Topic outline of France

France, officially the French Republic (French: République française), is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe but that also comprises various overseas territories around the world. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel, and from the Rhine and Alpes to the Atlantic Ocean. French people often refer to Metropolitan France as "L’Hexagone" (The “Hexagon”) because of the geometric shape of its territory.

The following topic outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to France:__TOC__

* Pronunciation:
* International rankings of France

Geography of France

* France is: a country
* Location:
** Northern Hemisphere, on the Prime Meridian
*** Eurasia
**** Europe
***** Western Europe
***** Southern Europe (see Southern France)
** Extreme points of France
* Population of France: 64,473,140 people (2008 estimate) - 20th most populous country
* Area of France: unit sqkm|674843|0|lk=on - 40th largest country
*
* Communes (municipalities) of France

Environment of France

* Climate of France
* Ecology of France
** Ecoregions in France
** Renewable energy in France
* Geology of France
* National parks of France
* Protected areas of France
* Wildlife of France
** Flora of France
** Fauna of France
*** Birds of France
*** Mammals of France

Geographic features of France

* Fjords of France
* Glaciers of France
* Islands of France
* Lakes of France
* Mountains of France
** Volcanoes in France
* Rivers of France
** Waterfalls of France
* Valleys of France
* World Heritage Sites in France "(See also Transboundary sites)"

Regions of France

: "Region" is also the name of France's main type of political division"

* Metropolitan France (in Western Europe)
* Overseas departments and territories of France

Administrative divisions of France

: "Main article: Administrative divisions of France and Regions of France"

* Regions of France
** Departments of France
*** Municipalities of France ("Communes")

Regions of France (Administrative)

France is divided into 22 administrative Regions:

01. Alsace
02. Aquitaine
03. Auvergne
04. Basse-Normandie
05. Bourgogne
06. Bretagne
07. Centre
08. Champagne-Ardenne
09. Corse (special status)
10. Franche-Comté
11. Haute-Normandie12. Île-de-France
13. Languedoc-Roussillon
14. Limousin
15. Lorraine
16. Midi-Pyrénées
17. Nord-Pas de Calais
18. Pays de la Loire
19. Picardie
20. Poitou-Charentes
21. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
22. Rhône-Alpes

Departments of France

French departments are roughly analogous to English counties.

, with the skyline of
Paris in the background]

Municipalities of France

* Capital of France: Paris - also the largest city in France, with over 2,000,000 inhabitants
* Strasbourg - official seat of the European Parliament
* Lyon - silk capital of the world and the location of the headquarters of Interpol and Euronews
* Marseille - France's largest commercial port
* Cities of France

Demography of France

: "Main article: Demographics of France"

Neighbors of France

Metropolitan France is bordered by:
* Belgium
* Luxembourg
* Germany
* Switzerland
* Italy
* Monaco
* Andorra
* Spain

France is also linked to:
* United Kingdom (by the Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the English Channel)

France's overseas departments share borders with:
* Brazil (borders French Guiana)
* Suriname (borders French Guiana)
* Netherlands Antilles (borders Saint-Martin)

Government and politics of France

: "Main article: Government of France and Politics of France"

* Form of government: Unitary semi-presidential republic
* Capital of France: Paris

* Constitutional Council of France

* Elections in France
** French presidential elections: 1848 - 1958 - 1965 - 1969 - 1974 - 1981 - 1988 - 1995 - 2002 - 2007
** French parliamentary elections: 1795 - 1798 - 1815 - 1816 - 1820 - 1824 - 1827 - 1830 - 1831 - 1834 - 1837 - 1839 - 1842 - 1846 - 1848 - 1849 - 1852 - 1857 - 1863 - 1869 - 1871 (Feb) - 1871 (Jul) - 1876 - 1877 - 1881 - 1885 - 1889 - 1893 - 1898 - 1902 - 1906 - 1910 - 1914 - 1919 - 1924 - 1928 - 1932 - 1936 - 1945 - 1946 (Jun) - 1946 (Nov) - 1951 - 1956 - 1958 - 1962 - 1967 - 1968 - 1973 - 1978 - 1981 - 1986 - 1988 - 1993 - 1997 - 2002 - 2007
** French referendums: 1793 - 1795 - 1800 - 1802 - 1804 - 1815 - 1851 - 1852 - 1870 - 1945 - 1946 (May) - 1946 (Oct) - 1958 - 1961 - 1962 (Jun) - 1962 (Oct) - 1969 - 1972 - 1988 - 1992 - 2000 - 2005
* Foreign relations of France
* Human rights in France
* Political parties in France
* Political scandals of France
* Taxation in France

Branches of the government of France

Executive branch

* Head of state: President of the French Republic
* "Le Gouvernement" (Cabinet of ministers)
** Head of government: Prime Minister of France
** Minister of Foreign Affairs
** Minister of the Interior
** Minister of Overseas France
** Minister of the Environment
** Minister of Transportation
** Minister of Public Works
** Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry
** Minister of Defence
** Minister of Justice
** Minister of National Education
** Minister of Higher Education and Research
** Minister of Culture
** Minister of Agriculture
** Minister of Tourism
** Minister of the Sea
** Minister of Health
** Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
** Minister of Budget, Public Accounting and Civil Servants
** Minister of Immigration, Integration, National identity and Co-development
** Minister of Social Affairs
** Minister of Housing

Legislative branch

* Parliament of France ("Parlement") "(see also: Congress of France)"
** French National Assembly ("Assemblée Nationale")
** French Senate ("Sénat")
* French Economic and Social Council (consultative assembly)

Judicial branch

* Constitutional Council of France

Foreign relations of France

* France is a nuclear power

International organization membership

France is a member of:
* European Union (France is a founding member)
* United Nations (France is a founding member)
** United Nations Security Council (permanent)
* Francophonie
* G8
* Latin Union

Law of France

: "Main article: Law of France"

* Constitution of France
* Crime in France
* Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
* Law enforcement in France
** National law enforcement agencies
*** National Police ("Police Nationale")
*** National Gendarmerie ("Gendarmerie Nationale")
**** Mobile Gendarmerie ("Gendarmerie Mobile")
** Local law enforcement agencies
*** Police municipale (Municipal police) - may be maintained by local governments (communes), but have very limited law enforcement powers outside of traffic issues and local ordinance enforcement
*** Garde champetre or "Police Rurale" (Rural police) - may be formed by Rural communes, and are responsible for limited local patrol and protecting the environment
*** "Équipes régionales d’intervention et de sécurité" (SWAT teams) - are operated by The Department of Corrections (the prison system or "Administration pénitentiaire")
*** In Wallis and Futuna, there is a territorial guard as well as royal police.

Historical law

* Napoleonic code

Military of France

: "Main article: Military of France"

* Command
** Commander-in-chief:
*** Ministry of Defence of France
* French Armed Forces
** French Army "(Armée de Terre)"
*** French Foreign Legion
*** Ranks in the French Army
** French Navy "(Marine Nationale)"
*** Ranks in the French Navy
** French Air Force "(Armée de l'Air)"
** National Gendarmerie "(Gendarmerie Nationale)"
* Military history of France

History of France

: "Main article: History of France and Timeline of French history"

France was the world's foremost power from the latter half of the 17th century until the early 19th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries, France built one of the largest colonial empires of the time, stretching across West Africa and Southeast Asia, prominently influencing the cultures and politics of the regions.

* Historical French provinces
* Cultural history of France
** Art history of France
** Literary history of France
* Colonial history of France
* Demographics of France
* Economic history of France
* Historical positions and figures
** Prime Ministers of France
** Constable of France
* Military history of France
** Military history of France during World War II

By period

* Ancient history
** Prehistoric France
** Celtic Gaul
** Roman Gaul (50 BC–486)
** The Franks
** Merovingians (481–751)

* France in the Middle Ages
** Carolingians (751–987)
** Direct Capetians (987–1328)
** Valois (direct) (1328–1498)

* Early Modern France (1492–1792)
** Valois-Orléans (1498–1515)
** Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589)
** House of Bourbon (1589–1792)
** French Revolution (1789)
* France in the 19th century
** First Republic (1792–1804)
** National Convention (1792–1795)
** Directory (1795–1799)
** Napoleonic era "(timeline)"
*** Consulate (1799–1804)
*** First Empire (1804–1814)
** Restoration (1814–1830)
** July Revolution (1830)
** July Monarchy (1830–1848)
** 1848 Revolution
** Second Republic (1848–1852)
** Second Empire (1852–1870)
** Third Republic (1870–1940)
** Paris Commune (1871)
* France in the 20th century
** Vichy France (1940–1944)
** Provisional Government (1944–1946)
** Fourth Republic (1946–1958)
** Fifth Republic (1958–present)

Culture of France

: "Main article: Culture of France"

* Architecture of France
** Basilicas in France
** Castles in France
** Cathedrals in France
** Palaces in France
* Cuisine of France
* Languages of France
* Media in France
* National symbols of France
** Coat of arms of France
** Flag of France
** National anthem of France
* Public holidays in France
* Religion in France
** Hinduism in France
** Buddhism in France
** Christianity in France
** Hinduism in France
** Islam in France
** Judaism in France
** Sikhism in France
* World Heritage Sites in France "(See also Transboundary sites)"

The Arts in France

* Art in France
* Cinema of France
* Cuisine of France
* Literature of France
* Music of France
* Television in France
* Theatre in France

Sport in France

: "Main article: Sport in France"

Sports popular in France:

* Association football (soccer)
** Football in France
* Basketball
** Fédération Française de Basket-Ball
* Cycling
** Tour de France
* Formula 1
** Grand Prix de France
* Golf
** Open de France
* Handball
* Olympic Games
** The modern Olympics were invented in France, in 1894
** France at the Olympics
* Pétanque
* Parkour
* Rugby
** Rugby union in France
** Rugby League in France
* Sailing
* Table football
* Tennis
** French Open (tennis)
* Volleyball

Economy of France

: "Main article: Economy of France"

France is the most visited country in the world, receiving over 79 million foreign tourists annually (including business visitors, but excluding people staying less than 24 hours in France).cite web |first=Directorate of Tourism |last=Government of France|publisher= |url=http://www.tourisme.gouv.fr/fr/z2/stat/tis/att00015987/TIS_2007-2.pdf|title=79 millions d’arrivées de touristes internationaux en 2006|accessdate=2007-07-31 fr icon]

* Economic rank
** Nominal GDP: 6th (sixth)
** GDP (PPP): 8th (eigth)

* Agriculture in France
* Communications in France
* Companies of France
* Currency of France: the Euro (see also )
* Economic history of France
* Tourism in France
* Transport in France

Education in France

: "Main article: Education in France"

The three stages of the education process in France:
* Primary education ("enseignement primaire")
* Secondary education ("enseignement secondaire")
** Collèges (pronounced|kɔˈlɛʒ) - cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15
** Lycées (IPA| [liˈse] ) - provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between the ages of 15 and 18, during which pupils are prepared for the "baccalauréat" (commonly referred to as "le bac").
* Higher education ("enseignement supérieur")
** Universities of France
** Grandes écoles

Infrastructure of France

* Communications in France
** Internet in France
* Energy in France
* Health care in France
* Transportation in France
** Airports in France
** Highway system of France
** Rail transport in France
* Water supply and sanitation in France

See also

* French Wikipedia
* List of basic geography topics
* List of international rankings

References

External links

French government
* [http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/ Official site of the French Embassy in the United Kingdom]
* [http://www.service-public.fr/etranger/english.html Official site of the French public service] - Contains many links to various administrations and institutions
* [http://www.frenchculturenow.com/ Frenchculturenow.com: French society, culture, politics news]

Country profiles
* [http://www.britannica.com/tools/France France] , from the "Encyclopædia Britannica"
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html France] , from the CIA World Factbook
*
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/998481.stm France] , from the BBC

Culture
* [http://cocorico.com/ Cocorico! French culture]
* [http://www.french.uiuc.edu/cfc/ "Contemporary French Civilization"] , journal, University of Illinois.