France, officially French Republic (in French: République Française), is a sovereign country member of the European Union, with capital in Paris, which extends over a total area of ​​675,417 km² and has a population of 66 million inhabitants. In a social and democratic State of Law, its form of government is organized as a semi-presidential republic with the official name of French Republic

(République française) and the currency «Liberté, égalité, fraternité» («Freedom, equality, fraternity»).

The territory of France, and its metropolitan part, also called continental France, is located in Western Europe, where it limits, to the south, with the Mediterranean Sea, the enclave of Monaco (and Italy, to the southwest, with Spain, Andorra and the sea Cantabrico, to the west, to the Atlantic Ocean, to the north, to the Canal de la

Mancha, the North Sea and Belgium and to the east, with Luxembourg Germany and Switzerland

 

 

France is the fifth world economy (ahead of the United Kingdom, Brazil and Italy) with a high cultural diffusion in the international context, besides being the first world tourist destination, with 80 million foreign visitors per year.

Former colonial power, its culture and civilization is spread by countries around the world grouped in the organization of La Francophonie. The French language is one of the languages ​​with greater diffusion, traditionally used as the language of diplomacy, which together with 77 other regional languages, makes up the linguistic heritage of France, a member of the Latin Union.