
Vaucluse 549,949 1,377 Avignon
Aisne 540,067 2,845 Laon
Doubs 533,320 2,021 Besançon
Côte-d’Or 529,761 3,383 Dijon
Manche 499,919 2,293 St-Lô
Drôme 494,712 2,521 Valence
Pyrénées-Orientales 462,705 1,589 Perpignan
Eure-et-Loir 432,967 2,270 Chartres
Vienne 431,248 2,699 Poitiers
Savoie 423,715 2,327 Chambéry
Dordogne 416,909 3,498 Périgueux
Guadeloupe 402,119 629 Basse-Terre
Landes 397,226 3,569 Mont-de-Marsan
Martinique 385,551 436 Fort-de-France
Tarn 381,927 2,223 Albi
Haute-Vienne 375,856 2,131 Limoges
Vosges 375,226 2,268 Épinal
Deux-Sèvres 371,632 2,316 Niort
Aude 364,877 2,370 Carcassonne
Charente 353,482 2,300 Angoulême
Allier 343,431 2,834 Moulins
Yonne 341,483 2,868 Auxerre
Lot-et-Garonne 333,180 2,070 Agen
Loir-et-Cher 332,001 2,449 Blois
Ardèche 320,379 2,135 Privas
Cher 311,650 2,793 Bourges
Mayenne 307,500 1,998 Laval
Aube 306,581 2,318 Troyes
Orne 288,848 2,356 Alençon
Ardennes 280,907 2,019 Charleville-Mézières
Aveyron 277,740 3,373 Rodez
Jura 260,502 1,930 Lons-le-Saunier
Tarn-et-Garonne 250,342 1,436 Montauban
Guyane 244,118 32,253 Cayenne
Corrèze 240,781 2,261 Tulle
Haute-Saône 238,956 2,070 Vesoul
Hautes-Pyrénées 228,868 1,724 Gap
Indre 228,091 2,622 Châteauroux
Haute-Loire 226,203 1,922 Le Puy
Nièvre 215,221 2,632 Nevers
Mayotte 212,645 145 Mamoudzou
Meuse 192,094 2,398 Bar-le-Duc
Gers 190,276 2,416 Auch
Haute-Marne 181,521 2,398 Chaumont
Lot 173,758 2,014 Cahors
Haute-Corse 170,974 1,802 Bastia
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 161,916 2,674 Nice
Ariège 152,684 1,888 Foix
Corse-du-Sud 149,234 1,550 Ajaccio
Cantal 147,035 2,211 Aurillac
Territoire de Belfort 144,318 235 Belfort
Hautes-Alpes 139,279 2,142 Tarbes
Creuse 120,872 2,149 Guéret
Lozère 76,607 1,995 Mende

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