France, officially known as the French Republic, is situated primarily in Western Europe.
In addition, it possesses overseas regions and territories across the Americas, the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, boasting one of the largest discontiguous exclusive economic zones globally.
Metropolitan France shares its borders with Belgium and Luxembourg to the north, Italy to the southeast, Switzerland to the east, Germany to the northeast, Andorra and Spain to the south, and has a maritime border with the United Kingdom.
Comprising eighteen integral regions, including five overseas, France covers a combined area of 643,801 km2 (248,573 sq mi) and hosts a total population surpassing 68 million as of January 2023.
France operates as a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the largest city and the primary cultural and commercial hub of the nation. Other significant urban centers comprise Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, and Nice.
