Water pollution, air pollution, agricultural runoff, acid rain
Exclusive economic zone
In Europe: 334,604 km2 (129,191 sq mi) All overseas territories: 11,691,000 km2 (4,514,000 sq mi)
The geography of France consists of a terrain that is mostly flat plains or gently
rolling hills in the north and west and mountainous in the south (including the
Massif Central and the
Pyrenees) and the east (the highest points being in the
Alps).
Metropolitan France has a total size of 551,695 km2 (213,011 sq mi) (Europe only). It is the third largest country in Europe by area (after
Russia and
Ukraine) and the largest in
Western Europe.
The French metropolitan territory is relatively large, so the climate is not uniform, giving rise to the following climate nuances:
The
cool semi-arid climate (BSk) concerns the western part of the
Bouches-du-Rhône area and the Roussillon plain of the
Pyrénées-Orientales with hot summers and cool winters with insufficient average annual rainfall in some years.
The
warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) is found in the northwestern part of
Brittany and along the
Gulf of Lion but higher in altitude, in the mountains. Summers are warm (but not hot) and dry, winters are cool and can be cold in the mountains, with rainy autumns.
The
warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) is found in the far east of France or in all the mountain ranges, far from the ocean or the sea. Summers are warm to hot and stormy and winters are cold, somewhat dry and snow is not uncommon. Above 500–600 meters a.s.l in the northeastern quarter of France, the snowpack can persist throughout the winter. In January 1985, in
Mouthe, the temperature has dropped under −41.2 °C (−42.2 °F).
The
subalpine climate (Dfc) is found in all the mountainous regions of France between 1,100-1,400 meters a.s.l in the Vosges mountains and 1,400-2,300 metres a.s.l in the southern French Alps or in the Pyrenees. Summers are cool, short and stormy while winters are very cold, long and snowy.
The
alpine tundra climate (ET) is found in all the mountainous regions of France, generally above 2,000 or 2,300-2,400 metres a.s.l depending on the mountain ranges. Summers are chilly, stormy and windy and winters are extremely cold, long and snowy.
The
ice cap climate (EF) is found in all the mountainous regions of France that have a
glacier, in the highest mountains of the Alps or the Pyrenees. The climate in the
Mont Blanc massif (up to 4,810 meters a.s.l) is an ice cap climate for example. Summers are cold and wet and winters are extremely cold, long and snowy.
The region that now comprises France consisted of open grassland during the
Pleistocene Ice Age. France gradually became forested as the glaciers retreated starting in 10,000 BC, but clearing of these primeval forests began in
Neolithic times. These forests were still fairly extensive until the medieval era.
In prehistoric times, France was home to large predatory animals such as wolves and brown bears, as well as herbivores such as elk. The larger fauna have disappeared outside the Pyrenees Mountains where bears live as a protected species. Smaller animals include
martens, wild pigs, foxes,
weasels, bats, rodents, rabbits, and assorted birds.
By the 15th century, France had largely been denuded of its forests and was forced to rely on Scandinavia and their North American colonies for lumber. Significant remaining forested areas are in the Gascony region and north in the Alsace-Ardennes area. The Ardennes Forest was the scene of extensive fighting in both world wars.
The north central part of this region is dominated by the
Paris Basin, which consists of a layered sequence of
sedimentary rocks. Fertile soils over much of the area make good agricultural land. The
Normandy coast to the northwest is characterized by high, chalk cliffs, while the
Brittany coast (the peninsula to the west) is highly indented where deep valleys were drowned by the sea, and the
Biscay coast to the southwest is marked by flat, sandy beaches.
A recent global remote sensing analysis suggested that there were 1,433 km2 of tidal flats in France, making it the 23rd ranked country in terms of tidal flat area.[2]
France has several levels of internal divisions. The first-level administrative division of Integral France is regions. Besides this the French Republic has sovereignty over several other territories, with various administrative levels.
Metropolitan (i.e. European) France is divided into 12 régions and 1 territorial collectivity,
Corsica. However, Corsica is referred to as a region in common speech. These regions are subdivided into 96 départements, which are further divided into 320
arrondissements, which are further divided into 1,995
cantons, which are further divided into 34,836
communes (as of 1/1/2021).[3]
Five overseas regions (régions d'outre-mer, or ROM):
Guadeloupe,
French Guiana,
Martinique,
Mayotte, and
Réunion, with identical status to metropolitan regions. Each of these overseas regions also being an overseas département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM), with the same status as a département of metropolitan France. This double structure (région/département) is new, due to the recent extension of the regional scheme to the overseas départements, and may soon transform into a single structure, with the merger of the regional and departmental assemblies. Another proposed change is that new départements are created such as in the case of
Réunion, where it has been proposed to create a second département in the south of the island, with the région of Réunion above these two départements.
One overseas "country" (pays d'outre-mer, or POM):
French Polynesia. In 2003 it became an overseas collectivity (or COM). Its statutory law of 27 February 2004 gives it the particular designation of overseas country inside the Republic (or POM), but without legal modification of its status.
One uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico which belongs directly to the central State
public land and is administered by the high-commissioner of the French Republic in French Polynesia:
Clipperton.
Boundaries
Land boundaries:
Total: 3,966.2 kilometres (2,464.5 mi)
2,751 kilometres (1,709 mi) (metropolitan), 1,205 kilometres (749 mi) (
French Guiana) 10.2 kilometres (6.3 mi) (
Saint Martin)
Exclusive economic zone: 334,604 km2 (129,191.3 sq mi) only in Europe. 11,691,000 km2 (4,513,920.3 sq mi) including all overseas territories. The 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) does not apply to the
Mediterranean Sea
Continental shelf: 200 metres (660 ft) depth or to the depth of exploitation
The lands making up the French Republic, shown at the same
geographic scale.