France, officially the French Republic is a unitary sovereign state and transcontinental country consisting of territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories.The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and has a total population of 66.8 million. It is a semi-presidential republic with the capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre.
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France in a nutshell: France is a modern European state and a republic, and is one of the world's top six economies. The French head of state is the President, currently François Hollande, elected by universal suffrage the president governs through a Council of Ministers and a parliament made up of two chambers, the National Assembly (lower house) and the Senate (upper house).
Metropolitan France (France in Europe) has a population of slightly over 62 million, a little more than that of the United Kingdom.

Surface area: with a surface area of 547,030 km², or 211,209 sq. miles, metropolitan France is twice the size of the UK, and slightly smaller than the state of Texas. It is the biggest nation in western Europe.. France has land borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Andorra. It is also bordered by the North Sea, the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.

Major cities: The capital and the nation's largest city is Paris. Apart from Paris by far the largest urban area in France, other major cities are Lyon, Marseille, Lille and Toulouse.

Administrative areas: Metropolitan France (France in Europe) is divided, administratively, into 13 regions, and 96 counties, known as departments. The number of regions was reduced from 22 to 13 on 1st January 2016.

Language: The official language is French, though regional languages such as Breton and Alsacian are making a comeback.

National heritage: One of the oldest nations in Europe, France is also a country with a very rich cultural and environmental and cultural heritage.

Religion: There is no official religion in France; France is a secular republic. However about about half of French people say they are Catholics, and 2% Protestants. Less than 10% of French Catholics are regular church-goers. Some 3% to 4% of the French population are Muslims. There are churches in all French towns and most villages.

Currency: France's currency is the Euro, and most garages, hotels and shops in France accept credit cards, though may not always accept swipe cards without a microchip.

Climate: The climate in France is quite varied, but generally west European - on the whole a bit warmer than the UK, a bit cooler than Spain.

Food and drink - Bread and wine: In spite of the great variety of food and cuisine to be found in France, some things like the "baguette" the famous French bread stick, change little from one region to another; you'll find baguettes of all qualities in all regions, varying from the absolutely delicious, to the hard and tasteless. There are many different types of French bread, but tasty baguettes can be bought all over France, and a trip to the local "boulangerie" is often one of the daily highlights of a holiday in France.
Then there's wine. France is one of the world's great wine producing countries, and a country with a vast range of wines, from heavy Mediterranean reds to light fruity sparkling whites, via less well known varieties including "grey wine" and "yellow wine".