Interesting Facts about France
France is a country that can be located in Western Europe and is often referred to as the hexagon due to its shape. It shares borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Monaco to the northeast and Spain and Andorra to the south. It is linked to the United Kingdom by the Channel Tunnel which passes under the English Channel. France also has a number of territories outside of Europe including French Guiana in South America and the Collectively of Saint Martin located in the Caribbean. The capital city of France is Paris and it is located in northern France. Paris is also France’s largest city with a population of over 2,000,000 people.
Interesting Facts about France
- France is a founding member of the United Nations, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
- France has a total population of 65,821,885 people
- France is the largest west-European country and has the second largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 mi2).
- During the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
- France has a number of territories in North America, the Caribbean, South America, the southern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and Antarctica. These are Clipperton Island, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Guadloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Wallis and Futuna.
- At 4,810.45 metres (15,782 ft) above sea level, the highest point in Western Europe, Mont Blanc, is situated in the Alps on the border between France and Italy.
- France was one of the first countries to create a Ministry of the Environment, in 1971
- 78% of France’s electricity production is produced by nuclear power
- The French Republic is a unitary semi-presidential republic
- France is ranked as the world’s fifth largest and Europe’s second largest economy by nominal GDP
- France’s currency, the Franc, was completely replaced by the Euro in 2002.
- France is ranked as the first tourist destination in the world
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