Facts About France 2010

France is a country in western Europe and it is officially known as French Republic. France is also in possession of several overseas territories and islands including French Guyana and Netherlands Antilles that are located in other continents and Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Metropolitan France, often known as 'The Hexagon due to the peculiar geographical shape of the territory, extends from Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean.




Countries on the border of France include Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain and Andorra. France is directly connected to UK by a tunnel that passes underneath the English Channel. Government of France is Semi-Presidential Republic. Its currency is Euro and it follows time zone of UTC + 1 and UTC + 2 in summer. The population of France is 65.44 million people. France is the member of European Union, UN, G8, G20, OECD, WTO, and NATO and also the permanent member of UN Security Council. With its strong economic, political, military and cultural influence, France has remained as one of the major powers of the world for several centuries.