France is the largest country in Western Europe with a surface area of 550,000 square km. The maximum distance, whether from East to West, or North to South, is hardly ever more than 1,000km; France's geographical location places it at the crossroads of Western and Central Europe, the Nordic countries and the Mediterranean basin. France shares its borders with 6 countries (Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland), and thanks to the Channel tunnel, it is also linked to Great Britain.

France's geographical diversity lies both in its landscape and its climate. Plains account for two thirds of the total surface area, but France also has various mountain ranges: the Alps (where Mont Blanc at 4,807m is the highest peak in Western Europe), the Pyrenees, the Jura, the Massif Central, and the Vosges.

Lastly France's coastline of 5,500 km opens onto 4 seas, which are the North Sea, The English Channel, The Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. France is situated in the temperate zone, between 41 and 52 degrees north latitude on the Western Side of the Eurasian Continent.

 The West of France has an oceanic climate, the South, a Mediterranean climate, whereas the centre and the East of France have a continental climate.

The population density is 107 inhabitants per square km with a contrasted distribution. 82% of France is covered by agricultural and forestry production zones; however, 75% of the population is urban. France is made up of 52 urban areas with more than 150,000 inhabitants. The 5 main cities are Paris with 9.8 million inhabitants, Lyon and Marseille with both 1.4 million inhabitants, Lille with 1.1 million, and Toulouse with 0.9 million.

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