Latest news, sport, business, comment, analysis and reviews from the Guardian, the

world's leading liberal voice.

Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump for Republican presidential nomination

154
Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump for Republican presidential nomination

Islamic State holding estimated 3,500 slaves in Iraq, says UN

Report says group committing abuses that may amount to war crimes, crimes
against humanity and possibly genocide

1,117
Islamic State holding estimated 3,500 slaves in Iraq, says UN

No regrets over Ukraine split, but Crimeans want more love from Russia

Nearly two years on, many are pleased to be free of Kiev, but relations with Moscow
are not as rosy as they would like

No regrets over Ukraine split, but Crimeans want more love from Russia

Norway criticised over deportation of asylum seekers to Russia

107
Norway criticised over deportation of asylum seekers to Russia

Global unemployment to rise by 3.4 million in two years, report says

36
Global unemployment to rise by 3.4 million in two years, report says

US, Canadian and Libyan businessmen charged in UAE after 500 days in jail

28
US, Canadian and Libyan businessmen charged in UAE after 500 days in jail

Libya unveils UN-backed government based in Tunisia

23
Libya unveils UN-backed government based in Tunisia

Colombia negotiators agree UN observer mission to monitor end of civil war

4
Colombia negotiators agree UN observer mission to monitor end of civil war

Argentina's president: 'I will try to start a new kind of relationship' with the UK

622
Argentina's president: 'I will try to start a new kind of relationship' with the UK

IMF cuts global growth forecasts

183
IMF cuts global growth forecasts

Mass grave dug up in search for victims of Franco's fascist regime

33

France (French: [fs]), officially the French Republic (French: Rpublique franaise
[epyblik fsz]) is a sovereign state comprising territory in western Europe and several
overseas regions and territories.[XVI] The European part of France, called Metropolitan France,
extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the
Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. France spans 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi)[1] and has a
total population of 67.2 million.[VI][8] It is a unitary semi-presidential republic with the capital in
Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. The Constitution of
France establishes the state as secular and democratic, with its sovereignty derived from the
people.
During the Iron Age, what is now Metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic
people. The Gauls were conquered in 51 BC by the Roman Empire, which held Gaul until 486.
The Gallo-Romans faced raids and migration from the Germanic Franks, who dominated the
region for hundreds of years, eventually creating the medieval Kingdom of France. France
emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred
Years' War (1337 to 1453) strengthening French state-building and paving the way for a future
centralized absolute monarchy. During the Renaissance, France experienced a vast cultural

development and established the beginning of a global colonial empire. The 16th century was
dominated by religious civil wars between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots).
France became Europe's dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV.[9]
French philosophers played a key role in the Age of Enlightenment during the 18th century. In
the late 18th century, the absolute monarchy was overthrown in the French Revolution. Among
its legacies was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, one of the earliest
documents on human rights, which expresses the nation's ideals to this day. France became one
of modern history's earliest republics until Napoleon took power and launched the First French
Empire in 1804. Fighting against a complex set of coalitions during the Napoleonic Wars, he
dominated European affairs for over a decade and had a long-lasting impact on Western culture.
Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a tumultuous succession of governments:
the monarchy was restored, it was replaced in 1830 by a constitutional monarchy, then briefly by
a Second Republic, and then by a Second Empire, until a more lasting French Third Republic
was established in 1870. The French republic had tumultuous relationships with the Catholic
Church from the dechristianization of France during the French Revolution to the 1905 law
establishing lacit. Lacit is a strict but consensual form of secularism, which is nowadays an
important federative principle in the modern French society.
France reached its territorial height during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when it ultimately
possessed the second-largest colonial empire in the world.[10] In World War I, France was one of
the main winners as part of the Triple Entente alliance fighting against the Central Powers.
France was also one of the Allied Powers in World War II, but came under occupation by the
Axis Powers in 1940. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later
dissolved in the course of the Algerian War. The Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was
formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Following World War II, most of the French colonial
empire became decolonized.
Throughout its long history, France has been a leading global center of culture, making
significant contributions to art, science, and philosophy. It hosts Europe's third-largest number of
cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites (after Italy and Spain) and receives around 83 million
foreign tourists annually, the most of any country in the world.[11] France remains a great power
with significant cultural, economic, military, and political influence.[12] It is a developed country
with the world's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP[13] and ninth-largest by purchasing power
parity.[14] According to Credit Suisse, France is the fourth wealthiest nation in the world in terms
of aggregate household wealth.[15] It also possesses the world's largest exclusive economic zone
(EEZ), covering 11,691,000 square kilometres (4,514,000 sq mi).[16]
French citizens enjoy a high standard of living, and the country performs well in international
rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, civil liberties, and human development.[17][18]
France is a founding member of the United Nations, where it serves as one of the five permanent
members of the UN Security Council. It is a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the
World Trade Organization (WTO), and La Francophonie. France is a founding and leading
member state of the European Union (EU).[19]

Contents
[hide]

1 Etymology

2 History
o 2.1 Prehistory (Before the 6th century BC)
o 2.2 Antiquity (6th century BC-5th century AD)
o 2.3 Early Middle Ages (5th century-10th century)
o 2.4 Late Middle Ages (10th century-15th century)
o 2.5 Early modern period (15th century-1789)
o 2.6 Modern period (17891914)
o 2.7 Contemporary period (1914-present)

3 Geography
o 3.1 Climate
o 3.2 Environment
o 3.3 Administrative divisions
o 3.4 Overseas territories and collectivities

4 Politics
o 4.1 Government
o 4.2 Law
o 4.3 Foreign relations
o 4.4 Military
o 4.5 Government finance

5 Economy
o 5.1 Agriculture
o 5.2 Tourism
o 5.3 Energy
o 5.4 Transport
o 5.5 Sciences

6 Demographics
o 6.1 Ethnic groups
o 6.2 Major cities
o 6.3 Language
o 6.4 Religion
o 6.5 Health
o 6.6 Education

7 Culture
o 7.1 Art
o 7.2 Architecture
o 7.3 Literature
o 7.4 Philosophy
o 7.5 Music
o 7.6 Cinema
o 7.7 Fashion
o 7.8 Media

o 7.9 Society
o 7.10 Cuisine
o 7.11 Sports

8 See also

9 Footnotes

10 References

11 External links

Etymology
Main article: Name of France
Originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name "France" comes from the Latin
Francia, or "country of the Franks".[20] Modern France is still named today Francia in Italian and
Spanish, Frankreich in German and Frankrijk in Dutch, all of which have the same historical
meaning.
There are various theories as to the origin of the name Frank. Following the precedents of
Edward Gibbon and Jacob Grimm,[21] the name of the Franks has been linked with the word frank
(free) in English.[22] It has been suggested that the meaning of "free" was adopted because, after
the conquest of Gaul, only Franks were free of taxation.[23] Another theory is that it is derived
from the Proto-Germanic word frankon, which translates as javelin or lance as the throwing axe
of the Franks was known as a francisca.[24] However, it has been determined that these weapons
were named because of their use by the Franks, not the other way around.[25]

History
Main article: History of France

Prehistory (Before the 6th century BC)

Main article: Prehistory of France

One of the Lascaux paintings: a horse Dordogne, approximately 18,000 BC

The oldest traces of human life in what is now France date from approximately 1.8 million years
ago.[26] Humans were then confronted by a harsh and variable climate, marked by several glacial
eras. Early homonids led a nomadic hunter-gatherer life.[26] France has a large number of
decorated caves from the upper Paleolithic era, including one of the most famous and best
preserved: Lascaux[26] (approximately 18,000 BC).