thumb|A topographic map of the Republic, excluding all the overseas departments and territories thumb|Simplified physical map
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  (Europe only).
It is the third largest country in Europe by area (after Russia and Ukraine) and the largest in Western Europe.
Physical geography of Metropolitan France
thumb|Land use in Metropolitan France, with urban areas shown in red, 2006.
Metropolitan France:
(Metropolitan - i.e. European - France only, French National Geographic Institute data?
Metropolitan France: 543,965 km
(Metropolitan - i.e. European - France only, French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, glaciers larger than 1 km, and estuaries)
Elevation extremes
Lowest point: Étang de Lavalduc, Bouches-du-Rhône -10 m
Highest point: Mont Blanc 4,808 m
Land use
Arable land: 33.40%
Permanent crops: 1.83%
Other: 64.77% (2007)
Irrigated land: 26,420 km2 (2007)
Total renewable water resources: 211 km3 (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 31.62 km3/yr (19%/71%/10%) (512.1 m3/yr per capita) (2009) Natural resources
Coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, fish, gold, clay, petroleum Natural hazards
Flooding, avalanches, midwinter windstorms, drought, forest fires in the south near the Mediterranean Environment
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.
File:Naturasollieres.jpg|Forest in Sollières-Sardières (Natura 2000 site).
File:France_-_Marseille_(29878897633).jpg|Calanques National Park in Bouches-du-Rhône File:Massif_du_Mont-Blanc_(hiver_panoramique).jpg|Mont Blanc, the highest summit in Western Europe File:Etang de Lavalduc 2.jpg|Étang de Lavalduc, the lowest point in France Political geography
Internal divisions
thumb|upright=1.75|Regions and departments of Metropolitan France in 2016.
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).
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  of metropolitan France.
This double structure (région/) 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  in the south of the island, with the région of Réunion above these two départements.
Four overseas collectivities (collectivités d'outre-mer, or COM): Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, and Wallis and Futuna.
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 sui generis collectivity (collectivité sui generis): New Caledonia, whose status is unique in the French Republic.
One overseas territory (territoire d'outre-mer, or TOM): the French Southern and Antarctic Lands divided into 5 districts: Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Islands, Île Amsterdam and Île Saint-Paul, Adélie Land, and the Scattered islands (Banc du Geyser, Bassas da India, Europa, Juan de Nova, Glorioso, and Tromelin).
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:
(metropolitan),  (French Guiana)  (Saint Martin)
Border countries:
Andorra , Belgium , Germany , Italy , Luxembourg , Monaco , Spain , Switzerland  (metropolitan)
Brazil , Suriname ,  (French Guiana)
Sint Maarten  (Saint Martin)
Coastline:  (metropolitan),  (French Guiana),  (Guadeloupe),  (Martinique),  (Réunion)
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea:
Contiguous zone:
Exclusive economic zone:  only in Europe.
including all overseas territories.
The  does not apply to the Mediterranean Sea
Continental shelf:  depth or to the depth of exploitation
File:France-Constituent-Lands.png|The lands making up the French Republic, shown at the same geographic scale.
File:French Guiana in its region.svg|French Guiana File:Territorial waters - France.svg|The exclusive economic zones of France Extreme points
This is a list of the extreme points of France; the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
France (mainland Europe)
Northernmost point — Bray-Dunes, Nord at
Southernmost point — Puig de Comanegra, Lamanère, Pyrénées-Orientales at
Westernmost point — Pointe de Corsen, Plouarzel, Finistère at
Easternmost point — Lauterbourg, Bas Rhin at
France (metropolitan)
Northernmost point — Bray-Dunes, Nord at
Southernmost point — Îles Lavezzi (off Corsica), Bonifacio, Corse-du-Sud at
Westernmost point — Isle of Ushant (off Brittany), Finistère at
Easternmost point — San-Giuliano (near Cervione), Haute-Corse at
France (including ''départements d'outre mer'')
Northernmost point — Bray-Dunes, Nord at
Westernmost point — Pointe-Noire, Guadeloupe at
Easternmost point — Sainte-Rose, Réunion at
France (territory of the French Republic, including ''collectivités territoriales'' and ''pays et territoires d'outre-mer'')
Northernmost point : Bray-Dunes, Nord at
Southernmost point : îles de Boynes, Kerguelen Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Lands at
Westernmost point : Toloke, Futuna, Wallis and Futuna at
Easternmost point : Hunter Island, New Caledonia at
Temperature Extremes
These are the extreme temperatures in France.
See also
Regions of France
List of fifteen largest French metropolitan areas by population
Géoportail
Institut géographique national
Lists:
List of islands of France
List of lakes in France
List of national parks of France
Rivers of France
General:
Geography of Europe
References
External links
GéoPortail - Geography portal of France, high altitude imagery, maps ...
A detailed map of France showing all régions and numbered départements, including their préfectures.
