{{Short description|Country located primarily in Western Europe}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect|La France|other uses|Lafrance (disambiguation){{!}}Lafrance}}
{{Redirect|French Republic|previous republics|French Republics (disambiguation){{!}}French Republics}}
{{Pp-vandalism|small=yes}}

{{Coord|47|N|2|E|type:country_region:FR|display=title}}

{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = French Republic
| common_name            = France
| native_name            = {{Native name|fr|République française}}
| image_flag             = Flag of France.svg
| image_coat             = Armoiries république française.svg
| symbol_width           = 75px
| symbol_type            = [[Diplomatic emblem of France|Emblem]]{{Efn-ur|The current [[Constitution of France]] does not specify a national emblem.<ref>{{Cite constitution|article=II|polity=France|date=1958}}</ref> This [[Diplomatic emblem of France|emblem]] is used by the [[President of France|President]], [[Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 November 2012 |title=The lictor's fasces |url=https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-lictor-s-fasces |website=elysee.fr |language=en}}</ref> and is on the cover of [[French passport]]s. For other symbols, see [[National symbols of France]].}}
| other_symbol           = <div style="padding:0.3em">[[File:Great Seal of France.svg|100px|Obverse]] [[File:Great Seal of France (reverse).svg|100px|Reverse]]</div>
| other_symbol_type      = [[Great Seal of France|Great Seal]]
| national_motto         = "{{Lang|fr|[[Liberté, égalité, fraternité]]|italics=no}}"
| englishmotto           = ("Liberty, Equality, Fraternity")
| national_anthem        = "[[La Marseillaise]]"<br/><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em">[[File:La Marseillaise.ogg|alt=sound clip of the Marseillaise French national anthem]]</div>
| image_map              = {{Switcher|[[File:EU-France (orthographic projection).svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|France on the globe centred on Europe|[[File:EU-France.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|[[Metropolitan France]] (European part of France) in Europe|[[File:France in the World (+Antarctica claims).svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|France and its overseas territories in the world|default=1}}
| map_caption            = {{Map caption|location_color=red or dark green|country=France|region=Europe|region_color=dark grey|subregion=the European Union|subregion_color=green|unbulleted list|Location of the territory of the  (red)|[[Adélie Land]] (Antarctic claim; hatched)}}
| capital                = [[Paris]]
| coordinates            = {{Coord|48|51|N|2|21|E|type:city}}
| largest_city           = capital
| languages_type         = Official language<br/>{{Nobold|and national language}}
| languages              = [[French language|French]]{{Efn-ur|name=one|For information about regional languages see [[Languages of France]].}}{{Infobox|child=yes
| regional_languages = See [[Languages of France]]
| label1 = Nationality {{Nobold|(2021)}}
| data1 = {{Unbulleted list|92.3% [[French people|French]]|7.7% Others<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 5, 2022 |title=Share of the population in France 2021, by nationality status |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/466028/distribution-population-nationality-france/ |website=statista.com}}</ref>}}}}
| religion_ref           = <ref>{{Cite web |last=El Karoui |first=Hakim |date=2016-09-19 |title=A French Islam is possible |url=https://www.institutmontaigne.org/ressources/publications-pdfs/a-french-islam-is-possible-report.pdf |access-date=5 September 2022 |website=Institut Montaigne |language=en}}</ref>
| religion_year          = 2016
| religion               = {{Ublist|item_style=white-space:nowrap;
|51.1% [[Christianity in France|Christianity]]
|39.6% [[Irreligion in France|No religion]]
|5.6% [[Islam in France|Islam]]
|0.8% [[History of the Jews in France|Judaism]]
|2.5% Others
}}
| demonym                = French
| government_type        = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[President of France|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Emmanuel Macron]]
| leader_title2          = [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name2           = [[Élisabeth Borne]]
| legislature            = [[French Parliament|Parliament]]
| upper_house            = [[Senate (France)|Senate]]
| lower_house            = [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]]
| sovereignty_type       = [[History of France|Establishment]]
| established_event1     = [[West Francia|Kingdom of the West Franks]] - [[Treaty of Verdun]]
| established_date1      = 10 August 843
| established_event2     = [[Kingdom of France]] - [[List of French monarchs#House of Capet (987–1792)|Capetian rulers of France]]
| established_date2      = 3 July 987
| established_event3     = [[Proclamation of the abolition of the monarchy|French Republic]] - [[French First Republic]]
| established_date3      = 22 September 1792
| established_event4     = [[Enlargement of the European Union#Founding members|Founded]] the [[European Economic Community|EEC]]{{Efn-ur|[[European Union]] since 1993}}
| established_date4      = 1 January 1958
| established_event5     = [[Constitution of France|Current&nbsp;constitution]] - [[French Fifth Republic]]
| established_date5      = 4 October 1958
| area_km2               = 643,801
| area_footnote          = <ref name="Field Listing :: Area">{{Cite web |title=Field Listing :: Area |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131115000/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html |archive-date=31 January 2014 |access-date=1 November 2015 |website=The World Factbook |publisher=CIA}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
| area_rank              = 42nd <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] -->
| area_sq_mi             = 248,600 <!--Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers|WP:MOSNUM]] -->
| area_label2            = [[Metropolitan France]] ([[Institut géographique national|IGN]])
| area_data2             = {{Cvt|551695|km2}}{{Efn-ur|name=three|French [[Institut géographique national|National Geographic Institute]] data, which includes bodies of water}} ([[List of countries and dependencies by area|50th]])
| area_label3            = Metropolitan France ([[Cadastre]])
| area_data3             = {{Cvt|543940.9|km2}}{{Efn-ur|name=four|French [[Land registration|Land Register]] data, which exclude lakes, ponds and [[glacier]]s larger than 1 km<sup>2</sup> (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers}}<ref>{{Cite journal |year=2011 |title=France Métropolitaine |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/comparateur.asp?codgeo=METRODOM-1 |url-status=dead |journal=INSEE |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828051307/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/comparateur.asp?codgeo=METRODOM-1 |archive-date=28 August 2015}}</ref> ([[List of countries and dependencies by area|50th]])
| population_estimate    = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 68,042,591<ref name="pop_est">{{Cite web |date=17 January 2023 |title=Bilan démographique 2022 - Composantes de la croissance démographique, France |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6686993?sommaire=6686521#titre-bloc-1 |access-date=2022-01-27 |website=Insee}}</ref>
| percent_water          = 0.86 (2015)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Surface water and surface water change |url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER# |access-date=11 October 2020 |publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = January 2023
| population_estimate_rank = 20th
| population_label2      = Density
| population_data2       = {{Pop density|67897000|643801|km2}} ([[List of countries and territories by population density|106th]])
| population_label3      = Metropolitan France, estimate {{As of|lc=y|January 2023}}
| population_data3       = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 65,834,837<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 January 2023 |title=Bilan démographique 2022 - Composantes de la croissance démographique, France métropolitaine |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6686993?sommaire=6686521#titre-bloc-3 |access-date=2022-01-27 |website=Insee}}</ref> ([[List of countries and dependencies by population|23rd]])
| population_density_km2 = 121
| population_density_sq_mi = 313 <!-- Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers|WP:MOSNUM]] -->
| pop_den_footnote       =
| population_density_rank = 89th
| GDP_PPP                = {{Increase}} $3.667 trillion<ref name="IMFWEOFR">{{Cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2021 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2021/October/weo-report?c=132,&s=NGDP_RPCH,NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2016&ey=2026&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |access-date=25 February 2022 |website=imf.org |publisher=International Monetary Fund}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2022
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 10th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{Increase}} $56,036<ref name="IMFWEOFR" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 24th
| GDP_nominal            = {{Increase}} $2.936 trillion<ref name="IMFWEOFR" />
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2022
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 7th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{Increase}} $44,747<ref name="IMFWEOFR" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 28th
| Gini                   = 29.3 <!-- number only -->
| Gini_year              = 2020
| Gini_change            = increase <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| Gini_ref               = <ref name="eurogini">{{Cite web |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en |access-date=21 June 2022 |website=ec.europa.eu |publisher=[[Eurostat]]}}</ref>
| Gini_rank              =
| HDI                    = 0.903 <!-- number only -->
| HDI_year               = 2021 <!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year -->
| HDI_change             = increase <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=8 September 2022 |title=Human Development Report 2021/2022 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf |access-date=8 September 2022 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 28th
| currency               = {{Unbulleted list
| [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]]) ([[ISO 4217|EUR]]){{Efn-ur|name=six|Whole of the  except the overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean}}
| [[CFP franc]] (XPF){{Efn-ur|name=seven|French overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean only}}
}}
| time_zone              = [[Central European Time]]
| utc_offset             = +1
| utc_offset_DST         = +2
| time_zone_DST          = [[Central European Summer Time]]{{Efn-ur|name=eight|Daylight saving time is observed in metropolitan France and [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] only.}}
| DST_note               = Note: Various other time zones are observed in overseas France.{{Efn-ur|name=nine|Time zones across the  span from UTC−10 ([[French Polynesia]]) to UTC+12 ([[Wallis and Futuna]])}}<br/> Although France is in the [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (Z) ([[Western European Time]]) zone, [[UTC+01:00]] ([[Central European Time]]) was enforced as the standard time since 25 February 1940, upon [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|German occupation in WW2]], with a +0:50:39 offset (and +1:50:39 during [[Daylight saving time|DST]]) from Paris [[Local mean time|LMT]] (UTC+0:09:21).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Time Zone & Clock Changes in Paris, Île-de-France, France |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/france/paris |access-date=9 October 2021 |website=timeanddate.com}}</ref>
| date_format            = dd/mm/yyyy ([[Anno Domini|AD]])
| drives_on              = right
| calling_code           = [[Telephone numbers in France|+33]]{{Efn-ur|name=eleven|The overseas regions and collectivities form part of the [[Telephone numbers in France|French telephone numbering plan]], but have their own country calling codes: [[Guadeloupe]] +590; [[Martinique]] +596; [[French Guiana]] +594; [[Réunion]] and [[Mayotte]] +262; [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] +508. The overseas territories are not part of the French telephone numbering plan; their country calling codes are: [[New Caledonia]] +687; [[French Polynesia]] +689; [[Wallis and Futuna]] +681.}}
| cctld                  = [[.fr]]{{Efn-ur|name=ten|In addition to [[.fr]], several other Internet TLDs are used in French overseas ''départements'' and territories: [[.re]], [[.mq]], [[.gp]], [[.tf]], [[.nc]], [[.pf]], [[.wf]], [[.pm]], [[.gf]] and [[.yt]]. France also uses [[.eu]], shared with other members of the European Union. The [[.cat]] domain is used in [[Catalan Countries|Catalan-speaking territories]].}}
| footnotes              = Source gives area of metropolitan France as 551,500 km<sup>2</sup> (212,900 sq mi) and lists overseas regions separately, whose areas sum to 89,179 km<sup>2</sup> (34,432 sq mi). Adding these give the total shown here for the entire French Republic. The CIA reports the total as 643,801 km<sup>2</sup> (248,573 sq mi).
| flag_p1                = Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1974, 2020–present).svg
}}

'''France''' ({{IPA-fr|fʁɑ̃s|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Fhala.K-France.wav|attribution=no}})<!-- Do not add English pronunciation per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead Section]] -->, officially the '''French Republic''' ({{Lang-fr|link=no|République française}} {{IPA-fr|ʁepyblik frɑ̃sɛz|}}),<ref name="formal country name">{{Cite web |title=France |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/geonames/ |access-date=27 November 2020 |website=UNGEGN World Geographical Names |publisher=United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names |location=New York, NY}}</ref> is a country located primarily in [[Western Europe]]. It also includes [[Overseas France|overseas regions and territories]] in the [[Americas]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]], [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] and [[Indian Ocean]]s,{{Efn-ur|name=twelve|[[French Guiana]] is in South America; [[Guadeloupe]] and [[Martinique]] are in the Caribbean Sea; and [[Réunion]] and [[Mayotte]] are in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Africa. All five [[Administrative divisions of France|are considered integral parts of the French Republic]]. France also comprises [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] in North America; [[Saint Barthélemy]] and [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]] in the Caribbean; [[French Polynesia]], [[New Caledonia]], [[Wallis and Futuna]] and [[Clipperton Island]] in the Pacific Ocean; and the [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]].}} giving it one of the largest discontiguous [[exclusive economic zone]]s in the world. Its [[Metropolitan France|metropolitan area]] extends from the [[Rhine]] to the Atlantic Ocean and from the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to the [[English Channel]] and the [[North Sea]]; overseas territories include [[French Guiana]] in [[South America]], [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] in the North Atlantic, the [[French West Indies]], and many islands in [[Oceania]] and the Indian Ocean. Its [[Regions of France|eighteen integral regions]] (five of which are overseas) span a combined area of {{Cvt|643801|km2}} and had a total population of over 68 million {{As of|2023|January|lc=y}}.<ref name="Field Listing :: Area" /><ref name=pop_est/> France is a [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[republic]] with its capital in [[Paris]], the country's [[List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants|largest city]] and main cultural and commercial centre; other major [[Urban area (France)|urban areas]] include [[Marseille]], [[Lyon]], [[Toulouse]], [[Lille]], [[Bordeaux]], and [[Nice]].

Inhabited since the [[Upper Paleolithic|Palaeolithic]] era, the territory of Metropolitan France was settled by [[List of ancient Celtic peoples and tribes|Celtic tribes]] known as [[Gauls]] during the [[Iron Age]]. [[Roman Gaul|Rome annexed the area]] in 51 BC, leading to a distinct [[Gallo-Roman culture]] that laid the foundation of the [[French language]]. The [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[Franks]] formed the Kingdom of [[Francia]], which became the heartland of the [[Carolingian Empire]]. The [[Treaty of Verdun]] of 843 partitioned the empire, with [[West Francia]] becoming the [[Kingdom of France]] in 987. In the [[High Middle Ages]], France was a powerful but highly decentralised [[Feudalism|feudal]] kingdom. [[Philip II of France|Philip II]] successfully strengthened royal power and [[Battle of Bouvines|defeated his rivals]] to double the size of the [[Crown lands of France|crown lands]]; by the end of his reign, France had emerged as the most powerful state in Europe. From the mid-14th to the mid-15th century, France was plunged into a series of dynastic conflicts involving [[Kingdom of England|England]], collectively known as the [[Hundred Years' War]], and a distinct French identity emerged as a result. The [[French Renaissance]] saw art and culture flourish, conflict with the [[House of Habsburg]], and the establishment of a [[French colonial empire|global colonial empire]], which by the 20th century would become the second-largest in the world.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UX8aeX_Lbi4C&pg=PA1 |title=Memory, Empire, and Postcolonialism: Legacies of French Colonialism |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7391-0821-5 |editor-last=Hargreaves, Alan G. |page=1}}</ref> The second half of the 16th century was dominated by [[French Wars of Religion|religious civil wars]] between [[Catholic Church|Catholics]] and [[Huguenots]] that severely weakened the country. France again emerged as Europe's dominant power in the 17th century under [[Louis XIV]] following the [[Thirty Years' War]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=R.R. Palmer |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernw00palm |title=A History of the Modern World |last2=Joel Colton |year=1978 |edition=5th |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernw00palm/page/161 161] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Inadequate economic policies, inequitable taxes and frequent wars (notably a defeat in the [[Seven Years' War]] and costly [[France in the American Revolutionary War|involvement in the American War of Independence]]) left the kingdom in a precarious economic situation by the end of the 18th century. This precipitated the [[French Revolution]] of 1789, which overthrew the {{Lang|fr|[[Ancien Régime]]|italic=no}} and produced the [[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen|Declaration of the Rights of Man]], which expresses the nation's ideals to this day.

France reached its political and military zenith in the early 19th century under [[Napoleon|Napoleon Bonaparte]], subjugating much of continental Europe and establishing the [[First French Empire]]. The [[French Revolutionary Wars|French Revolutionary]] and [[Napoleonic Wars]] shaped the course of European and world history. The collapse of the empire initiated a period of relative decline, in which France endured a tumultuous succession of governments until the founding of the [[French Third Republic]] during the [[Franco-Prussian War]] in 1870. Subsequent decades saw a period of optimism, cultural and scientific flourishing, as well as economic prosperity, known as the [[Belle Époque]]. France was one of the [[Triple Entente|major participants]] of [[World War I]], from which it [[Treaty of Versailles|emerged victorious]] at a great human and economic cost. It was among the [[Allies of World War II|Allied powers]] of [[World War II]] but was soon [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|occupied]] by the [[Axis powers|Axis]] in 1940. Following [[Liberation of France|liberation]] in 1944, the short-lived [[French Fourth Republic|Fourth Republic]] was established and later dissolved in the course of the [[Algerian War]]. The current [[French Fifth Republic|Fifth Republic]] was formed in 1958 by [[Charles de Gaulle]]. Algeria and most French colonies became independent in the 1960s, with the majority retaining [[Françafrique|close economic and military ties with France]].

France retains its centuries-long status as a global centre of [[French art|art]], [[List of French scientists|science]] and [[List of French philosophers|philosophy]]. It [[List of World Heritage Sites in France|hosts]] the fifth-largest number of UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]]s and is the world's leading tourist destination, receiving over 89&nbsp;million foreign [[Tourism in France|visitors]] in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 May 2019 |title=France posts new tourist record despite Yellow Vest unrest |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20190517-france-tourism-record-number-visitors-tourists-despite-yellow-vests-paris |website=France 24}}</ref> France is a [[developed country]] ranked 28th in the [[Human Development Index]], with the world's [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|seventh-largest economy by nominal GDP]] and [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|tenth-largest by PPP]]; in terms of aggregate household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2010 |title=Global Wealth Report |url=http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/fichiers/enseig/ecoineg/EcoIneg_fichiers/DaviesShorrocks2010(CSGlobalWealthReport).pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109055804/http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/fichiers/enseig/ecoineg/EcoIneg_fichiers/DaviesShorrocks2010%28CSGlobalWealthReport%29.pdf |archive-date=9 November 2014 |access-date=27 October 2014 |publisher=Credit Suisse |quote="In euro and USD terms, the total wealth of French households is very sizeable. Although it has just 1% of the world's adults, France ranks fourth among nations in aggregate household wealth&nbsp;– behind China and just ahead of Germany. Europe as a whole accounts for 35% of the individuals in the global top 1%, but France itself contributes a quarter of the European contingent.}}</ref> France performs well in [[International rankings of France|international rankings]] of [[Education in France|education]], [[Health care in France|health care]], and [[List of countries by life expectancy|life expectancy]]. It remains a [[great power]] in global affairs,<ref>Jack S. Levy, ''War in the Modern Great Power System, 1495–1975'', (2014) p. 29</ref> being one of the five [[permanent members of the United Nations Security Council]] and an official [[List of states with nuclear weapons|nuclear-weapon state]]. France is a founding and [[Big Four (Western Europe)|leading]] [[Member state of the European Union|member of the European Union]] and the [[Eurozone]],<ref name="superficy" /> as well as a key member of the [[Group of Seven]], [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO), [[OECD|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD) and [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|Francophonie]].

==Etymology and pronunciation==
{{Main|Name of France}}
Originally applied to the whole [[Francia|Frankish Empire]], the name ''France'' comes from the [[Latin]] {{Lang|la|[[Francia]]}}, or "realm of the [[Franks]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of France |url=http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/History/DF_history.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824051936/http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/History/DF_history.shtml |archive-date=24 August 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011 |publisher=Discoverfrance.net}}</ref> Modern France is still named today {{Lang|it|Francia}} in Italian and Spanish, while {{Lang|de|Frankreich}} in German, {{Lang|nl|Frankrijk}} in Dutch and {{Lang|sv|Frankrike}} in Swedish all mean "Land/realm of the Franks".

The [[name of the Franks]] is related to the English word ''frank'' ("free"): the latter stems from the [[Old French]] {{Lang|ang|franc}}  ("free, noble, sincere"), ultimately from [[Medieval Latin]] ''francus'' ("free, exempt from service; freeman, Frank"), a generalisation of the tribal name that emerged as a [[Late Latin]] borrowing of the reconstructed [[Frankish language|Frankish]] [[Endonym and exonym|endonym]] {{Lang|frk|*Frank}}.<ref>Examples: {{Cite encyclopedia |title=frank |encyclopedia=American Heritage Dictionary}} {{Cite encyclopedia|title=frank|encyclopedia=Webster's Third New International Dictionary}} And so on.</ref><ref name=":0" /> It has been suggested that the meaning "free" was adopted because, after the conquest of Gaul, only Franks were free of taxation,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Michel Rouche |title=A History of Private Life: From Pagan Rome to Byzantium |publisher=Belknap Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-674-39974-7 |editor-last=Paul Veyne |page=425 |chapter=The Early Middle Ages in the West |oclc=59830199}}</ref> or more generally because they had the status of freemen in contrast to servants or slaves.<ref name=":0" />

The etymology of ''*Frank'' is uncertain. It is traditionally derived from the [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] word {{Lang|gem-x-proto|frankōn}}, which translates as "javelin" or "lance" (the throwing axe of the Franks was known as the ''[[francisca]]''),<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Tarassuk |first1=Leonid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UJbyPwAACAAJ |title=The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapons: the most comprehensive reference work ever published on arms and armor from prehistoric times to the present with over 1,250 illustrations |last2=Blair |first2=Claude |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-671-42257-8 |page=186 |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref> although these weapons may have been named because of their use by the Franks, not the other way around.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Origin and meaning of Frank |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/frank |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |language=en}}</ref>

In English, 'France' is pronounced {{IPAc-en|f|r|æ|n|s}} {{Respell|FRANSS}} in American English and {{IPAc-en|f|r|ɑː|n|s}} {{Respell|FRAHNSS}} or {{IPAc-en|f|r|æ|n|s}} {{Respell|FRANSS}} in British English. The pronunciation with {{IPAc-en|ɑː}} is mostly confined to accents with the [[Trap–bath split|trap-bath split]] such as [[Received Pronunciation]], though it can be also heard in some other dialects such as [[Cardiff English]], in which {{IPAc-en|f|r|ɑː|n|s}} is in free variation with {{IPAc-en|f|r|æ|n|s}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wells |first=John C. |title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary |publisher=Longman |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4058-8118-0 |edition=3rd}}; {{Cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Beverley|last2=Mees|first2=Inger M.|editor-last1=Coupland|editor-first1=Nikolas|editor-last2=Thomas|editor-first2=Alan Richard|year=1990|title=English in Wales: Diversity, Conflict, and Change|chapter=The Phonetics of Cardiff English|publisher=Multilingual Matters Ltd.|page=96|isbn=978-1-85359-032-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPwYt3gVbu4C}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of France}}
{{For timeline|Timeline of French history}}

===Prehistory (before the 6th century BC)===
{{Main|Prehistory of France}}
[[File:Lascaux2.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Lascaux cave paintings: a horse from Dordogne facing right brown on white background|One of the [[Lascaux]] paintings: a horse&nbsp;– approximately 17,000 BC.<ref>[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-worlds-oldest-animal-paintings-are-on-this-cave-wall The World’s Oldest Animal Paintings Are on This Cave Wall], [[Scientific American]], 14 January 2021</ref>]]
The oldest traces of human life in what is now France date from approximately 1.8&nbsp;million years ago.<ref name="Jean Carpentier 1987 p.17">Jean Carpentier (dir.), François Lebrun (dir.), Alain Tranoy, Élisabeth Carpentier et Jean-Marie Mayeur (préface de Jacques Le Goff), Histoire de France, Points Seuil, coll. " Histoire ", Paris, 2000 (1re éd. 1987), p. 17 {{ISBN|978-2-02-010879-9}}</ref> Over the ensuing millennia, [[human]]s were confronted by a harsh and variable climate, marked by several [[glacial period]]s. Early hominids led a [[nomad]]ic [[hunter-gatherer]] life.<ref name="Jean Carpentier 1987 p.17" /> France has a large number of decorated caves from the [[Upper Paleolithic]] era, including one of the most famous and best-preserved, [[Lascaux]]<ref name="Jean Carpentier 1987 p.17" /> (approximately 18,000 BC). At the end of the [[Last Glacial Period|last glacial period]] (10,000 BC), the climate became milder;<ref name="Jean Carpentier 1987 p.17" /> from approximately 7,000 BC, this part of Western Europe entered the [[Neolithic]] era and its inhabitants became [[Sedentism|sedentary]].

After strong demographic and agricultural development between the 4th and 3rd millennia, metallurgy appeared at the end of the 3rd millennium, initially working gold, copper and bronze, as well as later iron.<ref>Carpentier ''et al.'' 2000, pp. 20–24.</ref> France has numerous [[megalith]]ic sites from the Neolithic period, including the exceptionally dense [[Carnac stones]] site (approximately 3,300 BC).

===Antiquity (6th century BC–5th century AD)===
{{Main|Gaul|Celts|Roman Gaul}}
[[File:Siege-alesia-vercingetorix-jules-cesar.jpg|left|thumb|[[Vercingetorix]] surrenders to [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]] during the [[Battle of Alesia]]. The Gallic defeat in the [[Gallic Wars]] secured the [[Roman Republic|Roman]] conquest of the country.]]
In 600 BC, [[Ionia]]n [[Greeks in pre-Roman Gaul|Greeks]] from [[Phocaea]] founded the [[Greek colonisation|colony]] of [[Massalia]] (present-day [[Marseille]]), on the shores of the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. This makes it France's oldest city.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n1TmVvMwmo4C&pg=RA1-PA754 |title=The Cambridge ancient history |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-521-08691-2 |page=754 |access-date=23 January 2011}}; {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8cA8hymTw8C&pg=PA62|title=A history of ancient Greece|author=Claude Orrieux|page=62|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=1999|access-date=23 January 2011|isbn=978-0-631-20309-4}}</ref> At the same time, some Gallic Celtic tribes penetrated parts of Eastern and Northern France, gradually spreading through the rest of the country between the 5th and 3rd century BC.<ref>Carpentier ''et al.'' 2000, p. 29.</ref> The concept of [[Gaul]] emerged during this period, corresponding to the territories of Celtic settlement ranging between the [[Rhine]], the [[Atlantic Ocean]], the [[Pyrenees]] and the Mediterranean. The borders of modern France roughly correspond to ancient Gaul, which was inhabited by Celtic ''Gauls''. Gaul was then a prosperous country, of which the southernmost part was heavily subject to Greek and Roman cultural and economic influences.

[[File:Maison_Carree_in_Nimes_(16).jpg|thumb|left|alt=Maison Carrée temple in Nemausus Corinthian columns and portico|The [[Maison Carrée]] was a temple of the [[Gallo-Roman culture|Gallo-Roman]] city of Nemausus (present-day [[Nîmes]]) and is one of the best-preserved vestiges of the [[Roman Empire]].]]
Around 390 BC, the Gallic [[Tribal chief|chieftain]] [[Brennus (4th century BC)|Brennus]] and his troops made their way to Italy through the [[Alps]], defeated the Romans in the [[Battle of the Allia]], and besieged and [[ransom]]ed Rome.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cornelius Tacitus, The History, BOOK II, chapter 91 |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0080:book=2:chapter=91 |website=perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref> The Gallic invasion left Rome weakened, and the Gauls continued to harass the region until 345 BC when they entered into a formal peace treaty with Rome.<ref>Polybius, The Histories, 2.18.19</ref> But the Romans and the Gauls would remain adversaries for the next centuries, and the Gauls would continue to be a threat in [[Roman Italy|Italy]].<ref>Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome, p. 325</ref>

Around 125 BC, the south of Gaul was conquered by the Romans, who called this region {{Lang|la|[[Gallia Narbonensis|Provincia Nostra]]}} ("Our Province"), which over time evolved into the name [[Provence]] in French.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=13 July 1953 |title=Provence in Stone |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZEIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA77 |magazine=Life |page=77 |access-date=23 January 2011}}</ref> [[Julius Caesar]] conquered the remainder of Gaul and overcame a revolt carried out by the Gallic chieftain [[Vercingetorix]] in 52 BC.<ref>Carpentier ''et al.'' 2000, pp. 44–45.</ref>

Gaul was divided by [[Augustus]] into Roman provinces.<ref name="c53">Carpentier ''et al.'' 2000, pp. 53–55.</ref> Many cities were founded during the [[Roman Gaul|Gallo-Roman period]], including [[Lugdunum]] (present-day [[Lyon]]), which is considered the capital of the Gauls.<ref name=c53/> These cities were built in traditional Roman style, with a [[Roman Forum|forum]], a [[Roman theatre (structure)|theatre]], a [[Roman circus|circus]], an [[amphitheatre]] and [[Spa|thermal baths]]. The Gauls mixed with Roman settlers and eventually adopted Roman culture and [[Romance languages|Roman]] speech ([[Latin]], from which the French language evolved). [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman polytheism]] merged with [[Ancient Celtic religion|Gallic paganism]] into the same [[syncretism]].

From the 250s to the 280s AD, Roman Gaul suffered a serious crisis with its [[Limes (Roman Empire)|fortified borders]] being attacked on several occasions by [[barbarian]]s.<ref name="c77">Carpentier et al. 2000, pp. 76–77</ref> Nevertheless, the situation improved in the first half of the 4th century, which was a period of revival and prosperity for Roman Gaul.<ref>Carpentier ''et al.'' 2000, pp. 79–82.</ref> In 312, Emperor [[Constantine the Great|Constantine I]] converted to Christianity. Subsequently, Christians, who had been persecuted until then, increased rapidly across the entire Roman Empire.<ref>Carpentier ''et al.'' 2000, p. 81.</ref> But, from the beginning of the 5th century, the [[Migration Period|Barbarian Invasions]] resumed.<ref>Carpentier ''et al.'' 2000, p. 84.</ref> Teutonic tribes invaded the region from present-day Germany, the [[Visigoths]] settling in the southwest, the [[Burgundians]] along the Rhine River Valley, and the [[Franks]] (from whom the French take their name) in the north.<ref>Carpentier ''et al.'' 2000, pp. 84–88.</ref>

===Early Middle Ages (5th–10th century)===
{{Main|Francia|Merovingian dynasty|Carolingian dynasty}}
{{See also|List of French monarchs|France in the Middle Ages}}
[[File:Franks expansion.gif|thumb|alt=animated gif showing expansion of Franks across Europe|Frankish expansion from 481 to 870]]
At the end of the [[Late antiquity|Antiquity]] period, ancient Gaul was divided into several Germanic kingdoms and a remaining Gallo-Roman territory, known as the [[Kingdom of Soissons|Kingdom of Syagrius]]. Simultaneously, [[Celtic Britons]], fleeing the [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain]], settled in the western part of [[Armorica]]. As a result, the Armorican [[peninsula]] was renamed [[Brittany]], [[Celts|Celtic culture]] was revived and independent [[petty kingdom]]s arose in this region.

The first leader to make himself king of all the Franks was [[Clovis I]], who began his reign in 481, routing the last forces of the Roman governors of the province in 486. Clovis claimed that he would be baptised a Christian in the event of his victory against the [[Visigothic Kingdom|Visigoths]], which was said to have guaranteed the battle. Clovis [[Franco-Visigothic Wars|regained the southwest from the Visigoths]], was baptised in 508 and made himself master of what is now western Germany.

Clovis I was the first [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] conqueror after the fall of the Roman Empire to convert to Catholic Christianity, rather than [[Arianism]]; thus France was given the title "Eldest daughter of the Church" (''{{Lang-fr|La fille aînée de l'Église|links=no}}'') by the papacy,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Faith of the Eldest Daughter&nbsp;– Can France retain her Catholic heritage? |url=http://www.wf-f.org/03-1-France.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722112834/http://www.wf-f.org/03-1-France.html |archive-date=22 July 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011 |publisher=Wf-f.org}}</ref> and French kings would be called "the Most Christian Kings of France" (''{{Lang|und|Rex Christianissimus}}'').

[[File:Chlodwigs taufe.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=painting of Clovis I conversion to Catholicism in 498, a king being baptised in a tub in a cathedral surrounded by bishop and monks|With [[Clovis I|Clovis]]'s conversion to Catholicism in 498, the [[List of Frankish kings|Frankish monarchy]], [[Elective monarchy|elective]] and [[Secular state|secular]] until then, became [[Hereditary monarchy|hereditary]] and of [[Divine right of kings|divine right]].]]
The Franks embraced the Christian [[Gallo-Roman culture]] and ancient Gaul was eventually renamed ''[[Francia]]'' ("Land of the Franks"). The Germanic Franks adopted [[Romance languages|Romanic languages]], except in northern Gaul where Roman settlements were less dense and where [[Germanic languages]] emerged. Clovis made Paris his capital and established the [[Merovingian dynasty]], but his kingdom would not survive his death. The Franks treated land purely as a private possession and divided it among their heirs, so four kingdoms emerged from that of Clovis: Paris, [[Orléans]], [[Soissons]], and [[Reims|Rheims]]. The [[Roi fainéant|last Merovingian kings]] [[Power behind the throne|lost power]] to their [[Mayor of the palace|mayors of the palace]] (head of household). One mayor of the palace, [[Charles Martel]], defeated an [[Umayyad invasion of Gaul]] at the [[Battle of Tours]] (732) and earned respect and power within the Frankish kingdoms. His son, [[Pepin the Short]], seized the crown of Francia from the weakened Merovingians and founded the [[Carolingian dynasty]]. Pepin's son, [[Charlemagne]], reunited the Frankish kingdoms and built a vast empire across [[Western Europe|Western]] and Central Europe.

Proclaimed [[Holy Roman Emperor]] by [[Pope Leo III]] and thus establishing in earnest the French Government's longtime [[History of the Catholic Church in France|historical association]] with the [[Catholic Church]],<ref name="georgetown1">{{Cite web |title=France |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206213909/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france |archive-date=6 February 2011 |access-date=14 December 2011 |publisher=[[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]]}} See drop-down essay on "Religion and Politics until the French Revolution"</ref> Charlemagne tried to revive the [[Western Roman Empire]] and its cultural grandeur. Charlemagne's son, [[Louis the Pious|Louis I]] (Emperor 814–840), kept the empire united; however, this Carolingian Empire would not survive his death. In 843, under the [[Treaty of Verdun]], the empire was divided between Louis' three sons, with [[East Francia]] going to [[Louis the German]], [[Middle Francia]] to [[Lothair I]], and [[West Francia]] to [[Charles the Bald]]. West Francia approximated the area occupied by and was the precursor to, modern France.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 February 2008 |title=Treaty of Verdun |url=http://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/treaty-of-verdun.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716063456/http://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/treaty-of-verdun.htm |archive-date=16 July 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011 |publisher=History.howstuffworks.com}}</ref>

During the 9th and 10th centuries, continually threatened by [[Viking expansion|Viking invasions]], France became a very decentralised state: the nobility's titles and lands became hereditary, and the authority of the king became more religious than secular and thus was less effective and constantly challenged by powerful noblemen. Thus was established [[feudalism]] in France. Over time, some of the king's vassals would grow so powerful that they often posed a threat to the king. For example, after the [[Battle of Hastings]] in 1066, [[William the Conqueror]] added "King of England" to his titles, becoming both the vassal to (as Duke of [[Normandy]]) and the equal of (as king of England) the king of France, creating recurring tensions.

===High and Late Middle Ages (10th–15th century)===
{{Main|Kingdom of France|Capetian dynasty|House of Valois|House of Bourbon}}
{{See also|List of French monarchs|France in the Middle Ages}}
[[File:Joan of Arc miniature graded.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Joan of Arc]] led the [[French Army]] to several important victories during the [[Hundred Years' War]] (1337–1453), which paved the way for the final victory.]]

The Carolingian dynasty ruled France until 987, when [[Hugh Capet]], Duke of France and Count of Paris, was crowned [[List of French monarchs|King of the Franks]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of France&nbsp;– The Capetian kings of France: AD 987–1328 |url=http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=1008&HistoryID=ab03&gtrack=pthc |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806020426/http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=1008&HistoryID=ab03&gtrack=pthc |archive-date=6 August 2011 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=Historyworld.net}}</ref> His descendants{{Mdash}}the [[House of Capet|Capetians]], the [[House of Valois]] and the [[House of Bourbon]]{{Mdash}}progressively unified the country through wars and dynastic inheritance into the Kingdom of France, which was fully declared in 1190 by [[Philip II of France]] (''Philippe Auguste''). Later kings would expand their directly possessed [[Crown lands of France|''domaine royal'']] to cover over half of modern continental France by the 15th century, including most of the north, centre and west of France. During this process, the royal authority became more and more assertive, centred on a [[Estates of the realm|hierarchically conceived society]] distinguishing [[French nobility|nobility]], clergy, and [[Estates General (France)|commoners]].

The French nobility played a prominent role in most [[Crusades]] to restore Christian access to the [[Holy Land]]. French knights made up the bulk of the steady flow of reinforcements throughout the two-hundred-year span of the Crusades, in such a fashion that the Arabs uniformly referred to the crusaders as ''Franj'' caring little whether they came from France.<ref name="google.fr">{{Cite book |last1=Nadeau |first1=Jean-Benoit |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JYDOrzMpgGcC&pg=PT34 |title=The Story of French |last2=Barlow |first2=Julie |date=8 January 2008 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-1-4299-3240-0 |pages=34ff |author-link=Jean-Benoît Nadeau |author-link2=Julie Barlow}}</ref> The French Crusaders also imported the French language into the [[Levant]], making [[Old French|French]] the base of the ''[[lingua franca]]'' (lit. "Frankish language") of the [[Crusader states]].<ref name="google.fr" /> French knights also made up the majority in both the [[Knights Hospitaller|Hospital]] and the [[Knights Templar|Temple orders]]. The latter, in particular, held numerous properties throughout France and by the 13th century were the principal bankers for the French crown, until [[Philip IV of France|Philip IV]] annihilated the order in 1307. The [[Albigensian Crusade]] was launched in 1209 to eliminate the heretical [[Catharism|Cathars]] in the southwestern area of modern-day France. In the end, the Cathars were exterminated and the autonomous [[Counts of Toulouse|County of Toulouse]] was annexed into the [[crown lands of France]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=28 April 1961 |title=Massacre of the Pure |magazine=Time |location=New York |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,897752-2,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120172908/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,897752-2,00.html |archive-date=20 January 2008}}</ref>
[[File:French borders from 985 to 1947.gif|thumb|alt=animated gif showing changes in French borders|[[Territorial evolution of France|Metropolitan France territorial evolution]] from 985 to 1947]]

From the 11th century, the House of Plantagenet, the rulers of the [[County of Anjou]], succeeded in establishing its dominion over the surrounding provinces of [[Maine (province)|Maine]] and [[Touraine]], then progressively built an "empire" that spanned from England to the [[Pyrenees]] and covering half of modern France. Tensions between the kingdom of France and the [[Angevin Empire|Plantagenet empire]] would last a hundred years, until Philip II of France conquered, between 1202 and 1214, most of the continental possessions of the empire, leaving England and [[Aquitaine]] to the Plantagenets.

[[Charles IV of France|Charles IV the Fair]] died without an heir in 1328.<ref name="guerard">{{Cite book |last=Guerard |first=Albert |title=France: A Modern History |date=1959 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |location=Ann Arbor |pages=100, 101 |author-link=Albert Léon Guérard}}</ref> Under [[Salic law]] the crown of France could not pass to a woman nor could the line of kingship pass through the female line.<ref name="guerard" /> Accordingly, the crown passed to Philip of Valois, rather than through the female line to Edward of Plantagenet, who would soon become [[Edward III of England]]. During the reign of [[Philip IV of France|Philip of Valois]], the French monarchy reached the height of its medieval power.<ref name="guerard" /> However Philip's seat on the throne was contested by Edward III of England in 1337, and England and France entered the off-and-on [[Hundred Years' War]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Templeman |first=Geoffrey |author-link=Geoffrey Templeman |date=1952 |title=Edward III and the beginnings of the Hundred Years War |journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |volume=2 |pages=69–88 |doi=10.2307/3678784|jstor=3678784 |s2cid=161389883 }}</ref> The exact boundaries changed greatly with time, but landholdings inside France by the English Kings remained extensive for decades. With charismatic leaders, such as [[Joan of Arc]] and [[La Hire]], strong French counterattacks won back most English continental territories. Like the rest of Europe, France was struck by the Black Death due to which half of the 17&nbsp;million population of France died.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Le Roy Ladurie |first=Emmanuel |title=The French peasantry, 1450–1660 |date=1987 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-05523-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/frenchpeasantry10000lero/page/32 32] |author-link=Emmanuel}}; {{Cite book |first=Peter |last=Turchin |author-link=Peter Turchin |date=2003 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=mUoCrTUo-eEC&pg=PA179 179] |title=Historical dynamics: why states rise and fall |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-11669-3}}</ref>

===Early modern period (15th century–1789)===
{{Main article|French Renaissance|Early modern France|French colonial empire|Ancien Régime}}
[[File:Chateau de Chenonceau 2008E.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Château de Chenonceau]], nowadays part of a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]], was built in the early 16th century.]]
The French Renaissance saw spectacular cultural development and the first standardisation of the French language, which would become the [[Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts|official language of France]] and the language of Europe's aristocracy. It also saw a long set of wars, known as the [[Italian Wars]], between France and the [[House of Habsburg]]. French explorers, such as [[Jacques Cartier]] or [[Samuel de Champlain]], claimed lands in the Americas for France, paving the way for the expansion of the French colonial empire. The rise of Protestantism in Europe led France to a civil war known as the [[French Wars of Religion]], where, in the most notorious incident, thousands of [[Huguenot]]s were murdered in the [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]] of 1572.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/516821/Massacre-of-Saint-Bartholomews-Day |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> The Wars of Religion were ended by [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]]'s [[Edict of Nantes]], which granted some freedom of religion to the Huguenots. [[Habsburg Spain|Spanish]] troops, the terror of Western Europe,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rex |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uSVVBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT302 |title=Tudors: The Illustrated History |date=15 November 2014 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-4456-4403-5 |via=Google Books}}</ref> assisted the Catholic side during the Wars of Religion in 1589–1594, and invaded northern France in 1597; after some skirmishing in the 1620s and 1630s, Spain and France returned to all-out war between 1635 and 1659. [[Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)|The war]] cost France 300,000 casualties.<ref>Clodfelter 2017: 40</ref>

Under [[Louis XIII]],  [[Cardinal Richelieu]] promoted the centralisation of the state and reinforced royal power by disarming domestic power holders in the 1620s. He systematically destroyed castles of defiant lords and denounced the use of private violence (dueling, carrying weapons and maintaining private armies). By the end of the 1620s, Richelieu established "the royal monopoly of force" as the doctrine.<ref>Tilly, Charles (1985). "War making and state making as organized crime," in Bringing the State Back In, eds P.B. Evans, D. Rueschemeyer, & T. Skocpol. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. p. 174.</ref>

From the 16th to the 19th century, France was responsible for 11% of the [[transatlantic slave trade]],<ref name = "BNF">{{cite web | author = Cécil Vidal | date = May 2021 | url = https://heritage.bnf.fr/france-ameriques/en/slave-trade-article | website = bnf.fr | title = Slave trade | language = en}}</ref> second only to Great Britain during the 18th century.<ref>{{cite web | author = Claire Sibelle | title = Guide des sources de la traite négrière, de l'esclavage et de leurs abolitions: XVIe - XXe siècles| url = https://www.archivesportaleurope.net/advanced-search/search-in-archives/results-(archives)/?&repositoryCode=FR-SIAF&levelName=archdesc&t=sg&recordId=FRDAF_esclavage001 | website = Archives Portal Europe | language = fr}}</ref> While the state began condoning the practice with [[letters patent]] in the 1630s, Louis XIII only formalized this authorization more generally in 1642 in the last year of his reign.  By the mid-18th century, [[Role of Nantes in the slave trade|Nantes]] had become the primary port involved.<ref name = "BNF" />

During [[Louis XIV]]'s minority and the regency of [[Anne of Austria|Queen Anne]] and [[Cardinal Mazarin]], a period of trouble known as the [[Fronde]] occurred in France. This rebellion was driven by the great feudal lords and [[sovereign court]]s as a reaction to the [[Absolutism (European history)|rise of royal absolute power]] in France.

[[File:Louis XIV of France.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Louis XIV of France standing in plate armour and blue sash facing left holding baton|[[Louis XIV]], the "Sun King", was the [[Absolute monarchy in France|absolute monarch of France]] and made France the leading European power.]]
The monarchy reached its peak during the 17th century and the reign of Louis XIV (1643–1715). By turning powerful feudal lords into [[courtier]]s at the [[Palace of Versailles]], his command of the military went unchallenged. Remembered for numerous wars, the so-called Sun King made France the leading European power. France became the [[Demographics of France|most populous country in Europe]] and had tremendous influence over European politics, economy, and culture. French became the most-used language in diplomacy, science, literature and international affairs, and remained so until the 20th century.<ref name="Language and Diplomacy">{{Cite web |title=Language and Diplomacy |url=http://www.nakedtranslations.com/en/2004/language-and-diplomacy/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721070018/http://www.nakedtranslations.com/en/2004/language-and-diplomacy/ |archive-date=21 July 2011 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=Nakedtranslations.com}}</ref> During his reign, France took colonial control of many overseas territories in the Americas, Africa and Asia. In 1685, Louis XIV [[Edict of Fontainebleau|revoked the Edict of Nantes]], forcing thousands of Huguenots into exile and published the ''[[Code Noir]]'' providing the legal framework for slavery and expelling Jewish people from the French colonies.<ref>{{Cite journal | journal = Louisiana Law Review | title = The Origins and Authors of the Code Noir | author = Vernon Valentine Palmer | url =  https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol56/iss2/5 | year = 1996 | volume = 56 | issue = 2}}</ref>

Under the wars of [[Louis XV]] (r. 1715–1774), France lost [[New France]] and most of its [[French India|Indian possessions]] after its defeat in the [[Seven Years' War]] (1756–1763). Its [[Metropolitan France|European territory]] kept growing, however, with notable acquisitions such as [[Lorraine]] (1766) and [[Corsica]] (1770). An unpopular king, Louis XV's weak rule, his ill-advised financial, political and military decisions – as well as the debauchery of his court– discredited the monarchy, which arguably paved the way for the French Revolution 15 years after his death.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC History: Louis XV (1710–1774) |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/louis_xv.shtml |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=BBC}}; {{Cite web|url=http://webspace.qmul.ac.uk/cdhjones/documents/gn_pdf.pdf|title=Scholarly bibliography by Colin Jones (2002)|access-date=21 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725101858/http://webspace.qmul.ac.uk/cdhjones/documents/gn_pdf.pdf|archive-date=25 July 2011}}</ref>

[[Louis XVI]] (r. 1774–1793), [[France in the American Revolutionary War|actively supported the Americans with money, fleets and armies]], helping them win [[American Revolutionary War|independence from Great Britain]]. France gained revenge but spent so heavily that the government verged on bankruptcy—a factor that contributed to the French Revolution. Some of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] occurred in French intellectual circles, and major scientific breakthroughs and inventions, such as the [[Antoine Lavoisier|discovery of oxygen]] (1778) and the first [[Montgolfier brothers|hot air balloon carrying passengers]] (1783), were achieved by French scientists. French explorers, such as [[Louis Antoine de Bougainville|Bougainville]] and [[Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse|Lapérouse]], took part in the [[European and American voyages of scientific exploration|voyages of scientific exploration]] through maritime expeditions around the globe. The Enlightenment philosophy, in which [[Rationalism|reason]] is advocated as the primary source of [[Legitimacy (political)|legitimacy]], undermined the power of and support for the monarchy and also was a factor in the French Revolution.

===Revolutionary France (1789–1799)===
{{Main|History of France#Revolutionary France (1789–1799)|French Revolution}}
[[File:Couder Stati generali.jpg|left|thumb|''Ouverture des États généraux à Versailles, 5 mai 1789'' by [[Auguste Couder]]]]
[[File:Prise de la Bastille.jpg|thumb|left|alt=drawing of the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, smoke of gunfire enveloping stone castle|The [[Storming of the Bastille]] on 14 July 1789 was the most emblematic event of the [[French Revolution]].]]
Facing financial troubles, King [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]] summoned the [[Estates-General of 1789|Estates-General]] (gathering the three [[Estates of the realm]]) in May 1789 to propose solutions to his government. As it came to an impasse, the representatives of the [[Commoner|Third Estate]] formed a [[National Assembly (French Revolution)|National Assembly]], signaling the outbreak of the [[French Revolution]]. Fearing that the king would suppress the newly created National Assembly, insurgents [[Storming of the Bastille|stormed the Bastille]] on 14 July 1789, a date which would become [[Bastille Day|France's National Day]].

In early August 1789, the [[National Constituent Assembly (France)|National Constituent Assembly]] [[August Decrees|abolished the privileges]] of the [[French nobility|nobility]] such as [[Serfdom|personal serfdom]] and exclusive hunting rights. Through the [[Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen of 1789|Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]] (27 August 1789), France established fundamental rights for men. The Declaration affirms "the natural and imprescriptible rights of man" to "liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression". Freedom of speech and press were declared, and arbitrary arrests were outlawed. It called for the destruction of aristocratic privileges and proclaimed freedom and equal rights for all men, as well as access to public office based on talent rather than birth. In November 1789, the Assembly decided to nationalise and sell all property of the Catholic Church which had been the largest landowner in the country. In July 1790, a [[Civil Constitution of the Clergy]] reorganised the French Catholic Church, cancelling the authority of the Church to levy taxes, et cetera. This fueled much discontent in parts of France, which would contribute to the civil war breaking out some years later. While King Louis XVI still enjoyed popularity among the population, his disastrous [[flight to Varennes]] (June 1791) seemed to justify rumours he had tied his hopes of political salvation to the prospects of foreign invasion. His credibility was so deeply undermined that the [[Abolition of monarchy|abolition of the monarchy]] and the establishment of a republic became an increasing possibility.

In the August 1791 [[Declaration of Pillnitz]], the Emperor of [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]] and the King of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]  threatened to restore the French monarch by force. In September 1791, the National Constituent Assembly forced King Louis XVI to accept the [[French Constitution of 1791]], thus turning the French absolute monarchy into a [[Kingdom of France (1791–92)|constitutional monarchy]]. In the newly established [[Legislative Assembly (France)|Legislative Assembly]] (October 1791), enmity developed and deepened between a group, later called the '[[Girondins]]', who favoured war with [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]] and [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], and a group later called '[[The Mountain|Montagnards]]' or '[[Jacobin]]s', who opposed such a war. A majority in the [[Legislative Assembly (France)|Assembly]] in 1792 however saw a war with Austria and Prussia as a chance to boost the popularity of the revolutionary government and thought that such a war could be won and so [[French Revolutionary Wars|declared war on Austria]] on 20 April 1792.

[[File:Serment du Jeu de Paume - Jacques-Louis David.jpg|thumb|[[The Tennis Court Oath (David)|''Le Serment du Jeu de paume'']] by [[Jacques-Louis David]], 1791]]
On 10 August 1792, an angry crowd [[Insurrection of 10 August 1792|threatened the palace of King Louis XVI]], who took refuge in the Legislative Assembly.<ref name=Shus-5/><ref>Jack R. Censer, and Lynn Hunt, ''Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution.'' University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2004.</ref> A Prussian Army invaded France later in August 1792. In early September, Parisians, infuriated by [[French Revolutionary Wars|the Prussian Army capturing Verdun]] and counter-revolutionary uprisings in the west of France, [[September Massacres|murdered between 1,000 and 1,500 prisoners]] by raiding the Parisian prisons. The [[Legislative Assembly (France)|Assembly]] and the [[Paris Commune (French Revolution)|Paris City Council]] seemed unable to stop that bloodshed.<ref name=Shus-5/><ref>Doyle, William. ''The Oxford History of The French Revolution.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989. pp 191–192.</ref> The [[National Convention]], chosen in the first elections under male [[universal suffrage]],<ref name="Shus-5">{{In lang|nl}} Noah Shusterman – ''De Franse Revolutie (The French Revolution).'' Veen Media, Amsterdam, 2015. (Translation of: ''The French Revolution. Faith, Desire, and Politics.'' Routledge, London/New York, 2014.) Chapter 5 (p. 187–221) : The end of the monarchy and the September Murders (summer-fall 1792).</ref> on 20 September 1792 succeeded the [[Legislative Assembly (France)|Legislative Assembly]] and on 21 September abolished the monarchy by proclaiming the [[French First Republic]].
Ex-King Louis XVI was [[Trial of Louis XVI|convicted]] of treason and [[Execution of Louis XVI|guillotined in January 1793]].
France had declared war on Great Britain and the Dutch Republic in November 1792 and did the same on Spain in March 1793; in the spring of 1793, Austria and Prussia invaded France; in March, France created a "[[sister republic]]" in the "[[Republic of Mainz]]", and kept it under control.

Also in March 1793, the [[War in the Vendée|civil war of the Vendée against Paris]] started, evoked by both the [[Civil Constitution of the Clergy]] of 1790 and the nationwide army conscription in early 1793; elsewhere in France rebellion was brewing too. A factionalist feud in the National Convention, smouldering ever since October 1791, came to a climax with the group of the '[[Girondins]]' on 2 June 1793 being forced to resign and leave the convention. The counter-revolution, begun in March 1793 in the Vendée, by July had spread to [[Brittany (administrative region)|Brittany]], Normandy, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Toulon, and Lyon. Paris' Convention government between October and December 1793 with brutal measures managed to subdue most internal uprisings, at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. Some historians consider the civil war to have lasted until 1796 with a toll of possibly 450,000 lives.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dr Linton |first=Marisa |title=The Terror in the French Revolution |publisher=Kingston University |url=http://www.port.ac.uk/special/france1815to2003/chapter1/interviews/filetodownload,20545,en.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117152123/http://www.port.ac.uk/special/france1815to2003/chapter1/interviews/filetodownload%2C20545%2Cen.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2012}}; Jacques Hussenet (dir.), ''" Détruisez la Vendée ! " Regards croisés sur les victimes et destructions de la guerre de Vendée'', La Roche-sur-Yon, Centre vendéen de recherches historiques, 2007</ref> By the end of 1793, the allies had been driven from France. France in February 1794 [[Abolitionism|abolished slavery]] in its [[French colonial empire|American colonies]] but would reintroduce it later.

Political disagreements and enmity in the [[National Convention]] between October 1793 and July 1794 reached unprecedented levels, leading to dozens of Convention members being sentenced to death and guillotined. Meanwhile, [[French Revolutionary Wars|France's external wars]] in 1794 were prospering, for example in Belgium. In 1795, the government seemed to return to indifference towards the desires and needs of the lower classes concerning freedom of ([[Catholic Church|Catholic]]) religion and fair distribution of food. Until 1799, politicians, apart from inventing a new parliamentary system (the '[[French Directory|Directory]]'), busied themselves with dissuading the people from [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] and royalism.

===Napoleon and 19th century (1799–1914)===
{{Main|History of France#Napoleonic France (1799–1815)|History of France#Long 19th century, 1815–1914|First French Empire|Second French Empire|French colonial empire}}
{{See also|France in the 19th century|France in the 20th century}}
[[File:Jacques-Louis David - The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=painting of Napoleon in 1806 standing with hand in vest attended by staff and Imperial guard regiment|[[Napoleon]], [[Emperor of the French]], built a [[First French Empire|vast empire across Europe]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frank W. Thackeray |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W0ktX_xI1fYC&pg=PA6 |title=Events that Changed the World in the Nineteenth Century |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-313-29076-3 |page=6}}</ref>]]
[[Napoleon|Napoleon Bonaparte]] [[Coup of 18 Brumaire|seized control of the Republic]] in 1799 becoming [[French Consulate|First Consul]] and later [[Constitution of the Year XII|Emperor]] of the [[First French Empire|French Empire]] (1804–1814; 1815). As a continuation of [[French Revolutionary Wars|the wars]] sparked by the European monarchies against the French Republic, changing sets of [[Coalition Wars|European Coalitions]] declared [[Napoleonic Wars|wars]] on Napoleon's Empire. His armies conquered most of continental Europe with swift victories such as the [[Battle of Jena-Auerstadt|battles of Jena-Auerstadt]] or [[Battle of Austerlitz|Austerlitz]]. Members of the [[House of Bonaparte|Bonaparte]] family were appointed as monarchs in some of the newly established kingdoms.<ref name="Blanning">{{Cite news |last=Blanning |first=Tim |author-link=Tim Blanning |date=April 1998 |title=Napoleon and German identity |volume=48 |work=[[History Today]] |location=London}}</ref>

These victories led to the worldwide expansion of French revolutionary ideals and reforms, such as the [[metric system]], the [[Napoleonic Code]] and the Declaration of the Rights of Man. In June 1812, Napoleon attacked Russia, reaching Moscow. Thereafter his army disintegrated through supply problems, disease, Russian attacks, and finally winter. After the catastrophic [[French invasion of Russia|Russian campaign]], and the ensuing [[War of the Sixth Coalition|uprising of European monarchies]] against his rule, Napoleon was defeated and the Bourbon monarchy [[Bourbon Restoration in France|restored]]. About a million Frenchmen [[Napoleonic Wars casualties|died during the Napoleonic Wars]].<ref name="Blanning" /> After his [[Hundred Days|brief return]] from exile, Napoleon was finally defeated in 1815 at the [[Battle of Waterloo]], the monarchy was [[Bourbon Restoration in France|re-established]] (1815–1830), with new constitutional limitations.

The discredited Bourbon dynasty was overthrown by the [[July Revolution]] of 1830, which established the constitutional [[July Monarchy]]. In that year, French troops began the conquest of Algeria, establishing the first colonial presence in Africa since Napoleon's abortive [[French campaign in Egypt and Syria|invasion of Egypt]] in 1798. In 1848, general unrest led to the [[French Revolution of 1848|February Revolution]] and the end of the July Monarchy. The abolition of slavery and the introduction of male [[universal suffrage]], which were briefly enacted during the French Revolution, was re-enacted in 1848. In 1852, the president of the French Republic, [[Napoleon III|Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte]], Napoleon I's nephew, was proclaimed emperor of the [[Second French Empire|Second Empire]], as Napoleon III. He multiplied French interventions abroad, especially in [[Crimean War|Crimea]], [[Second French intervention in Mexico|Mexico]] and [[Second Italian War of Independence|Italy]] which resulted in the annexation of the [[Duchy of Savoy]] and the [[County of Nice]], then part of the [[Kingdom of Sardinia]]. Napoleon III was unseated following defeat in the [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870 and his regime was replaced by the [[French Third Republic|Third Republic]]. By 1875, the French conquest of Algeria was complete, and approximately 825,000 Algerians had been killed from famine, disease, and violence.<ref name="Kiernan2007">{{Cite book |last=Ben Kiernan |url=https://archive.org/details/bloodan_kie_2007_00_0326 |title=Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta to Darfur |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-300-10098-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bloodan_kie_2007_00_0326/page/374 374] |url-access=registration}}</ref>

[[File:France colonial Empire10.png|thumb|upright=1.6|The first (light blue) and second (dark blue) [[French colonial empire]]]]

France had [[French colonial empire|colonial possessions]], in various forms, since the beginning of the 17th century, but in the 19th and 20th centuries, its [[List of largest empires|global overseas colonial empire]] extended greatly and became the second-largest in the world behind the [[British Empire]].<ref name=":8"/> Including [[metropolitan France]], the total area of land under French [[sovereignty]] almost reached 13&nbsp;million square kilometres in the 1920s and 1930s, 8.6% of the world's land. Known as the ''[[Belle Époque]]'', the turn of the century was a period characterised by optimism, regional peace, economic prosperity and technological, scientific and cultural innovations. In 1905, [[state secularism]] was [[1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State|officially established]].

===Early to mid-20th century (1914–1946)===
{{Main|History of France (1900 to present)}}
France was [[French entry into World War I|invaded by Germany and defended by Great Britain]] to start World War I in August 1914. A rich industrial area in the northeast was occupied. France and the Allies emerged victorious against the [[Central Powers]] at a tremendous human and material cost. World War I left 1.4&nbsp;million French soldiers dead, 4% of its population.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 January 2008 |title=France's oldest WWI veteran dies |work=BBC News |location=London |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7199127.stm}}</ref>
[[File:El 114 de infantería, en París, el 14 de julio de 1917, León Gimpel.jpg|thumb|left|French [[Poilus]] posing with their war-torn flag in 1917, during World War I]]
Between 27 and 30% of soldiers conscripted from 1912 to 1915 were killed.<ref>Spencer C. Tucker, Priscilla Mary Roberts (2005). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=2YqjfHLyyj8C&pg=PR25 Encyclopedia Of World War I: A Political, Social, And Military History]''. ABC-CLIO. {{ISBN|978-1-85109-420-2}}</ref> The interbellum years were marked by [[Events preceding World War II in Europe|intense international tensions]] and a variety of social reforms introduced by the [[Popular Front (France)|Popular Front government]] ([[annual leave]], [[Eight-hour day|eight-hour workdays]], [[women in government]]).

In 1940, France was [[Battle of France|invaded and quickly defeated]] by [[Nazi Germany]]. France was divided into a [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|German occupation zone]] in the north, an [[Italian occupation of France|Italian occupation zone]] in the southeast and an unoccupied territory, the rest of France, which consisted of the southern French metropolitan territory (two-fifths of pre-war metropolitan France) and the French empire, which included the two protectorates of French Tunisia and French Morocco, and French Algeria; the Vichy government, a newly established authoritarian regime collaborating with Germany, ruled the unoccupied territory. Free France, the government-in-exile led by&nbsp;Charles de Gaulle, was set up in London.{{Full citation needed|date=August 2021}}

From 1942 to 1944, about 160,000 French citizens, including around [[The Holocaust in France|75,000 Jews]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies |url=http://www.holocaust-education.dk/holocaust/deportationer.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416061232/http://www.holocaust-education.dk/holocaust/deportationer.asp |archive-date=16 April 2014}}; {{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/genocide/jewish_deportation_01.shtml|title=BBC – History – World Wars: The Vichy Policy on Jewish Deportation|website=bbc.co.uk}}; France, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, {{Cite web|url=http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005429|title=France|access-date=16 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206075910/http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005429|archive-date=6 December 2014}}</ref> were deported to [[extermination camps|death camps]] and [[concentration camps]] in Germany and occupied Poland.<ref>Noir sur Blanc: Les premières photos du camp de concentration
de Buchenwald après la libération,{{Cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.ain.fr/upload/docs/application/pdf/2011-05/dp_expo_schwartz_auf_weiss_nantua_2011bd.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109055804/http://www.ain.fr/upload/docs/application/pdf/2011-05/dp_expo_schwartz_auf_weiss_nantua_2011bd.pdf |archive-date=9 November 2014 |access-date=14 October 2014}} (French)</ref> In September 1943, [[Corsica]] was the first French metropolitan territory to liberate itself from the Axis. On 6 June 1944, the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] [[Invasion of Normandy|invaded Normandy]] and in August they [[Operation Dragoon|invaded Provence]]. Over the following year, the Allies and the [[French Resistance]] emerged victorious over the [[Axis powers]] and French sovereignty was restored with the establishment of the [[Provisional Government of the French Republic]] (GPRF). This interim government, established by de Gaulle, aimed to continue to [[Western Allied invasion of Germany|wage war against Germany]] and to [[Épuration légale|purge collaborators from office]]. It also made several important reforms (suffrage extended to women, the creation of a [[Social security in France|social security]] system).

===Contemporary period (1946–present)===
[[File:De Gaulle-OWI.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Charles de Gaulle seated in uniform looking left with folded arms|[[Charles de Gaulle]], a hero of World War I, leader of the [[Free French Forces|Free French]] during [[World War II]], and [[President of France]]]]
The GPRF laid the groundwork for a new constitutional order that resulted in the [[French Fourth Republic|Fourth Republic]] (1946–1958), which saw spectacular economic growth (''les [[Trente Glorieuses]]''). France was one of the founding members of [[NATO]] (1949). France attempted to [[First Indochina War|regain control of French Indochina]] but was defeated by the [[Viet Minh]] in 1954 at the climactic [[Battle of Dien Bien Phu]]. Only months later, France faced another [[anti-colonialist]] [[Algerian War|conflict in Algeria]], then treated as an integral part of France and home to over one million [[Pied-Noir|European settlers]]. During the conflict, the French systematically used torture and repression, including extrajudicial killings to keep control of [[French Algeria|Algeria]].<ref name="Macqueen2014">{{Cite book |last=Norrie Macqueen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g1YSBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA131 |title=Colonialism |date=22 July 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-86480-6 |page=131}}; {{Cite news|title=In France, a War of Memories Over Memories of War|first=Michael|last=Kimmelman|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/arts/design/05abroad.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=4 March 2009}}</ref>
This conflict wracked the country and nearly led to a coup and civil war in France.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Crozier |first1=Brian |last2=Mansell, Gerard |date=July 1960 |title=France and Algeria |journal=[[International Affairs (journal)|International Affairs]] |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=310–321 |doi=10.2307/2610008 |jstor=2610008}}</ref>

During the [[May 1958 crisis in France|May 1958 crisis]], the weak and unstable Fourth Republic gave way to the [[French Fifth Republic|Fifth Republic]], which included a strengthened Presidency.<ref>{{Cite web |title=From Fourth to Fifth Republic |url=http://seacoast.sunderland.ac.uk/~os0tmc/contem/fifth.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080523234726/http://seacoast.sunderland.ac.uk/~os0tmc/contem/fifth.htm |archive-date=23 May 2008 |publisher=[[University of Sunderland]]}}</ref> In the latter role, Charles de Gaulle managed to keep the country together while taking steps to end the [[Algerian War]]. The war was concluded with the [[Évian Accords]] in 1962 which led to Algerian independence. Algerian independence came at a high price: it resulted in between half a million and one million deaths and over 2&nbsp;million internally displaced Algerians.<ref name="Springer">{{Cite book |title=A New Paradigm of the African State: Fundi wa Afrika |date=2009 |publisher=Springer |page=75}}; {{Cite book|author=David P Forsythe|title=Encyclopedia of Human Rights|date=27 August 2009|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-533402-9|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=1QbX90fmCVUC&pg=PA37 37]}}; {{Cite book|author=Elizabeth Schmidt|title=Foreign Intervention in Africa: From the Cold War to the War on Terror|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VCMgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA46|date=25 March 2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-31065-0|page=46}}</ref> Around one million [[Pied-Noir]]s and [[Harki]]s fled from Algeria to France upon independence.<ref name="google4">{{Cite book |last1=Cutts, M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=54Oe1WTfBfAC&pg=PA38 |title=The State of the World's Refugees, 2000: Fifty Years of Humanitarian Action |last2=Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |date=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199241040 |page=38 |access-date=2017-01-13}} Referring to Evans, Martin. 2012. ''Algeria: France's Undeclared War''. New York: Oxford University Press.</ref> A vestige of the colonial empire are the [[Overseas France|French overseas departments and territories]].

In the context of the [[Cold War]], De Gaulle pursued a policy of "national independence" towards the [[Western Bloc|Western]] and [[Eastern bloc]]s. To this end, he withdrew from [[NATO]]'s military-integrated command (while remaining in the NATO alliance itself), launched a [[Force de dissuasion|nuclear development programme]] and made France the [[France and weapons of mass destruction|fourth nuclear power]]. He [[Élysée Treaty|restored]] cordial [[France–Germany relations|Franco-German relations]] to create a European counterweight between the American and Soviet spheres of influence. However, he opposed any development of a [[Supranational union|supranational Europe]], favouring a Europe of [[Sovereign state|sovereign nations]]. In the wake of the series of worldwide [[protests of 1968]], the [[May 1968 in France|revolt of May 1968]] had an enormous social impact. In France, it was the watershed moment when a conservative moral ideal (religion, patriotism, respect for authority) shifted towards a more liberal moral ideal ([[secularism]], [[individualism]], [[sexual revolution]]). Although the revolt was a political failure (as the [[Gaullism|Gaullist]] party emerged even stronger than before) it announced a split between the French people and de Gaulle who resigned shortly after.<ref>Julian Bourg, ''From revolution to ethics: May 1968 and contemporary French thought'' (McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP, 2017).</ref>

In the post-Gaullist era, France remained one of the most developed [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|economies in the world]] but faced several economic crises that resulted in high unemployment rates and increasing public debt. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, France has been at the forefront of the development of a supranational [[European Union]], notably by signing the [[Maastricht Treaty]] (which created the European Union) in 1992, establishing the [[Eurozone]] in 1999 and signing the [[Treaty of Lisbon|Lisbon Treaty]] in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Declaration by the Franco-German Defense and Security Council |url=http://www.elysee.fr/elysee/anglais/speeches_and_documents/2004/declaration_by_the_franco-german_defence_and_security_council.1096.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025215249/http://www.elysee.fr/elysee/anglais/speeches_and_documents/2004/declaration_by_the_franco-german_defence_and_security_council.1096.html |archive-date=25 October 2005 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=Elysee.fr}}</ref> France has also gradually but fully reintegrated into NATO and has since participated in most NATO-sponsored wars.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France and NATO |url=http://www.rpfrance-otan.org/France-and-NATO |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509044211/http://www.rpfrance-otan.org/France-and-NATO |archive-date=9 May 2014 |website=La France à l'Otan}}</ref>

[[File:Marche républicaine, Paris, 11 janvier 2015 (15).jpg|thumb|left|alt=Place de la République statue column with large French flag|[[Republican marches]] were organised across France after the [[January 2015 Île-de-France attacks|January 2015 attacks]] perpetrated by [[Islamism|Islamist]] [[Terrorism|terrorists]]; they became the largest public rallies in French history.]]
Since the 19th century, France has received many [[Immigration to France|immigrants]]. These have been mostly male [[foreign worker]]s from European Catholic countries who generally returned home when not employed.<ref name="Marie-Christine Weidmann-Koop">Marie-Christine Weidmann-Koop, Rosalie Vermette, "France at the dawn of the twenty-first century, trends and transformations", [https://books.google.com/books?id=cVa46Q7oMlcC&pg=PA160 p. 160]</ref> During the 1970s France faced an economic crisis and allowed new immigrants (mostly from the [[Maghreb]])<ref name="Marie-Christine Weidmann-Koop" /> to permanently [[Family reunification|settle in France with their families]] and acquire French citizenship. It resulted in hundreds of thousands of Muslims (especially in the larger cities) living in subsidised public housing and suffering from very high unemployment rates.<ref>Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Michael J. Balz, "The October Riots in France: A Failed Immigration Policy or the Empire Strikes Back?" ''International Migration'' (2006) 44#2 pp. 23–34.</ref> Simultaneously France renounced the [[Assimilation (sociology)|assimilation]] of immigrants, where they were expected to adhere to French traditional values and cultural norms. They were encouraged to retain their distinctive cultures and traditions and required merely to [[Social integration|integrate]].<ref>Sylvia Zappi, "French Government Revives Assimilation Policy", in Migration Policy Institute {{Cite web |title=French Government Revives Assimilation Policy &#124; migrationpolicy.org |url=http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/french-government-revives-assimilation-policy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130222428/http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/french-government-revives-assimilation-policy |archive-date=30 January 2015 |access-date=30 January 2015}}</ref>

Since the [[1995 Paris Métro and RER bombings]], France has been sporadically targeted by Islamist organisations, notably the [[January 2015 Île-de-France attacks|''Charlie Hebdo'' attack]] in January 2015 which provoked the [[Republican marches|largest public rallies]] in French history, gathering 4.4&nbsp;million people,<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hinnant |first1=Lori |last2=Adamson |first2=Thomas |date=11 January 2015 |title=Officials: Paris Unity Rally Largest in French History |agency=Associated Press |url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANCE_ATTACKS_RALLY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-11-12-51-46 |url-status=dead |access-date=11 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111213526/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANCE_ATTACKS_RALLY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-11-12-51-46 |archive-date=11 January 2015}}; {{Cite news|title=Paris attacks: Millions rally for unity in France|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30765824|access-date=12 January 2015|work=BBC News|date=12 January 2015}}</ref> the [[November 2015 Paris attacks]] which resulted in 130 deaths, the deadliest attack on French soil since [[World War II]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 November 2015 |title=Parisians throw open doors in wake of attacks, but Muslims fear repercussions |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/14/paris-attacks-people-throw-open-doors-to-help |access-date=19 November 2015}}; {{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/paris-terror-attacks/paris-terror-attacks-yes-parisians-are-traumatised-but-the-spirit-of-resistance-still-lingers-34201891.html|title=Yes, Parisians are traumatised, but the spirit of resistance still lingers|first=Nafeesa|last=Syeed|newspaper=The Irish Independent|date=15 November 2015|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref> and the deadliest in the European Union since the [[2004 Madrid train bombings|Madrid train bombings in 2004]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 November 2015 |title=Europe's open-border policy may become latest victim of terrorism |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/europe-s-open-border-policy-may-become-latest-victim-of-terrorism-1.2435486 |access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref> as well as the [[2016 Nice truck attack]], which caused 87 deaths during [[Bastille Day]] celebrations. [[Opération Chammal]], France's military efforts to contain [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIS]], killed over 1,000 ISIS troops between 2014 and 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 December 2015 |title=French policies provoke terrorist attacks |url=http://thematadorsghs.us/index.php/2015/12/14/french-policies-provoke-terrorist-attacks |website=The Matador}}; {{Cite book |editor-first=Gabriel |editor-last=Goodliffe |editor-first2=Riccardo |editor-last2=Brizzi |title=France After 2012 |publisher=Berghahn Books |date=2015}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of France}}

===Location and borders===
[[File:Satellite_image_of_France_in_August_2002.jpg|thumb|[[Satellite image]] of the [[Metropolitan France]]]]
[[File:Chamonix valley from la Flégère,2010 07.JPG|thumb|[[Chamonix]] valley with the [[Mont Blanc]] at background, the highest mountain in the [[Alps]] and [[Western Europe]] on the border with [[Italy]]]]
[[File:Bora_Bora.jpg|thumb|[[Bora Bora]] in [[French Polynesia]]]]
The vast majority of France's territory and population is situated in Western Europe and is called [[Metropolitan France]], to distinguish it from the country's various overseas polities. It is bordered by the [[North Sea]] in the north, the [[English Channel]] in the northwest, the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Mediterranean sea in the southeast. Its land borders consist of [[Belgium]] and [[Luxembourg]] in the northeast, [[Germany]] and [[Switzerland]] in the east, [[Italy]] and [[Monaco]] in the southeast, and [[Andorra]] and [[Spain]] in the south and southwest. Except for the northeast, most of France's land borders are roughly delineated by natural boundaries and geographic features: to the south and southeast, the Pyrenees and the Alps and the Jura, respectively, and to the east, the Rhine river. Due to its shape, France is often referred to as ''{{Lang|fr|l'Hexagone}}'' ("The [[Hexagon]]"). Metropolitan France includes various coastal islands, of which the largest is [[Corsica]]. Metropolitan France is situated mostly between latitudes [[41st parallel north|41°]] and [[51st parallel north|51° N]], and longitudes [[6th meridian west|6° W]] and [[10th meridian east|10° E]], on the western edge of Europe, and thus lies within the northern [[temperateness|temperate]] zone. Its continental part covers about 1000&nbsp;km from north to south and from east to west.

France has several [[Overseas departments and territories of France|overseas regions]] across the world, which are organised as follows:
* five have the same status as mainland France's regions and departments:
** [[French Guiana]] in [[South America]];
** [[Guadeloupe]] in the [[Caribbean]];
** [[Martinique]] in the [[Caribbean]];
** [[Mayotte]] in the [[Indian Ocean]], off the coast of East Africa;
** [[Réunion]] in the [[Indian Ocean]], off the coast of East Africa.
* nine have special legal status distinct from mainland France's regions and departments:
** In the Atlantic Ocean: [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] and, in the Antilles: [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]] and [[Saint Barthélemy]].
** In the Pacific Ocean: [[French Polynesia]], the special collectivity of [[New Caledonia]], [[Wallis and Futuna]] and [[Clipperton Island]].
** In the Indian Ocean: [[Kerguelen Islands|the Kerguelen Islands]], [[Crozet Islands]], [[Île Saint-Paul|St. Paul]] and [[Île Amsterdam|Amsterdam]] islands, and the [[Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean]]
** In the Antarctic: [[Adélie Land]].

France has land borders with Brazil and Suriname via [[French Guiana]] and with the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the French portion of [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]].

Metropolitan France covers {{Convert|551500|km2|sqmi|0}},<ref name=France/> the largest among [[European Union]] members.<ref name="superficy">{{Cite web |title=Europa Official Site&nbsp;– France |url=http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/france/index_en.htm |access-date=28 October 2014 |publisher=EU}}</ref> France's total land area, with its overseas departments and territories (excluding [[Adélie Land]]), is {{Convert|643801|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, 0.45% of the total land area on Earth. France possesses a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges of the [[Alps]] in the southeast, the [[Massif Central]] in the south-central and [[Pyrenees]] in the southwest.

Due to its numerous [[Overseas departments and territories of France|overseas departments and territories]] scattered across the planet, France possesses the second-largest [[Exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ) in the world, covering {{Convert|11035000|km2|sqmi|-3|abbr=on}}, just behind the EEZ of the [[United States]], which covers {{Convert|11351000|km2|sqmi|-3|abbr=on}}, but ahead of the EEZ of Australia, which covers {{Convert|8148250|km2|sqmi|-3|abbr=on}}. Its EEZ covers approximately 8% of the total surface of all the EEZs of the world.

===Geology, topography and hydrography===
[[File:2013.07.05 roussillon - roque anthéron 172.JPG|thumb|Geological formations near [[Roussillon, Vaucluse|Roussillon]], [[Vaucluse]]]]
Metropolitan France has a wide variety of topographical sets and natural landscapes. Large parts of the current territory of France were raised during several tectonic episodes like the Hercynian uplift in the Paleozoic Era, during which the [[Armorican Massif]], the [[Massif Central]], the [[Morvan]], the [[Vosges]] and [[Ardennes]] ranges and the island of [[Corsica]] were formed. These massifs delineate several sedimentary basins such as the Aquitaine basin in the southwest and the Paris basin in the north, the latter including several areas of particularly fertile ground such as the silt beds of Beauce and Brie. Various routes of natural passage, such as the Rhône Valley, allow easy communication. The Alpine, Pyrenean and Jura mountains are much younger and have less eroded forms. At {{Convert|4810.45|m|ft|0}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 November 2009 |title=Mont Blanc shrinks by {{Convert|45|cm|2|abbr=on}} in two years |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=https://www.smh.com.au/environment/mont-blanc-shrinks-by-45cm-in-two-years-20091106-i0kk.html |access-date=9 August 2010}}</ref> above sea level, [[Mont Blanc]], located in the Alps on the French and Italian border, is the highest point in Western Europe. Although 60% of municipalities are classified as having seismic risks, these risks remain moderate.

[[File:Roselière de Pauillac et carrelets sur l'estuaire de la Gironde, France.jpg|thumb|Reed bed on the [[Gironde estuary]], the largest estuary in Western Europe]]

The coastlines offer contrasting landscapes: mountain ranges along the [[French Riviera]], coastal cliffs such as the [[Côte d'Albâtre]], and wide sandy plains in the [[Languedoc]]. Corsica lies off the Mediterranean coast. France has an extensive river system consisting of the four major rivers [[Seine]], the [[Loire]], the [[Garonne]], the [[Rhône]] and their tributaries, whose combined catchment includes over 62% of the metropolitan territory. The Rhône divides the Massif Central from the Alps and flows into the Mediterranean Sea at the [[Camargue]]. The Garonne meets the [[Dordogne (river)|Dordogne]] just after Bordeaux, forming the [[Gironde estuary]], the largest estuary in Western Europe which after approximately {{Convert|100|km|mi|0}} empties into the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Close to ESTUARY |url=http://medoc-tourisme.com/en/mondes/close-to-estuary/}}</ref> Other water courses drain towards the Meuse and Rhine along the northeastern borders. France has {{Convert|11|e6km2}} of marine waters within three oceans under its jurisdiction, of which 97% are overseas.

===Environment===
{{See also|List of national parks of France|Regional natural parks of France|Climate change in France}}
[[File:Saül 01 (cropped).jpg|thumb|The [[Guiana Amazonian Park]] is the largest [[List of national parks of France|national park of France]], aiming at protecting part of the [[Amazonian forest]] located in [[French Guiana]]]]
France was one of the first countries to create an environment ministry, in 1971.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Protection of the Environment |url=http://www.ambafrance-ca.org/kid/pages_en/eco6.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425005903/http://www.ambafrance-ca.org/kid/pages_en/eco6.htm |archive-date=25 April 2011}}</ref> Although it is one of the most industrialised countries in the world, France is ranked [[List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions|only 19th by carbon dioxide emissions]], behind less populous nations such as Canada or Australia. This is due to the country's heavy investment in [[nuclear power]] following the [[1973 oil crisis]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2011 |title=Nuclear Power in France |url=http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf40.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719055222/http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf40.html |archive-date=19 July 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011 |website=World Nuclear Association}}</ref> which now accounts for 75 percent of its electricity production<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Energy profile of France |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Earth |publisher=Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment |location=Washington, D.C. |url=http://www.eoearth.org/article/Energy_profile_of_France |access-date=17 July 2011 |date=10 September 2010 |others=Topic editor: Langdon D. Clough |orig-date=First published: 23 April 2010 |editor-last=Cutler J. Cleveland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429235144/http://www.eoearth.org/article/Energy_profile_of_France |archive-date=29 April 2011 |author=Eia}}</ref> and results in less pollution.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Morgane Remy |date=18 June 2010 |title=CO2 : la France moins pollueuse grâce au nucléaire |trans-title=CO2: France less polluting thanks to nuclear |url=http://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/co2-la-france-moins-pollueuse-grace-au-nucleaire.N133933 |url-status=live |journal=L'Usine Nouvelle |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621042424/http://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/co2-la-france-moins-pollueuse-grace-au-nucleaire.N133933 |archive-date=21 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 January 2008 |title=L'énergie nucléaire en France |trans-title=Nuclear energy in France |url=http://www.ambafrance-cn.org/L-energie-nucleaire-en-France.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701211529/http://www.ambafrance-cn.org/L-energie-nucleaire-en-France.html |archive-date=1 July 2010 |website=La France en Chine |language=fr}}</ref> According to the 2020 [[Environmental Performance Index]] conducted by [[Yale]] and [[Columbia University|Columbia]], France was the fifth most environmentally conscious country in the world (behind the United Kingdom).<ref>{{Cite web |title=2018 EPI Results {{!}} Environmental Performance Index |url=https://epi.envirocenter.yale.edu/epi-topline |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723205354/https://epi.envirocenter.yale.edu/epi-topline |archive-date=23 July 2019 |access-date=20 August 2019 |website=epi.envirocenter.yale.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hsu |first=A. |display-authors=etal |year=2016 |title=2016 Environmental Performance Index |url=http://epi.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2016EPI_Full_Report_opt.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004102150/http://epi.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2016EPI_Full_Report_opt.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2017 |access-date=14 December 2017 |publisher=Yale University |location=New Haven, CT}}</ref>

Like all European Union state members, France agreed to cut [[carbon emissions]] by at least 20% of 1990 levels by 2020,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ian Traynor and David Gow |date=21 February 2007 |title=EU promises 20% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/feb/21/climatechange.climatechangeenvironment |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> compared to the United States' plan to reduce emissions by 4% of 1990 levels.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Marie Verdier |date=6 December 2009 |title=Les quatre enjeux de Copenhague |work=[[La Croix (newspaper)|La Croix]] |url=http://www.la-croix.com/Actualite/S-informer/Sciences/Les-quatre-enjeux-de-Copenhague-_NG_-2009-12-06-569870 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111125721/http://www.la-croix.com/Actualite/S-informer/Sciences/Les-quatre-enjeux-de-Copenhague-_NG_-2009-12-06-569870 |archive-date=11 January 2012}}</ref> {{As of|2009}}, French carbon dioxide emissions per capita were lower than that of China.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kanter |first=James |date=1 July 2010 |title=Per-Capita Emissions Rising in China |work=The New York Times |url=https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/emissions-soar-in-china-and-india/ |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> The country was set to impose a [[carbon tax]] in 2009 at 17 euros per tonne of carbon emitted,<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 September 2009 |title=France Sets Carbon Tax at 17 Euros a Ton |work=The New York Times |agency=Reuters |location=France |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/business/global/11carbon.html |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> which would have raised 4&nbsp;billion euros of revenue annually.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 September 2009 |title=France set to impose carbon tax |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8248392.stm |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> However, the plan was abandoned due to fears of burdening French businesses.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Saltmarsh |first=Matthew |date=23 March 2010 |title=France Abandons Plan for Carbon Tax |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/global/24iht-carbon.html |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref>

Forests account for 31 percent of France's land area—the fourth-highest proportion in Europe—representing an increase of 7 percent since 1990.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 July 2019 |title=Why France's forests are getting bigger |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2019/07/18/why-frances-forests-are-getting-bigger |access-date=20 August 2019 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Countries Compared by Environment > Forest area > % of land area |url=http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Environment/Forest-area/%25-of-land-area#2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108120450/http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Environment/Forest-area/%25-of-land-area#2005 |archive-date=8 January 2018 |access-date=7 January 2018 |website=Nationmaster.com |publisher=International Statistics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Evolution of the French forest from 1984 to 1996 |url=http://www.ifn.fr/spip/?rubrique83&lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513083104/http://www.ifn.fr/spip/?rubrique83&lang=en |archive-date=13 May 2011 |publisher=Inventaire Forestier National [National Forest Inventory]}}</ref> French forests are some of the most diverse in Europe, comprising more than 140 species of trees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=La forêt en France et dans le monde |trans-title=The forest in France and in the world |url=http://www.lepapier.fr/foret_france.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727011505/http://www.lepapier.fr/foret_france.htm |archive-date=27 July 2010 |website=lepapier.fr |language=fr}}</ref> France had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 4.52/10, ranking it 123rd globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{Cite journal |last1=Grantham |first1=H. S. |last2=Duncan |first2=A. |last3=Evans |first3=T. D. |last4=Jones |first4=K. R. |last5=Beyer |first5=H. L. |last6=Schuster |first6=R. |last7=Walston |first7=J. |last8=Ray |first8=J. C. |last9=Robinson |first9=J. G. |last10=Callow |first10=M. |last11=Clements |first11=T. |last12=Costa |first12=H. M. |last13=DeGemmis |first13=A. |last14=Elsen |first14=P. R. |last15=Ervin |first15=J. |year=2020 |title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=5978 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=7723057 |pmid=33293507 |last16=Franco |first16=P. |last17=Goldman |first17=E. |last18=Goetz |first18=S. |last19=Hansen |first19=A. |last20=Hofsvang |first20=E. |last21=Jantz |first21=P. |last22=Jupiter |first22=S. |last23=Kang |first23=A. |last24=Langhammer |first24=P. |last25=Laurance |first25=W. F. |last26=Lieberman |first26=S. |last27=Linkie |first27=M. |last28=Malhi |first28=Y. |last29=Maxwell |first29=S. |last30=Mendez |first30=M. |last31=Mittermeier |first31=R. |last32=Murray |first32=N. J. |last33=Possingham |first33=H. |last34=Radachowsky |first34=J. |last35=Saatchi |first35=S. |last36=Samper |first36=C. |last37=Silverman |first37=J. |last38=Shapiro |first38=A. |last39=Strassburg |first39=B. |last40=Stevens |first40=T. |last41=Stokes |first41=E. |last42=Taylor |first42=R. |last43=Tear |first43=T. |last44=Tizard |first44=R. |last45=Venter |first45=O. |last46=Visconti |first46=P. |last47=Wang |first47=S. |last48=Watson |first48=J. E. M.|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G }}</ref> There are nine [[national park]]s<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parks and other protected areas in France |url=http://www.parks.it/world/FR/Eindex.html |website=Parks.it}}</ref> and 46 [[Protected area|natural parks]] in France,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fédération des parcs naturels régionaux de France |trans-title=Federation of Regional Natural Parks of France |url=http://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr/fr/accueil/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712003310/http://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr/fr/accueil/ |archive-date=12 July 2010 |language=fr}}</ref> with the government planning to convert 20% of its [[Exclusive economic zone]] into a [[Marine protected area]] by 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 August 2009 |title=La France veut créer une Zone Économique Exclusive en Méditerranée |trans-title=France wants to create an Exclusive Economic Zone in the Mediterranean |url=http://www.actu-environnement.com/ae/news/mer_grenelle_zee_meditarrane_borloo_aire_marine_8120.php4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513060529/http://www.actu-environnement.com/ae/news/mer_grenelle_zee_meditarrane_borloo_aire_marine_8120.php4 |archive-date=13 May 2011 |website=Actu-Environnement.com |language=fr}}</ref> A regional nature park<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 July 2013 |title=The regional nature Parks of France |url=http://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr/en/parc.UK2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722030433/http://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr/en/parc.UK2.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2013 |access-date=22 June 2014 |publisher=Fédération des Parcs naturels régionaux de France [Federation of the regional nature Parks of France]}}</ref> ({{Lang-fr|parc naturel régional|links=no}} or PNR) is a public establishment in France between local authorities and the [[Government of France|national government]] covering an inhabited rural area of outstanding beauty, to protect the scenery and heritage as well as setting up sustainable economic development in the area.<ref>{{Cite book |last=William M. Lafferty |title=Sustainable communities in Europe |publisher=Earthscan |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-85383-791-3 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VHP96jPKl-0C&pg=PA181 181]}}</ref> A PNR sets goals and guidelines for managed human habitation, sustainable economic development and protection of the natural environment based on each park's unique landscape and heritage. The parks foster ecological research programmes and public education in the natural sciences.<ref name="FGTO">{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=Regional Natural Parks |url=http://uk.franceguide.com/Regional-natural-parks.html?NodeID=1&EditoID=205227 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405192042/http://uk.franceguide.com/Regional-natural-parks.html?NodeID=1&EditoID=205227 |archive-date=5 April 2012 |access-date=27 October 2011 |website=France Guide |publisher=Maison de la France}}</ref> {{As of|2019}} there are 54 PNRs in France.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Découvrir les 54 Parcs |url=https://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.fr/les-parcs-naturels-regionaux-de-france/decouvrir-les-54-parcs |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819171349/https://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.fr/les-parcs-naturels-regionaux-de-france/decouvrir-les-54-parcs |archive-date=19 August 2019 |access-date=16 October 2019 |website=Fédération des Parcs naturels régionaux de France}}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of France}}
The French Republic is divided into 18 [[Regions of France|regions]] (located in Europe and overseas), five [[Overseas collectivities of France|overseas collectivities]], one [[Overseas territory (France)|overseas territory]], one special collectivity – [[New Caledonia]] and one uninhabited island directly under the authority of the Minister of Overseas France – [[Clipperton Island|Clipperton]].

====Regions====
{{France Regions Labelled Map}}
{{Further|Departments of France}}
Since 2016, France is divided into 18 administrative regions: 13 regions in [[metropolitan France]] (including [[Corsica]]),<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 December 2015 |title=La réforme territoriale |url=http://www.gouvernement.fr/action/la-reforme-territoriale |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230075909/http://www.gouvernement.fr/action/la-reforme-territoriale |archive-date=30 December 2015 |access-date=1 January 2016 |publisher=Government of France |language=fr}}</ref> and five [[overseas region|overseas]].<ref name=France/> The regions are further subdivided into 101 [[Departments of France|departments]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Departments of France |url=http://www.myfrenchproperty.com/departments/departments.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714142645/http://www.myfrenchproperty.com/departments/departments.php |archive-date=14 July 2011 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=Myfrenchproperty.com |language=fr}}</ref> which are numbered mainly alphabetically. The department number is used in postal codes and was formerly used on [[Vehicle registration plates of France|vehicle registration plates]]. Among the 101 French departments, five ([[French Guiana]], Guadeloupe, [[Martinique]], [[Mayotte]], and [[Réunion]]) are in overseas regions (ROMs) that are simultaneously overseas departments (DOMs), enjoying the same status as metropolitan departments and are thereby included in the European Union.

The 101 departments are subdivided into 335 [[Arrondissements of France|arrondissements]], which are, in turn, subdivided into 2,054 [[Cantons of France|cantons]].<ref name="constituencies">{{Cite web |title=Circonscriptions administratives au 1er janvier 2015 : comparaisons régionales |trans-title=Administrative constituencies of 1 January 2015: regional comparisons |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=99&ref_id=t_0203R |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430033500/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=99&ref_id=t_0203R |archive-date=30 April 2014 |access-date=5 July 2015 |publisher=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]] |language=fr}}</ref> These cantons are then divided into 36,658 [[Communes of France|communes]], which are municipalities with an elected municipal council.<ref name=constituencies/> Three communes—Paris, Lyon and Marseille—are subdivided into 45 [[Municipal arrondissements of France|municipal arrondissements]].

The regions, departments and communes are all known as [[territorial collectivity|territorial collectivities]], meaning they possess local assemblies as well as an executive. Today, arrondissements and cantons are merely administrative divisions. However, this was not always the case. Until 1940, the arrondissements were territorial collectivities with an elected assembly, but these were suspended by the [[Vichy France|Vichy regime]] and abolished by the [[French Fourth Republic|Fourth Republic]] in 1946.

====Overseas territories and collectivities====
[[File:France-Constituent-Lands.png|thumb|upright=1.8|alt=diagram of the overseas territories of France showing map shapes|The lands making up the French Republic, shown at the same [[scale (map)|geographic scale]]]]

In addition to the 18 regions and 101 departments, the French Republic has five [[overseas collectivity|overseas collectivities]] ([[French Polynesia]], [[Saint Barthélemy]], [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]], [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]], and [[Wallis and Futuna]]), one ''[[sui generis]]'' collectivity ([[New Caledonia]]), one [[overseas territory (France)|overseas territory]] ([[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]]), and one island possession in the Pacific Ocean ([[Clipperton Island]]).

Overseas collectivities and territories form part of the French Republic, but do not form part of the European Union or its fiscal area (except for St. Bartelemy, which seceded from Guadeloupe in 2007). The Pacific Collectivities (COMs) of French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, and New Caledonia continue to use the [[CFP franc]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Currency and Exchange Rate |url=http://www.thetahititraveler.com/touristinfo/moneycurr.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717034857/http://www.thetahititraveler.com/touristinfo/moneycurr.asp |archive-date=17 July 2011 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=Thetahititraveler.com}}</ref> whose value is strictly linked to that of the euro. In contrast, the five overseas regions used the French franc and now use the euro.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2085rank |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2085rank.html?countryName=France&countryCode=fr&regionCode=eu&rank=7#fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513121037/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2085rank.html?countryName=France&countryCode=fr&regionCode=eu&rank=7#fr |archive-date=13 May 2012 |access-date=29 July 2010 |website=The World Factbook |publisher=CIA}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
|-
! Name
! Constitutional status
! Capital
|-
| {{Flag|Clipperton Island}}
| State private property under the direct authority of the [[Minister of Overseas France|French government]]
! ''[[Uninhabited]]''
|-
| {{Flag|French Polynesia}}
| Designated as an overseas land (''pays d'outre-mer'' or POM), the status is the same as an overseas collectivity.
! [[Papeete]]
|-
| {{Flag|French Southern and Antarctic Lands}}
| Overseas territory (''territoire d'outre-mer'' or TOM)
! [[Port-aux-Français]]
|-
| {{Flag|New Caledonia}}
| ''[[Sui generis]]'' collectivity
! [[Nouméa]]
|-
| {{Flag|Saint Barthélemy|local}}
| Overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'' or COM)
! [[Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy|Gustavia]]
|-
| {{Flag|Saint Martin}}
| Overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'' or COM)
! [[Marigot, Saint Martin|Marigot]]
|-
| {{Flag|Saint Pierre and Miquelon|local}}
| Overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'' or COM). Still referred to as a ''collectivité territoriale''.
! [[Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre and Miquelon|Saint-Pierre]]
|-
| {{Flag|Wallis and Futuna|local}}
| Overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'' or COM). Still referred to as a ''territoire''.
! [[Mata-Utu]]
|}

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of France}}

===Government===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; float:left; margin-right:9px; margin-left:2px"
|-
| style="text-align:left" | [[File:Emmanuel Macron (2019-10-09) 03 (cropped).jpg|120px]]
| style="text-align:left" | [[File:Elisabeth Borne November 2022 close-up.jpg|120px]]
|-
| style="text-align:center" | [[Emmanuel Macron]]<br/>{{Small|[[President of France|President]]}}
| style="text-align:center" | [[Élisabeth Borne]]<br/>{{Small|[[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]]}}
|}
France is a [[representative democracy]] organised as a [[Unitary state|unitary]], [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[republic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitutional Limits on Government: Country Studies – France |url=http://www.democracyweb.org/limits/france.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828081904/http://democracyweb.org/limits/france.php |archive-date=28 August 2013 |access-date=30 September 2013 |website=Democracy Web: Comparative studies in Freedom}}</ref> As one of the earliest republics of the modern world, democratic traditions and values are deeply rooted in French culture, identity and politics.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=France {{!}} History, Map, Flag, Capital, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/France |access-date=27 August 2021 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}</ref> The Constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by [[1958 French constitutional referendum|referendum]] on 28 September 1958, establishing a framework consisting of executive, legislative and judicial branches.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Helen Drake |title=Contemporary France |date=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-79243-8 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7L8cBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA95#v=onepage 95] |doi=10.1007/978-0-230-36688-6}}</ref> It sought to address the instability of the Third and Fourth Republics by combining elements of both parliamentary and presidential systems, while greatly strengthening the authority of the executive relative to the legislature.<ref name=":1" />

The executive branch has two leaders. The [[President of France|President of the Republic]], currently [[Emmanuel Macron]], is the [[head of state]], elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a five-year term.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le quinquennat : le référendum du 24 Septembre 2000 |trans-title=The 5-year term: referendum of 24 September 2000 |url=http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/dossiers/quinquennat/index.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812105736/http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/dossiers/quinquennat/index.shtml |archive-date=12 August 2010 |language=fr}}</ref> The [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]], currently [[Élisabeth Borne]], is the [[head of government]], appointed by the President to lead the [[Government of France|government]]. The President has the power to dissolve Parliament or circumvent it by submitting referendums directly to the people; the President also appoints judges and civil servants, negotiates and ratifies international agreements, as well as serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Prime Minister determines public policy and oversees the civil service, with an emphasis on domestic matters.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 March 2013 |title=The French National Assembly - Constitution of October 4, 1958 |url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/8ab.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313212736/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/8ab.asp |archive-date=13 March 2013 |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref> In the [[2022 French presidential election|2022 presidential election]] president Macron was re-elected.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 April 2022 |title=What's in Emmanuel Macron's intray after his re-election as French president? |language=en |work=the Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/24/whats-in-emmanuel-macrons-intray-after-his-re-election-as-french-president}}</ref>

[[File:Palais Bourbon, Paris 7e, NW View 140402 1.jpg|thumb|[[Palais Bourbon]], the meeting place of the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]], the lower legislative chamber of the [[French Parliament]].]]
The legislature consists of the [[French Parliament]], a [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] body made up of a [[lower house]], the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] (''Assemblée nationale'') and an [[upper house]], the [[Senate (France)|Senate]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The National Assembly and the Senate&nbsp;– General Characteristics of the Parliament |url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/synthetic_files/file_4.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205055025/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/synthetic_files/file_4.asp |archive-date=5 December 2008 |website=Assemblée Nationale}}</ref> Legislators in the National Assembly, known as ''[[députés]],'' represent local constituencies and are directly elected for five-year terms.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Election of deputies |url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/election.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704054719/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/election.asp |archive-date=4 July 2011 |website=Assemblée Nationale}}</ref> The Assembly has the power to dismiss the government by majority vote. Senators are chosen by an electoral college for six-year terms, with half the seats submitted to election every three years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The senatorial elections |url=http://www.senat.fr/lng/en/election_senateurs.html |website=Sénate}}</ref> The Senate's legislative powers are limited; in the event of disagreement between the two chambers, the National Assembly has the final say.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 August 2007 |title=Le role du Sénat |trans-title=What is the purpose of the Senate? |url=http://www.politique.net/2007081801-le-role-du-senat.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618060857/http://www.politique.net/2007081801-le-role-du-senat.htm |archive-date=18 June 2010 |language=fr}}</ref> The parliament is responsible for determining the rules and principles concerning most areas of law, political amnesty, and fiscal policy; however, the government may draft specific details concerning most laws.

Until World War II, [[Radicalism (historical)|Radicals]] were a strong political force in France, embodied by the [[Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party]] which was the most important party of the Third Republic. From World War II until 2017, French politics was dominated by two politically opposed groupings: one left-wing, the [[French Section of the Workers' International]], which was succeeded by the [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]] (in 1969); and the other right-wing, the [[Gaullist Party]], whose name changed over time to the [[Rally of the French People]] (1947), the [[Union of Democrats for the Republic]] (1958), the [[Rally for the Republic]] (1976), the [[Union for a Popular Movement]] (2007) and [[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]] (since 2015). In the 2017 presidential and legislative elections, the [[Radical centrism|radical centrist]] party [[La République En Marche!]] (LREM) became the dominant force, overtaking both Socialists and Republicans. LREM's opponent in the second round of the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections was the growing far-right party [[National Rally]]. Since 2020, [[Europe Ecology – The Greens]] have performed well in mayoral elections in major cities<ref>{{cite web | author = Romain Brunet | website = France24 | title = After green wave in local elections, is France's left back on track? | date = 29 June 2020 | url = https://www.france24.com/en/20200629-after-green-wave-in-local-elections-is-france-s-left-back-on-track | language = en}}</ref> while on a national level, an alliance of Left parties (the [[NUPES]]) was the second-largest voting block elected to the lower house in 2022.<ref>{{cite web | website = France 24 | title = Takeaways from the final round of France's parliamentary elections | url = https://www.france24.com/en/france/20220620-takeaways-from-the-second-round-of-france-s-parliamentary-elections | date = 20 June 2022 | language = en }}</ref>

The electorate is constitutionally empowered to vote on amendments passed by the Parliament and bills submitted by the president. Referendums have played a key role in shaping French politics and even foreign policy; voters have decided on such matters as Algeria's independence, the election of the president by popular vote, the formation of the EU, and the reduction of presidential term limits.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France - Parliamentary composition and functions |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/France |access-date=27 August 2021 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}</ref> Waning civic participation has been a matter of vigorous public debate, with a majority of the public reportedly supporting mandatory voting as a solution in 2019.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

===Law===
{{Main|Law of France}}
France uses a [[Civil law (legal system)|civil legal]] system, wherein law arises primarily from written statutes;<ref name=France/> judges are not to make law, but merely to interpret it (though the amount of judicial interpretation in certain areas makes it equivalent to [[case law]] in a [[common law]] system). Basic principles of the [[rule of law]] were laid in the [[Napoleonic Code]] (which was, in turn, largely based on the royal law codified under [[Louis XIV]]). In agreement with the principles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the law should only prohibit actions detrimental to society. As [[Guy Canivet]], first president of the [[Court of Cassation (France)|Court of Cassation]] wrote about the management of prisons: "Freedom is the rule, and its restriction is the exception; any restriction of Freedom must be provided for by Law and must follow the principles of necessity and proportionality." That is, Law should lay out prohibitions only if they are needed, and if the inconveniences caused by this restriction do not exceed the inconveniences that the prohibition is supposed to remedy.
[[File:Declaration of Human Rights.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=color drawing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen from 1789|The basic principles that the French Republic must respect are found in the 1789 [[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]].]]

French law is divided into two principal areas: [[private law]] and [[public law]]. Private law includes, in particular, [[civil law (common law)|civil law]] and [[criminal law]]. Public law includes, in particular, [[administrative law]] and [[constitutional law]]. However, in practical terms, French law comprises three principal areas of law: civil law, criminal law, and administrative law. Criminal laws can only address the future and not the past (criminal ''[[Ex post facto law|ex post facto]]'' laws are prohibited).<ref>In European countries, legal doctrine has long faced the question of succession of criminal laws in time: {{Cite journal |last=Buonomo |first=Giampiero |year=2015 |title=La rivendicazione di Gallo |journal=Mondoperaio Edizione Online}}</ref> While administrative law is often a subcategory of civil law in many countries, it is completely separated in France and each body of law is headed by a specific supreme court: [[French judiciary courts|ordinary courts]] (which handle criminal and civil litigation) are headed by the [[Court of Cassation (France)|Court of Cassation]] and administrative courts are headed by the [[Conseil d'Etat (France)|Council of State]]. To be applicable, every law must be officially published in the ''[[Journal officiel de la République française]]''.

France does not recognise [[religious law]] as a motivation for the enactment of prohibitions; it has long abolished [[blasphemy]] laws and [[sodomy law]]s (the latter in 1791). However, "offences against [[Decency|public decency]]" (''contraires aux bonnes mœurs'') or [[breach of the peace|disturbing public order]] (''trouble à l'ordre public'') have been used to repress public expressions of homosexuality or street prostitution. Since 1999, [[Pacte civil de solidarité|civil unions]] for homosexual couples are permitted, and since 2013, [[same-sex marriage]] and [[LGBT adoption]] are legal.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 May 2013 |title=François Hollande signs same-sex marriage into law |publisher=France 24 |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20130518-france-gay-marriage-law-adoption |access-date=27 June 2013}}</ref> Laws prohibiting discriminatory speech in the press are [[Law on the Freedom of the Press of 29 July 1881|as old as 1881]]. Some consider [[hate speech laws in France]] to be too broad or severe, undermining [[freedom of speech]].<ref>"France: Strict Defamation and Privacy Laws Limit Free Expression&nbsp;– Index on Censorship| Index on Censorship." France: Strict Defamation and Privacy Laws Limit Free Expression&nbsp;– Index on Censorship| Index on Censorship. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 February 2014. {{Cite web |title=France: Strict defamation and privacy laws limit free expression - Index on Censorship &#124; Index on Censorship |url=http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2013/08/france-faces-restrictions-on-free-expression/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922214544/http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2013/08/france-faces-restrictions-on-free-expression/ |archive-date=22 September 2013 |access-date=18 February 2014}}.</ref>
France has laws against racism and [[antisemitism]],<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20101205103557/http://www.ambafrance-dz.org/ambassade/IMG/Lutte_racisme_et_antisemitisme.pdf La lutte contre le racisme et l'antisémintisme en France]. AmbaFrance</ref> while the 1990 [[Gayssot Act]] prohibits [[Holocaust denial]].

[[Freedom of religion in France|Freedom of religion]] is constitutionally guaranteed by the 1789 [[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]]. The [[1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State]] is the basis for ''[[laïcité]]'' (state secularism): the state does not formally recognise any religion, [[Concordat in Alsace-Moselle|except in Alsace-Moselle]]. Nonetheless, it does recognise religious associations. The Parliament has [[Groups referred to as cults in government reports#France|listed many religious movements as dangerous cults]] since 1995 and has [[French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools|banned wearing conspicuous religious symbols in schools]] since 2004. In 2010, it banned the [[French ban on face covering|wearing of face-covering Islamic veils in public]]; human rights groups such as [[Amnesty International]] and [[Human Rights Watch]] described the law as discriminatory towards Muslims.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kenneth Roth Executive Director |date=26 February 2004 |title=Human Rights Watch |url=http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/02/26/france7666.htm |access-date=31 January 2009 |publisher=Human Rights Watch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=13 July 2010 |title=France votes to ban full-face veils |publisher=[[Amnesty International]] |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/france-votes-ban-full-face-veils-2010-07-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207163309/http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/france-votes-ban-full-face-veils-2010-07-13 |archive-date=7 December 2014}}</ref> However, it is supported by most of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=L'image de l'islam en France |url=http://www.ifop.com/media/poll/2028-1-study_file.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312131944/http://www.ifop.com/media/poll/2028-1-study_file.pdf |archive-date=12 March 2014 |access-date=16 January 2017 |website=ifop.fr |publisher=IFOP |page=22 |language=fr}}</ref>
<!-- to remove if it does not break future refs<ref name="Pew">{{Cite news |last=Dumoulin |first=Frederic |date=14 September 2010 |title=French parliament adopts ban on full-face veil |publisher=Google News |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gNCFdNZ4r-9aDEBG0G_OUSMKoASw |url-status=dead |access-date=14 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518083647/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gNCFdNZ4r-9aDEBG0G_OUSMKoASw |archive-date=18 May 2013}}</ref>-->

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of France}}
France is a founding member of the United Nations and serves as one of the [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent members of the UN Security Council]] with veto rights.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 July 2010 |title=Membership of the Security Councils of the UN |url=https://www.un.org/sc/members.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706231352/http://www.un.org/sc/members.asp |archive-date=6 July 2010}}</ref> In 2015, it was described as "the best networked state in the world" due to its membership in more international institutions than any other country;<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Soft Power 30 |url=http://www.comres.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Report_Final-published.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120204008/http://www.comres.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Report_Final-published.pdf |archive-date=20 November 2015 |website=[[Monocle (media company)|Monocle]]}}</ref> these include the G7, [[World Trade Organization]] (WTO),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Members and Observers |url=http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/org6_e.htm |access-date=30 October 2010 |website=World Trade Organization}}</ref> the [[Pacific Community]] (SPC)<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 February 2010 |title=History |url=http://www.spc.int/en/about-spc/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828105101/http://www.spc.int/en/about-spc/history.html |archive-date=28 August 2010 |website=Secretariate of the Pacific Community}}</ref> and the [[Indian Ocean Commission]] (COI).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Les pays membres de la COI |trans-title=IOC member countries |url=http://www.coi-ioc.org/index.php?id=36 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402173028/http://www.coi-ioc.org/index.php?id=36 |archive-date=2 April 2012 |website=Commission de l'Océan Indien {{!}} Indian Ocean Commission |language=fr}}</ref> It is an associate member of the [[Association of Caribbean States]] (ACS)<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 July 1994 |title=About the Association of Caribbean States |url=http://www.acs-aec.org/index.php?q=about-the-acs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822100530/http://www.acs-aec.org/index.php?q=about-the-acs |archive-date=22 August 2012 |access-date=22 June 2012 |publisher=Association of Caribbean States}}</ref> and a leading member of the [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]] (OIF) of 84 French-speaking countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=84 États et gouvernements |trans-title=84 states and governments |url=http://www.francophonie.org/-Etats-et-gouvernements-.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003114546/http://www.francophonie.org/-Etats-et-gouvernements-.html |archive-date=3 October 2009 |access-date=22 July 2010 |publisher=Organisation internationale de la Francophonie}}</ref>[[File:Map-Francophonie organisation fr.svg|thumb|alt=La Francophonie map (dozens of countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America are members of this international organisation.|88 states and governments are part of ''[[La Francophonie]]'',<ref>[https://www.francophonie.org/la-francophonie-en-bref-754 La Francophonie en bref], ''[[La Francophonie]]'', retrieved on 26 January 2020</ref> which promotes values of [[democracy]], [[multilingualism]] and [[cultural diversity]].<ref>Anne Gazeau-Secret, [https://www.cairn.info/revue-geoeconomie-2010-4-page-39.htm Francophonie et diplomatie d'influence], [[Cairn.info]], dans ''Géoéconomie'' 2010/4 (n° 55), pages 39 à 56</ref> France has been a key member of this global organisation since its inception in 1970.]]
[[File:Inauguration EYE2014 Parlement européen Strasbourg 9 mai 2014.jpg|thumb|alt=European Parliament opening in Strasbourg with crowd and many countries' flags on flagpoles|The [[European Parliament]] in [[Strasbourg]], near the border with (Germany). France is a founding member of all EU institutions.]]

As a significant hub for international relations, France has the [[List of diplomatic missions of France|third-largest assembly]] of [[diplomatic mission]]s, second only to China and the United States, which are far more populous. It also hosts the headquarters of several [[international organization|international organisations]], including the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]], [[UNESCO]], [[Interpol]], the [[International Bureau of Weights and Measures]], and the OIF.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Embassies and consulates |url=http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/ministry_158/embassies-and-consulates_2052/bilateral-embassies_1580.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100908014607/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/ministry_158/embassies-and-consulates_2052/bilateral-embassies_1580.html |archive-date=8 September 2010 |website=France Diplomatie |publisher=The French Ministry of Foreign affairs}}</ref>

Postwar French foreign policy has been largely shaped by membership in the European Union, of which it was a [[Inner Six|founding member]]. Since the [[Élysée Treaty|1960s]], France has developed close ties with reunified Germany to become the [[France–Germany relations|most influential driving force of the EU]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pierre-Louis Germain |date=12 November 2009 |title=L'alliance Franco-allemande au coeur de la puissance européenne |trans-title=The Franco-German alliance at the heart of European power |url=http://www.oftt.eu/perspectives/article/l-alliance-franco-allemande-au-coeur-de-la-puissance-europeenne |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123092331/http://www.oftt.eu/perspectives/article/l-alliance-franco-allemande-au-coeur-de-la-puissance-europeenne |archive-date=23 January 2010 |publisher=Institut Montaigne |language=fr}}</ref> In the 1960s, France sought to exclude the British from the European unification process,<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 November 1967 |title=De Gaulle says 'non' to Britain&nbsp;– again |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/27/newsid_4187000/4187714.stm |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> seeking to build its standing in continental Europe. However, since 1904, France has maintained an "[[Entente cordiale]]" with the United Kingdom, and there has been a strengthening of links between the countries, especially [[Defence and Security Co-operation Treaty|militarily]].

France is a member of the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO), but under President de Gaulle excluded itself from the joint military command, in protest of the [[Special Relationship]] between the United States and Britain, and to preserve the independence of French foreign and security policies. Under Nicolas Sarkozy, France rejoined the NATO joint military command on 4 April 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Isabelle Lasserre |date=11 March 2009 |title=Quand Mitterrand, déjà, négociait le retour de la France dans l'Otan |trans-title=Mitterrand already negotiated the return of France to NATO |url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2009/03/11/01003-20090311ARTFIG00073-quand-mitterrand-deja-negociait-le-retour-dans-l-otan-.php |website=Le Figaro |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=12 March 2009 |title=France ends four-decade Nato rift |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7937666.stm |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Roger |first=Patrick |date=11 March 2009 |title=Le retour de la France dans l'OTAN suscite un malaise dans les rangs de la Droite |language=fr |trans-title=The return of France to NATO causes discomfort in the ranks of the right |work=Le Monde |location=Paris |url=http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2009/03/11/le-retour-de-la-france-dans-l-otan-suscite-un-malaise-dans-les-rangs-de-la-droite_1166352_823448.html}}</ref>

France retains strong political and economic influence in its [[Second French colonial empire|former African colonies]] (''[[Françafrique]]'')<ref>{{Cite web |title=L'empire colonial français |url=http://www.memo.fr/article.asp?ID=CON_COL_009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425142925/http://www.memo.fr/article.asp?ID=CON_COL_009 |archive-date=25 April 2011}}</ref> and has supplied economic aid and troops for peacekeeping missions in Ivory Coast and Chad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France involvement in peace-keeping operations |url=http://www.delegfrance-onu-geneve.org/spip.php?article417 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425024055/http://www.delegfrance-onu-geneve.org/spip.php?article417 |archive-date=25 April 2011 |access-date=9 August 2010 |publisher=Delegfrance-onu-geneve.org}}</ref> From 2012 to 2021, France and other African states intervened in support of the [[Mali]]an government in the [[Northern Mali conflict]].

In 2017, France was the world's fourth-largest donor of [[development aid]] in absolute terms, behind the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official development assistance (ODA) – Net ODA – OECD Data |url=http://data.oecd.org/oda/net-oda.htm |access-date=20 August 2019 |website=theOECD}}</ref> This represents 0.43% of its [[GNP]], the 12th highest among the OECD.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aid to developing countries rebounds in 2013 to reach an all-time high |url=http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/aid-to-developing-countries-rebounds-in-2013-to-reach-an-all-time-high.htm |access-date=3 March 2016 |publisher=OECD}}</ref> Aid is provided by the governmental [[French Development Agency]], which finances primarily humanitarian projects in [[sub-Saharan Africa]],<ref name="aid" /> with an emphasis on "developing infrastructure, access to health care and education, the implementation of appropriate economic policies and the consolidation of the rule of law and democracy".<ref name="aid">[http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france-priorities_1/index.html France priorities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722114125/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france-priorities_1/index.html|date=22 July 2010}}&nbsp;– France Diplomatie</ref>

===Military===
{{Main|French Armed Forces}}The French Armed Forces (''Forces armées françaises'') are the military and paramilitary forces of France, under the [[President of France|President of the Republic]] as supreme commander. They consist of the [[French Army]] (''Armée de Terre''), the [[French Navy]] (''Marine Nationale'', formerly called ''Armée de Mer''), the [[French Air and Space Force]] (''Armée de l'Air et de l’Espace''), and the Military Police called [[National Gendarmerie]] (''Gendarmerie nationale''), which also fulfils civil police duties in the rural areas of France. Together they are among the [[List of countries by number of troops|largest armed forces]] in the world and the largest in the EU. According to a 2018 study by [[Crédit Suisse]], the French Armed Forces are ranked as the [[List of countries by Military Strength Index|world's sixth-most powerful military]], and the second most powerful in Europe after [[Russia]].<ref name="CreditSuisse2015">{{Cite report |url=http://publications.credit-suisse.com/tasks/render/file/index.cfm?fileid=EE7A6A5D-D9D5-6204-E9E6BB426B47D054 |title=The End of Globalization or a more Multipolar World? |last1=O’Sullivan |first1=Michael |last2=Subramanian |first2=Krithika |date=17 October 2015 |publisher=[[Credit Suisse]] AG |access-date=14 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215235711/http://publications.credit-suisse.com/tasks/render/file/index.cfm?fileid=EE7A6A5D-D9D5-6204-E9E6BB426B47D054 |archive-date=15 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> France's annual military expenditure in 2018 was US$63.8&nbsp;billion, or 2.3% [[List of countries by military expenditure share of GDP|of its GDP]], making it the [[List of countries by military expenditures|fifth biggest military spender in the world]] after the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, and India.<ref>[https://www.sipri.org/publications/2019/sipri-fact-sheets/trends-world-military-expenditure-2018 Trends in World Military Expenditure] SIPRI. Retrieved 18 December 2019.</ref> There has been no national [[conscription]] since 1997.<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/dossiers/service-civil/fin-service-militaire-obligatoire.shtml La fin du service militaire obligatoire] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808230428/http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/dossiers/service-civil/fin-service-militaire-obligatoire.shtml|date=8 August 2010}}&nbsp;– La documentation française</ref>{{Multiple image
| direction         = vertical
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| image1            = Rafale_-_RIAT_2009_(3751416421).jpg
| caption1          = [[Dassault Rafale]] of the [[Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace]]
| image2            = French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) underway on 24 April 2019 (190424-M-BP588-1005).jpg
| caption2          = ''[[French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle|Charles de Gaulle]]'' aircraft carrier of the [[French Navy|Marine nationale]]
| image3            = Bastille_Day_2014_Paris_-_Motorised_troops_063.jpg
| caption3          = [[Leclerc tank|AMX Leclerc]] tank of the [[French Army|Armée de terre]]
}}
France has been a [[List of states with nuclear weapons#Five nuclear-weapon states under the NPT|recognised nuclear state]] since 1960. France has signed and ratified the [[Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty]] (CTBT)<ref name="status">{{Cite web |date=26 May 2010 |title=Status of signature and ratification |url=http://www.ctbto.org/the-treaty/status-of-signature-and-ratification/ |access-date=27 May 2010 |publisher=CTBTO Preparatory Commission}}</ref> and acceded to the [[Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty]]. The French nuclear force (formerly known as "''[[Force de Frappe]]''") consists of four [[Triomphant class submarine|''Triomphant'']] class submarines equipped with [[submarine-launched ballistic missile]]s. In addition to the submarine fleet, it is estimated that France has about 60 [[Air-Sol Moyenne Portée|''ASMP'']] medium-range [[Air-to-surface missile|air-to-ground missiles]] with [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear warheads]],<ref>{{In lang|fr}} Centre de Documentation et de Recherche sur la Paix et les Conflits, [http://obsarm.org/obsnuc/puissances-mondiales/france-forces.html ''Etat des forces nucléaires françaises au 15 août 2004''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725004911/http://obsarm.org/obsnuc/puissances-mondiales/france-forces.html|date=25 July 2011}}</ref> of which around 50 are deployed by the Air and Space Force using the [[Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D|Mirage 2000N]] long-range nuclear strike aircraft, while around 10 are deployed by the French Navy's [[Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard|Super Étendard Modernisé (SEM)]] attack aircraft, which operate from the nuclear-powered [[aircraft carrier]] [[French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91)|''Charles de Gaulle'']]. The new [[Dassault Rafale|Rafale F3]] aircraft will gradually replace all Mirage 2000N and SEM in the nuclear strike role with the improved ''ASMP-A'' missile with a nuclear warhead.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

France has major military industries with one of the largest [[Aerospace manufacturer|aerospace industries]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=90.07.06: The Aerospace Industry: Its History and How it Affects the U.S. Economy |url=http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1990/7/90.07.06.x.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920085434/http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1990/7/90.07.06.x.html |archive-date=20 September 2011 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=Yale}}</ref> Its industries have produced such equipment as the Rafale fighter, the ''Charles de Gaulle'' aircraft carrier, the [[Exocet]] missile and the [[AMX-56 Leclerc|Leclerc]] tank among others. France is actively investing in European joint projects such as the [[Eurocopter Tiger]], [[FREMM multipurpose frigate|multipurpose frigates]], the [[Unmanned combat air vehicle|UCAV]] demonstrator [[Dassault nEUROn|nEUROn]] and the [[Airbus A400M]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} France is a major arms seller,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thierry Gadault |date=13 June 2002 |title=La France demeure un fournisseur d'armes de premier plan |trans-title=France stays one of the biggest arms supplier] |url=http://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/entreprise/la-france-demeure-un-fournisseur-d-armes-de-premier-plan_95084.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311161443/http://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/entreprise/la-france-demeure-un-fournisseur-d-armes-de-premier-plan_95084.html |archive-date=11 March 2012 |website=L'express |language=fr |quote=En 2001, la France a vendu pour 1,288&nbsp;milliard de dollars d'équipements militaires, ce qui la met au troisième rang mondial des exportateurs derrière les États-Unis et la Russie. [In 2001, France sold $1,288&nbsp;billion of military equipment, ranking 3rd in the world for arms exportations behind the USA and Russia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=8 February 2010 |title=Les ventes d'armes explosent en 2009 |trans-title=Sales of weapons explode in 2009 |url=https://www.20minutes.fr/economie/551139-20100208-economie-les-ventes-d-armes-explosent-en-2009 |access-date=6 January 2017 |website=20 minutes |language=fr |quote=La France est au 4ème rang mondial des exportateurs d'armes, derrière les Etats-Unis, le Royaume-Uni et la Russie, et devant Israël, selon un rapport du ministère de la Défense publié l'an dernier. [France is 4th biggest arms exporter, behind the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia, and ahead of Israel, according to a report of the Ministry of Defense published a year ago.]}}</ref> with most of its arsenal's designs available for the export market, except for the nuclear-powered devices.

One French intelligence unit, the [[Directorate-General for External Security]] (''Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure''), is considered to be a component of the Armed Forces under the authority of the Ministry of Defense. The other, the Central Directorate for Interior Intelligence (''Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur'') is a division of the National Police Force (''Direction générale de la Police Nationale'').{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} France's [[Cybersecurity|cybersecurity capabilities]] are regularly ranked as some of the most robust of any nation in the world.<ref>Bruce Sussman, [https://www.secureworldexpo.com/industry-news/countries-dedicated-to-cybersecurity The List: Best and Worst Countries for Cybersecurity], 13 November 2019, Securworld</ref><ref>[https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-d/opb/str/D-STR-GCI.01-2018-PDF-E.pdf Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2018], [[International Telecommunication Union]]</ref>

===Government finance===
{{See also|Taxation in France}}
The Government of France has run a [[budget deficit]] each year since the early 1970s. {{As of|2016}}, French government debt levels reached 2.2&nbsp;trillion euros, the equivalent of 96.4% of French GDP.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Country Comparison :: Public Debt |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2186rank.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613005546/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2186rank.html |archive-date=13 June 2007 |access-date=10 January 2018 |website=The World Factbook |publisher=CIA}}</ref> In late 2012, [[credit rating agencies]] warned that growing French Government debt levels risked [[List of countries by credit rating|France's AAA credit rating]], raising the possibility of a future downgrade and subsequent higher borrowing costs for the French authorities.<ref>{{Cite news |last=John |first=Mark |date=26 October 2012 |title=Analysis: Low French borrowing costs risk negative reappraisal |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-debt-idUSBRE89P0SO20121026 |access-date=27 November 2012}}</ref>
However, in July 2020, during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the French government issued negative-interest rate 10-year bonds for the first time in its history.<ref>[https://www.france24.com/en/20190704-france-issues-first-10-year-bond-negative-interest-rate France issues first 10-year bond at negative interest rate], [[France 24]], 4 July 2020</ref> In 2020, France possessed the [[Gold reserve#Officially reported holdings|fourth-largest gold reserves]] in the world.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of France}}

=== Overview ===
[[File:La Défense @ Ballon de Paris @ Parc André Citroën @ Paris (28204532024) (cropped).jpg|alt=La Défense, seen from the Eiffel Tower|thumb|[[La Défense]] was in 2017 ranked by [[Ernst & Young]] as the leading [[central business district]] in continental Europe, and the fourth in the world.<ref>[https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-the-attractiveness-of-world-class-business-districts/$FILE/ey-the-attractiveness-of-world-class-business-districts.pdf The attractiveness of world-class business districts: Paris La Défense vs. its global competitors], [[Ernst & Young|EY]], November 2017</ref>]]
[[File:French economy 2016 - expenditures.png|thumb|Composition of the French economy (GDP) in 2016 by expenditure type]]

France has a developed, high-income [[mixed economy]], characterised by [[Dirigisme|sizeable government involvement]], [[economic diversity]], a skilled labour force, and high innovation. For roughly two centuries, the French economy has [[Angus Maddison statistics of the ten largest economies by GDP (PPP)|consistently ranked]] among the ten largest globally; it is currently the world's [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|ninth-largest]] by [[purchasing power parity]], the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|seventh-largest]] by [[nominal GDP]], and the second-largest in the European Union by both metrics.<ref name="data.worldbank.org">{{Cite web |title=GDP, PPP (current international $) |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.CD?order=wbapi_data_value_2014+wbapi_data_value+wbapi_data_value-last&sort=desc |access-date=1 November 2015 |publisher=The World Bank Group}}</ref> France is considered an [[economic power]], with membership in the [[Group of Seven]] leading [[Developed country|industrialised countries]], the [[OECD|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), and the [[G20|Group of Twenty]] largest economies.

France's economy is highly diversified; [[Service sector|services]] represent two-thirds of both the workforce and GDP,<ref>[https://www.eulerhermes.com/en_global/economic-research/country-reports/France.html Country profile: France], [[Euler Hermes]]</ref> while the [[industrial sector]] accounts for a fifth of GDP and a similar proportion of employment. France is the third-biggest manufacturing country in Europe, behind Germany and Italy, and ranks eighth in the world by share of global manufacturing output, at 1.9 percent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=These are the top 10 manufacturing countries in the world |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/countries-manufacturing-trade-exports-economics/ |access-date=10 February 2022 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref> Less than 2 percent of GDP is generated by the [[primary sector]], namely agriculture;<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/france Country profil: France], [[CIA World factbook]]</ref> however, France's agricultural sector is among the largest in value and leads the EU in terms of overall production.<ref>[https://import-export.societegenerale.fr/en/country/france/market-sectors France: the market] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219011017/https://import-export.societegenerale.fr/en/country/france/market-sectors |date=19 February 2021 }}, [[Société Générale]] (latest Update: September 2020)</ref>

In 2018, France was the fifth-largest trading nation in the world and the second-largest in Europe, with the value of exports representing over a fifth of GDP.<ref name="wto">[https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/wts2019_e/wts2019_e.pdf World Trade Statistical Review 2019], [[World Trade Organization]], p. 11</ref> Its membership in the [[Eurozone]] and the broader [[European Single Market]] facilitates access to capital, goods, services, and skilled labour.<ref name="euroc">{{Cite news |last=Andrews |first=Edmund L. |date=1 January 2002 |title=Germans Say Goodbye to the Mark, a Symbol of Strength and Unity |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/01/world/germans-say-goodbye-to-the-mark-a-symbol-of-strength-and-unity.html |access-date=18 March 2011}}</ref> Despite [[Protectionism|protectionist]] policies over certain industries, particularly in agriculture, France has generally played a leading role in fostering free trade and commercial integration in Europe to enhance its economy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France - Finance |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/France |access-date=28 August 2021 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Taylor Martin |first=Susan |date=28 December 1998 |title=On Jan.&nbsp;1, out of many arises one Euro |page=National, 1.A |work=[[St. Petersburg Times]]}}</ref> In 2019, it ranked first in Europe and 13th in the world in [[Foreign Direct Investment|foreign direct investment]], with European countries and the United States being leading sources.<ref name="FDI">[https://www.ey.com/en_gl/attractiveness/20/how-can-europe-reset-the-investment-agenda-now-to-rebuild-its-future How can Europe reset the investment agenda now to rebuild its future?], [[Ernst&Young|EY]], 28 May 2020</ref> According to the [[Bank of France]], the leading recipients of FDI were manufacturing, real estate, finance and insurance.<ref name="lloydsbanktrade.com">{{Cite web |title=Foreign direct investment (FDI) in France - Investing - International Trade Portal International Trade Portal |url=https://www.lloydsbanktrade.com/en/market-potential/france/investment |access-date=28 August 2021 |website=lloydsbanktrade.com}}</ref> The [[Île-de-France|Paris region]] has the highest concentration of multinational firms in Europe.<ref name="lloydsbanktrade.com" />

Under the doctrine of [[Dirigiste|''Dirigisme'']], the government historically played a major role in the economy; policies such as [[indicative planning]] and [[Nationalization|nationalisation]] are credited for contributing to three decades of unprecedented postwar economic growth known as ''[[Trente Glorieuses]]''. At its peak in 1982, the public sector accounted for one-fifth of industrial employment and over four-fifths of the credit market. Beginning in the late 20th century, France loosened regulations and state involvement in the economy, with most leading companies now being privately owned; state ownership now dominates only transportation, defence and broadcasting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France - Economy |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/France |access-date=28 August 2021 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}</ref> Policies aimed at promoting economic dynamism and privatisation have improved France's economic standing globally: it is among the world's 10 most [[Innovation|innovative]] countries in the 2020 [[Bloomberg Innovation Index]],<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/these-are-the-10-most-innovative-countries-bloomberg-says-2020-1?IR=T These are the world's most innovative countries], [[Business Insider]]</ref> and the 15th most competitive, according to the 2019 [[Global Competitiveness Report#2019 rankings|Global Competitiveness Report]] (up two places from 2018).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2019 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2019.pdf}}</ref>

According to the IMF, France ranked [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|30th in GDP per capita]], with roughly $45,000 per inhabitant. It placed 23rd on the [[Human Development Index]], indicating very high human development. [[Public corruption]] is among the lowest in the world, with France consistently ranking among the 30 least corrupt countries since the [[Corruption Perceptions Index]] began in 2012; it placed 22nd in 2021, up one place from the previous year.<ref name="HDIFR">{{Cite web |date=January 2018 |title=Human Development Index 2018 Statistical Update |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/2018-update |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20180918035109/http://www.hdr.undp.org/en/2018-update |archive-date=18 September 2018 |access-date=10 July 2019 |website=hdr.undp.org |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 Executive summary p. 2 |url=https://www.transparency.org/files/content/pages/CPI_2018_Executive_Summary_EN.pdf |access-date=10 July 2019 |website=transparency.org |publisher=[[Transparency International]]}}</ref> France is Europe's second-largest spender in [[research and development]], at over 2 percent of GDP; globally, it ranks 12th.<ref>[http://uis.unesco.org/apps/visualisations/research-and-development-spending How does your country invest in R&D ?], [[UNESCO Institute for Statistics]] (retrieved on 27 September 2020)</ref>

Financial services, banking, and insurance are important part of the economy. [[AXA]] is the world's second-largest insurance company by total nonbanking assets in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World's Largest Insurers — 2022 Edition: China Insurers, US Health Writers Show Gains in AM Best's Ranking |url=https://news.ambest.com/articlecontent.aspx?refnum=316701 |access-date=10 February 2022 |website=news.ambest.com}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ambest.com/review/displaychart.aspx?Record_Code=274407 World's largest insurers – Total non banking assets, 2019], [[AM Best]], 2019</ref> As of 2011, the three largest [[cooperative banking|financial institutions cooperatively owned by their customers]] were French: [[Crédit Agricole]], [[Groupe Caisse d'Épargne|Groupe Caisse D'Epargne]], and [[Groupe Caisse d'Épargne|Groupe Caisse D'Epargne]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gould |first=Charles |title=Global300 Report 2010, International Co-operative Alliance. The world's major co-operatives and mutual businesses |url=https://www.ica.coop/sites/default/files/basic-page-attachments/global300-report-2011-1757377405.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813153010/https://www.ica.coop/sites/default/files/basic-page-attachments/global300-report-2011-1757377405.pdf |archive-date=13 August 2021 |access-date=29 November 2018 |website=ica.coop}}</ref> According to a 2020 report by [[S&P Global Market Intelligence|S&P Global Market Intelligenc]], France's leading banks, [[BNP Paribas]] and [[Crédit Agricole]], are among the world's 10 largest bank by assets, with [[Société Générale]] and [[Groupe BPCE]] ranking 17th and 19th globally, respectively.<ref name="SP">{{Cite web |last=Ali |first=Zarmina |date=7 April 2020 |title=The world's 100 largest banks |url=https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/the-world-s-100-largest-banks-2020-57854079 |access-date=23 June 2020 |publisher=Standard & Poor}}</ref>

The Paris stock exchange ({{Lang-fr|links=no|La Bourse de Paris}}) is one of the oldest in the world, created by [[Louis XV]] in 1724.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Audrey Vautherot |date=19 November 2007 |title=La Bourse de Paris : une institution depuis 1724 |trans-title=The Paris Stock Exchange: an institution since 1724 |url=http://www.gralon.net/articles/economie-et-finance/bourse/article-la-bourse-de-paris---une-institution-depuis-1724-981.htm |website=Gralon |language=fr}}</ref> In 2000, it merged with counterparts in Amsterdam and Brussels to form [[Euronext]],<ref name="banque">{{Cite web |last=Embassy of France |title=Embassy of France in Washington: Economy of France |url=http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article511 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009235442/http://ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article511 |archive-date=9 October 2011 |access-date=16 July 2011 |publisher=Ambafrance-us.org}}</ref> which in 2007 merged with the [[New York stock exchange]] to form [[NYSE Euronext]], the world's largest stock exchange.<ref name="banque" /> [[Euronext Paris]], the French branch of NYSE Euronext, is Europe's second-largest stock exchange market, behind the [[London Stock Exchange]].

=== Agriculture ===
[[File:Verzenay moulin.jpg|thumb|left|[[Champagne wine region|Champagne vineyards]] in [[Verzenay]] in the Montagne de Reims subregion]]France has historically been one of the world's major agricultural centres and remains a "global agricultural powerhouse".<ref name="agriculture">{{Cite web |title=France&nbsp;– Agriculture |url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/France-AGRICULTURE.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104104316/http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/France-AGRICULTURE.html |archive-date=4 January 2011 |website=Nations Encyclopedia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Country Memo - France |url=https://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/france/memo/ |website=globalEDGE}}</ref> Nicknamed "the granary of the old continent",<ref>{{Cite web |title=Topic: Agriculture in France |url=https://www.statista.com/topics/6215/agriculture-in-france/ |access-date=13 January 2022 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref> over half its total land area is [[Agricultural land|farmland]], of which 45 percent is devoted to permanent field crops such as cereals. The country's diverse climate, extensive arable land, modern farming technology, and [[Common agricultural policy|EU subsidies]] have made it Europe's leading agricultural producer and exporter;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Key figures of the French economy |url=http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france_159/economy_6815/overview-of-the-french-economy_6831/key-figures-of-the-french-economy_1402.html#sommaire_1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114024542/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france_159/economy_6815/overview-of-the-french-economy_6831/key-figures-of-the-french-economy_1402.html |archive-date=14 January 2010 |website=France Diplomatie |publisher=[[Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)|French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs]] |quote=France is the world's fifth largest exporter of goods (mainly durables). The country ranks fourth in services and third in agriculture (especially in cereals and the agri-food sector). It is the leading producer and exporter of farm products in Europe.}}</ref> it accounts for one-fifth of the EU's agricultural production, including over one-third of its [[Vegetable oil|oilseeds]], cereals, and wine.<ref name="ministère">{{Cite web |title=A Panorama of the agriculture and agri-food industries |url=http://agriculture.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/panorama_agriculture_ed2008EN.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921021111/http://agriculture.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/panorama_agriculture_ed2008EN.pdf |archive-date=21 September 2010 |access-date=8 August 2010 |publisher=Ministère de l'Alimentation, de l'Agriculture et de la Pêche}}</ref> As of 2017, France ranked first in Europe in beef and cereals; second in dairy and aquaculture; and third in poultry, fruits, vegetables, and manufactured chocolate products.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Infographics - France's rankings for agricultural and agrifood production |url=https://agriculture.gouv.fr/infographics-frances-rankings-agricultural-and-agrifood-production |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=agriculture.gouv.fr |language=fr}}</ref> France has the EU's largest [[Cattle|cattle herd]], at 18-19 million.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=Infographics - Farming France |url=https://agriculture.gouv.fr/infographics-farming-france |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=agriculture.gouv.fr |language=fr}}</ref>

France is the world's sixth-biggest exporter of agricultural products, generating a trade surplus of over €7.4 billion.<ref name=":6" /> Its primary agricultural exports are wheat, poultry, dairy, beef, pork, and internationally recognised brands, particularly beverages.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Farming France{{!}}Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |url=https://www.fao.org/country-showcase/item-detail/en/c/1278517/ |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=fao.org}}</ref> France is the fifth largest grower of wheat, after China, India, Russia, and the United States, all of which are significantly larger.<ref name=":7" /> It is the world's top exporter of natural spring water, flax, malt, and potatoes.<ref name=":6" /> In 2020, France exported over €61 billion in agricultural products, compared to €37 billion in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agri-food industry: total export value France 2020 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1142909/exports-value-france-by-destination-marker/ |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Les enjeux des industries agroalimentaires françaises |trans-title=The stakes of the French agri-food industries |url=http://panorama-iaa.alimentation.gouv.fr/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229143438/http://panorama-iaa.alimentation.gouv.fr/ |archive-date=29 December 2011 |publisher=Panorama des Industries Agroalimentaires |language=fr}}</ref>

France was an [[French wine|early centre of viviculture]], dating back to at least the sixth century BCE. It is the world's second-largest producer of wine, with many varieties enjoying global renown, such as [[Champagne]] and [[Bordeaux wine|Bordeaux]];<ref name=":6" /> domestic consumption is also high, particularly of [[Rosé]]. [[List of French rums|France produces rum]] primarily from overseas territories such as [[Martinique]], Guadeloupe and [[La Réunion]].

Relative to other developed countries, agriculture is an important sector of France's economy: 3.8% of the active population is employed in agriculture, whereas the total agri-food industry made up 4.2% of the French GDP in 2005.<ref name="ministère" /> France remains the largest recipient of EU agricultural subsidies, receiving an annual average of €8 billion from 2007 to 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 April 2009 |title=Annex 1: Indicative Figures on the Distribution of Aid, by Size-Class of Aid, Received in the Context of Direct Aid Paid to the Producers According to Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 (Financial Year 2007) |url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/fin/directaid/2007/annex1_en.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430163204/http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/fin/directaid/2007/annex1_en.pdf |archive-date=30 April 2011 |access-date=7 October 2010 |publisher=European Commission}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=24 November 2021 |title=EU agriculture statistics: subsidies, jobs, production (infographic) {{!}} News {{!}} European Parliament |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20211118STO17609/eu-agriculture-statistics-subsidies-jobs-production-infographic |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=europarl.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{Main|Tourism in France}}
{{Multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| caption_align     = center
| image1            = Paris_vue_d'ensemble_tour_Eiffel.jpg
| caption1          = The [[Eiffel Tower]] is the world's most-visited paid monument, an icon of both Paris and France
| image2            = Hafen_von_Nizza.jpg
| caption2          = [[Nice]] on the [[French Riviera]]
| image3            = Mont-Saint-Michel vu du ciel.jpg
| caption3          = [[Mont-Saint-Michel]] and [[Mont-Saint-Michel Bay|its bay]] were listed as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Sites]] in 1979
}}

With 89&nbsp;million international tourist arrivals in 2018,<ref name="tourism.stat">{{Cite book |url=https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284421152 |title=UNWTO Tourism Highlights |publisher=United Nations World Tourism Organization |year=2019 |isbn=978-92-844-2114-5 |edition=2019 |page=9 |doi=10.18111/9789284421152 |s2cid=240665765}}</ref> France is the world's [[World Tourism rankings|top tourist destination]], ahead of Spain (83&nbsp;million) and the United States (80&nbsp;million). However, it ranks third in tourism-derived income due to the shorter duration of visits.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dilorenzo |first=Sarah |date=18 July 2013 |title=France learns to speak 'touriste' |agency=Associated Press |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/france-learns-speak-touriste-0 |url-status=dead |access-date=20 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822043825/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/france-learns-speak-touriste-0 |archive-date=22 August 2013}}</ref> The most popular tourist sites include (annual visitors): [[Eiffel Tower]] (6.2&nbsp;million), [[Palace of Versailles|Château de Versailles]] (2.8&nbsp;million), [[National Museum of Natural History (France)|Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle]] (2&nbsp;million), [[Pont du Gard]] (1.5&nbsp;million), [[Arc de Triomphe]] (1.2&nbsp;million), [[Mont Saint-Michel]] (1&nbsp;million), [[Sainte-Chapelle]] (683,000), [[Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg]] (549,000), [[Puy de Dôme]] (500,000), [[Musée Picasso]] (441,000), and [[Carcassonne]] (362,000).<ref>{{Cite web |year=2003 |title=Fréquentation des musées et des bâtiments historiques |trans-title=Frequentation of museums and historic buildings |url=http://www2.culture.gouv.fr/deps/mini_chiff_03/fr/musee.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224180811/http://www2.culture.gouv.fr/deps/mini_chiff_03/fr/musee.htm |archive-date=24 December 2007 |language=fr}}</ref>

France, especially Paris, has some of the world's largest and most renowned museums, including the [[Louvre]], which is the [[List of most visited art museums in the world|most visited art museum in the world]] (5.7&nbsp;million), the [[Musée d'Orsay]] (2.1&nbsp;million), mostly devoted to [[Impressionism]], the [[Musée de l'Orangerie]] (1.02&nbsp;million), which is home to eight large [[Water Lilies (Monet series)|Water Lily]] murals by [[Claude Monet]], as well as the [[Centre Georges Pompidou]] (1.2&nbsp;million), dedicated to [[contemporary art]]. [[Disneyland Paris]] is Europe's most popular theme park, with 15&nbsp;million combined visitors to the resort's [[Disneyland Park (Paris)|Disneyland Park]] and [[Walt Disney Studios Park]] in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2009 |editor-last=Judith Rubin |title=TEA/AECOM Attraction Attendance Report for 2009 |url=http://www.themeit.com/etea/2009report.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602032710/http://www.themeit.com/etea/2009report.pdf |archive-date=2 June 2010 |access-date=7 October 2010 |publisher=Themed Entertainment Association}}</ref>

With more than 10 million tourists a year, the [[French Riviera]] (French: ''Côte d'Azur''), in Southeast France, is the second leading tourist destination in the country, after the [[Île-de-France|Paris region]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The French Riviera Tourist Board |url=http://www.frenchriviera-tourism.com/regional-tourism-organization/the-french-riviera-tourist-board-06_191.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425152011/http://www.frenchriviera-tourism.com/regional-tourism-organization/the-french-riviera-tourist-board-06_191.html |archive-date=25 April 2011 |access-date=23 January 2011 |website=CÔTE D'AZUR}}</ref> It benefits from 300 days of sunshine per year, {{Convert|115|km}} of coastline and beaches, 18 golf courses, 14 ski resorts and 3,000 restaurants.<ref name="CAEDA" />{{Rp|31}} Each year the ''Côte d'Azur'' hosts 50% of the world's [[Luxury yacht|superyacht]] fleet.<ref name="CAEDA">{{Cite web |title=Présentation de la Côte d'Azur |trans-title=Presentation of the French Riviera |url=http://www.crdp-nice.net/dp/IMG/pdf/Kit_Info_Cote_d_Azur_FR_Version_sept_07.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704173303/http://www.crdp-nice.net/dp/IMG/pdf/Kit_Info_Cote_d_Azur_FR_Version_sept_07.pdf |archive-date=4 July 2010 |publisher=Côte d'Azur Economic Development Agency |language=fr}}</ref>{{Rp|66}}

With 6 million tourists a year, the [[Châteaux of the Loire Valley|castles of the Loire Valley]] (French: ''châteaux'') and the [[Loire Valley]] itself are the third leading tourist destination in France;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Foucher |title=Tourism: The Loire Valley, an intoxicating destination for visitors |language=fr |work=TourMaG.com, 1er journal des professionnels du tourisme francophone |url=https://www.tourmag.com/Tourism-The-Loire-Valley-an-intoxicating-destination-for-visitors_a67875.html |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=12 July 2017 |title=Chateaux deluxe: 5 best Loire Valley castles |publisher=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/loire-valley-castles/index.html |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref> this [[World Heritage Site]] is noteworthy for its architectural heritage, in its historic towns but in particular its castles, such as the [[Château]]x d'[[Château d'Amboise|Amboise]], de [[Château de Chambord|Chambord]], d'[[Château d'Ussé|Ussé]], de [[Château de Villandry|Villandry]], [[Château de Chenonceau|Chenonceau]] and [[Château de Montsoreau|Montsoreau]]. The [[Château de Chantilly]], [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] and [[Vaux-le-Vicomte]], all three located near Paris, are also visitor attractions.

France has 37 sites inscribed in [[List of World Heritage Sites in France|UNESCO's World Heritage List]] and features cities of high cultural interest, beaches and seaside resorts, ski resorts, as well as rural regions that many enjoy for their beauty and tranquillity ([[Ecotourism|green tourism]]). Small and picturesque French villages are promoted through the association ''[[Les Plus Beaux Villages de France]]'' (literally "The Most Beautiful Villages of France"). The "[[Remarkable Gardens of France|Remarkable Gardens]]" label is a list of the over 200 gardens classified by the [[Ministry of Culture (France)|Ministry of Culture]]. This label is intended to protect and promote remarkable gardens and parks. France attracts many religious [[Christian pilgrimage|pilgrims]] on their [[Way of St. James|way to St. James]], or to [[Lourdes]], a town in the [[Hautes-Pyrénées]] that hosts several million visitors a year.

===Energy===
{{Further|Energy in France}}
[[File:Centrale EDF de Belleville-FR-18-a05.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Nuclear power plant in Cattenom, France four large cooling towers expelling white water vapour against a blue sky|[[Belleville Nuclear Power Plant]]. France derives most of its electricity from [[Nuclear power in France|nuclear power]], the highest percentage in the world. ]]
France is the world's tenth-largest producer of electricity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BP Statistical Review of World Energy July 2021". |url=https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/xlsx/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2021-all-data.xlsx}}</ref> [[Électricité de France]] (EDF), which is majority-owned by the French government, is the country's main producer and distributor of electricity, and one of the world's largest [[Electric utility|electric utility companies]], ranking third in revenue globally.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 March 2019 |title=The ten biggest power companies in 2018 |url=https://www.power-technology.com/features/top-10-power-companies-in-the-world/ |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=Power Technology |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2018, EDF produced around one-fifth of the [[European Union]]'s electricity, primarily from [[nuclear power]].<ref>[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Electricity_production,_consumption_and_market_overview#:~:text=Germany%20had%20the%20highest%20level,with%20a%20double%2Ddigit%20share. Electricity production, consumption and market overview], [[Eurostat]]</ref> As of 2021, France was the biggest energy exporter in Europe, mostly to the U.K. and Italy,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Nuclear Power in France {{!}} French Nuclear Energy - World Nuclear Association |url=https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/france.aspx |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=world-nuclear.org}}</ref> and the largest net exporter of electricity in the world.<ref name=":3" />

Since the [[1973 oil crisis]], France has pursued a strong policy of [[energy security]],<ref name=":3" /> namely through [[Nuclear power in France|heavy investment in nuclear energy]]. It is one of 32 countries with [[nuclear power plant]]s, ranking second in the world by the [[Nuclear power by country|number of operational nuclear reactors]], at 56.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PRIS - Miscellaneous reports - Nuclear Share |url=https://pris.iaea.org/PRIS/WorldStatistics/NuclearShareofElectricityGeneration.aspx |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=pris.iaea.org}}</ref> Consequently, 70% of France's electricity is generated by nuclear power, the highest proportion in the world by a wide margin;<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2017 |title=Nuclear share figures, 2006–2016 |url=http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Facts-and-Figures/Nuclear-generation-by-country/ |access-date=8 January 2018 |publisher=World Nuclear Association |archive-date=1 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001103413/http://world-nuclear.org/info/Facts-and-Figures/Nuclear-generation-by-country/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> only Slovakia and Ukraine derive a majority of electricity from nuclear power, at roughly 53% and 51%, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France |url=https://www.iaea.org/pris/CountryStatistics/CountryDetails.aspx?current=FR |access-date=8 January 2018 |website=IAEA {{!}} PRIS Power Reactor Information System |publisher=International Atomic Energy Agency}}</ref> France is considered a world leader in nuclear technology, with reactors and fuel products being major exports.<ref name=":3" />

Due to its overwhelming reliance on nuclear power, [[Renewable energy|renewable energies]] have seen relatively little growth compared to other Western countries. Nevertheless, between 2008 and 2019, France's production capacity from renewable energies rose consistently and nearly doubled.<ref name=":5" /> [[Hydropower]] is by far the leading source, accounting for over half the country's renewable energy sources<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=France |url=https://www.hydropower.org/country-profiles/france |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=hydropower.org |language=en}}</ref> and contributing 13% of its electricity,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Topic: Hydropower in France |url=https://www.statista.com/topics/6308/hydropower-in-france/ |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref> the highest proportion in Europe after Norway and Turkey.<ref name=":4" /> As with nuclear power, most hydroelectric plants, such as [[Eguzon dam|Eguzon]], [[Étang de Soulcem]], and [[Lac de Vouglans]], are managed by EDF.<ref name=":4" /> France aims to further expand hydropower into 2040.<ref name=":5" />

France made minimal but measurable investments in other renewable energy sources. Due to its geography and extensive agricultural land, it has the second-largest wind energy potential in Europe, and by 2017 had ranked eighth globally in installed wind capacity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France |url=http://www.wind-energy-the-facts.org/france.html |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=wind-energy-the-facts.org}}</ref> In terms of solar power, France ranked seventh in the world in 2015 for solar photovoltaic installation capacity.<ref>[http://www.iea-pvps.org/fileadmin/dam/public/report/statistics/IEA-PVPS_-__A_Snapshot_of_Global_PV_-_1992-2015_-_Final.pdf Snapshot of Global Photovoltaic Markets, IEA PVPS, '''p. 14''']"</ref> As of 2019, solar power sources generated over 10,570 megawatts of electricity, compared to a little over 1,000 megawatts in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France Distributed Solar Power Generation Market {{!}} 2022 - 27 {{!}} Industry Share, Size, Growth - Mordor Intelligence |url=https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/france-distributed-solar-power-generation-market-industry |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=mordorintelligence.com |language=en}}</ref>

Because France derives the vast majority of its power from nuclear and renewable sources, close to half its primary energy (48.5%) is derived from low-carbon sources, compared to 26.4% in Europe and 15.7% in the world as a whole.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Share of primary energy from low-carbon sources |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/low-carbon-share-energy |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=Our World in Data}}</ref> France is also the smallest emitter of [[Greenhouse gas|carbon dioxide]] among the G7.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2010 |title=Greenhouse Gas Emissions |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/air_co2_emissions.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310190132/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/air_co2_emissions.htm |archive-date=10 March 2010 |access-date=8 January 2017 |website=Environmental Indicators |publisher=United Nations}}
♦ Archived: 10 March 2010
♦ Archived: 11 July 2017</ref>

===Transport===
{{Main|Transport in France}}
[[File:Creissels_et_Viaduct_de_Millau.jpg|thumb|[[Millau Viaduct]] is the [[List of tallest bridges|tallest bridge in the world]].<ref name=structurae>{{Structurae|access-date=12 September 2018}}</ref>]]
[[File:SNCF TGV Duplex Viaduc de Cize - Bolozon.jpg|thumb|A [[TGV Duplex]] crossing the [[Cize–Bolozon viaduct]]. The train can reach a maximum speed of {{Convert|360|km/h}}.]]
France's [[Rail transport in France|railway network]], which stretches {{Convert|29473|km|mi|0}} as of 2008,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chiffres clés du transport Édition 2010 |url=http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/Chiffres_transport-pdf.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601124351/http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/Chiffres_transport-pdf.pdf |archive-date=1 June 2010 |access-date=7 October 2010 |publisher=[[Ministry of Ecology|Ministère de l'Écologie, de l'Énergie, du Développement Durable et de la Mer]] |language=fr}}</ref> is the second most extensive in Western Europe after [[Rail transport in Germany|Germany]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Country comparison :: railways |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2121rank.html?countryName=France&countryCode=fr&regionCode=eu&rank=9#fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215524/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2121rank.html?countryName=France&countryCode=fr&regionCode=eu&rank=9#fr |archive-date=4 October 2013 |access-date=30 July 2010 |website=The World Factbook |publisher=CIA}}</ref> It is operated by the [[SNCF]], and high-speed trains include the [[Thalys]], the [[Eurostar]] and [[TGV]], which travels at {{Convert|320|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TGV&nbsp;– The French High-speed Train Service |url=http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/A711785 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716194231/http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/A711785 |archive-date=16 July 2012 |access-date=21 July 2011 |website=h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition}}</ref> The Eurostar, along with the [[Eurotunnel Shuttle]], connects with the United Kingdom through the [[Channel Tunnel]]. Rail connections exist to all other neighbouring countries in Europe except Andorra. Intra-urban connections are also well developed, with most major cities having [[Rapid transit|underground]] or tramway services complementing bus services.

There are approximately {{Convert|1027183|km|mi|0}} of serviceable roadway in France, ranking it the most extensive network of the European continent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Country comparison :: roadways |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2085rank.html?countryName=France&countryCode=fr&regionCode=eu&rank=7#fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513121037/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2085rank.html?countryName=France&countryCode=fr&regionCode=eu&rank=7#fr |archive-date=13 May 2012 |access-date=29 July 2010 |website=The World Factbook |publisher=CIA}}</ref> The Paris region is enveloped with the densest network of roads and highways, which connect it with virtually all parts of the country. French roads also handle substantial international traffic, connecting with cities in neighbouring Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Andorra and Monaco. There is no annual registration fee or [[road tax]]; however, usage of the mostly privately owned motorways is through tolls except in the vicinity of large communes. The new car market is dominated by domestic brands such as [[Renault]], [[Peugeot]] and [[Citroën]].<ref>{{In lang|fr}} L'automobile magazine, hors-série 2003/2004 page 294</ref> France possesses the [[Millau Viaduct]], the world's tallest bridge,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bockman |first=Chris |date=4 November 2003 |title=France builds world's tallest bridge |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3237329.stm |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> and has built many important bridges such as the [[Pont de Normandie]]. [[Diesel fuel|Diesel]] and [[gasoline]]-fuelled cars and lorries cause a large part of the country's [[air pollution]] and [[greenhouse gas emissions]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Damiani |first=Anne |date=15 April 2021 |title=First lockdown in France improved air quality, avoided thousands of deaths |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/air-pollution/news/first-lockdown-in-france-improved-air-quality-avoided-thousands-of-deaths/ |access-date=2 June 2021 |website=euractiv.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Yeung |first=Peter |title=How France is testing free public transport |url=https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210519-how-france-is-testing-free-public-transport |access-date=2 June 2021 |website=bbc.com |language=en}}</ref>

There are 464 [[List of airports in France|airports]] in France.<ref name=France/> [[Charles de Gaulle Airport]], located in the vicinity of Paris, is the largest and busiest airport in the country, handling the vast majority of popular and commercial traffic and connecting Paris with virtually all major cities across the world. [[Air France]] is the national carrier airline, although numerous private airline companies provide domestic and international travel services. There are ten major ports in France, the largest of which is in [[Marseille]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 April 2008 |title=Strikes block French ports |url=http://www.bdpinternational.com/news/StrikesblockFrenchports.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517035156/http://www.bdpinternational.com/news/StrikesblockFrenchports.asp |archive-date=17 May 2008 |publisher=The Journal of Commerce Online |via=BDP International}}</ref> which also is the largest bordering the Mediterranean Sea.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 June 2009 |title=Marseille : un grand port maritime qui ne demande qu'à se montrer |trans-title=Marseille: a grand seaport just waiting to show |url=http://www.laprovence.com/article/region/marseille-un-grand-port-maritime-qui-ne-demande-qua-se-montrer |website=La Provence |language=fr |access-date=30 July 2010 |archive-date=14 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114060851/http://www.laprovence.com/article/region/marseille-un-grand-port-maritime-qui-ne-demande-qua-se-montrer |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Convert|12261|km|mi|0}} of waterways traverse France including the [[Canal du Midi]], which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean through the [[Garonne]] river.<ref name=France/>

===Science and technology===
{{Main|Science and technology in France|List of French inventions and discoveries}}
[[File:Ariane_5_with_James_Webb_Space_Telescope_Prelaunch_(51773093465).jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Ariane 5 rocket|France is in 2020 the biggest national financial contributor to the [[European Space Agency]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Funding |url=https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/Funding |website=esa.int}}</ref> which conceived the [[Ariane (rocket family)|Ariane rocket family]], launched from [[Guiana Space Centre|French Guiana]] ([[Ariane 5]] pictured).]]
Since the [[Middle Ages]], France has been a major contributor to scientific and technological achievement. In the early 11th century, the French-born [[Pope Sylvester II]] reintroduced the [[abacus]] and [[armillary sphere]] and introduced [[Arabic numerals]] and [[clock]]s to much of Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=William Godwin |year=1876 |title=Lives of the Necromancers |url=https://archive.org/details/livesnecromance04godwgoog |page=232}}</ref> The [[University of Paris]], founded in the mid-12th century, is still one of the most important academic institutions in the Western world.<ref>André Thuilier, Histoire de l'université de Paris et de la Sorbonne, Paris, Nouvelle librairie de France, 1994</ref> In the 17th century, mathematician [[René Descartes]] pioneered [[Rationalism|rationalism as a method for acquiring scientific knowledge]], while [[Blaise Pascal]] became famous for his work on [[probability]] and [[fluid mechanics]]; both were key figures of the [[Scientific Revolution]], which blossomed in Europe during this period. The [[French Academy of Sciences]], founded in the mid-17th century by [[Louis XIV]] to encourage and protect French [[Scientific method|scientific research]], was one of the earliest [[Academy of sciences|national scientific institutions]] in history; it was at the forefront of scientific developments in Europe for the next two centuries.

The [[Age of Enlightenment]] was marked by the work of biologist [[Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon|Buffon]], one of the first naturalists to recognise [[ecological succession]], and chemist [[Antoine Lavoisier|Lavoisier]], who discovered the role of [[oxygen]] in [[combustion]]. [[Denis Diderot|Diderot]] and [[Jean le Rond d'Alembert|D'Alembert]] published the ''[[Encyclopédie]]'', which aimed to give the public access to "useful knowledge" that could be applied to everyday life.<ref>Burke, Peter, A social history of knowledge: from Gutenberg to Diderot, Malden: Blackwell Publishers Inc., 2000, p. 17</ref> The [[Industrial Revolution]] of the 19th century saw spectacular scientific developments in France, with [[Augustin Fresnel]] founding modern [[optics]], [[Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot|Sadi Carnot]] laying the foundations of [[thermodynamics]], and [[Louis Pasteur]] pioneering [[microbiology]]. Other eminent French scientists of the period have their [[List of the 72 names on the Eiffel Tower|names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower]].

Famous French scientists of the 20th century include the mathematician and physicist [[Henri Poincaré]]; physicists [[Henri Becquerel]], [[Pierre Curie|Pierre]] and [[Marie Curie]], who remain famous for their work on [[radioactivity]]; physicist [[Paul Langevin]]; and virologist [[Luc Montagnier]], co-discoverer of [[HIV AIDS]]. [[Hand transplantation]] was developed in [[Lyon, France|Lyon]] in 1998 by an international team that included [[Jean-Michel Dubernard]], who afterward performed the first successful double hand transplant.<ref name="dubernard1">{{Cite journal |last1=Lanzetta M |last2=Petruzzo P |last3=Dubernard JM |last4=Margreiter |first4=Raimund |last5=Schuind |first5=Frederic |last6=Breidenbach |first6=Warren |last7=Nolli |first7=Roberta |last8=Schneeberger |first8=Stephan |last9=Van Holder |first9=Carlo |display-authors=3 |date=July 2007 |title=Second report (1998–2006) of the International Registry of Hand and Composite Tissue Transplantation |journal=Transpl Immunol. |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.1016/j.trim.2007.03.002 |pmid=17584595}}</ref> [[Remote surgery|Telesurgery]] was [[Lindbergh operation|first performed]] by French surgeons led by [[Jacques Marescaux]] on 7 September 2001 across the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="istmarescaux">{{Cite web |last=Ghodoussi |first=Dr. |title=Media Collection |url=http://www.intersurgtech.com/media.html |access-date=14 November 2011 |publisher=Interface Surgical Technologies, LLC}}</ref> A [[face transplant]] was first done on 27 November 2005 by Dr [[Bernard Devauchelle]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Austin |first=Naomi |date=17 October 2006 |title=My face transplant saved me |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6058696.stm |access-date=25 November 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=30 November 2005 |title=Woman has first face transplant |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4484728.stm}}</ref>

France was the [[Force de dissuasion|fourth country to achieve nuclear capability]]<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Pascal Boniface |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JWF7eftCUQwC&pg=PT120 |title=Le monde nucléaire: Arme nucléaire et relations internationales depuis 1945 |last2=Barthélémy Courmont |date=22 November 2006 |publisher=Armand Colin |isbn=978-2-200-35687-3 |pages=120–}}</ref> and has the [[List of states with nuclear weapons|third largest nuclear weapons arsenal]] in the world;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Status of World Nuclear Forces |url=https://fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618103342/http://fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/ |archive-date=18 June 2015 |website=Federation Of American Scientists}}</ref> it is also a leader in [[Nuclear power in France|civilian nuclear technology]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Study France's Nuclear-Power Success |url=http://www.theledger.com/article/20080814/COLUMNISTS/808140356 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522133650/http://www.theledger.com/article/20080814/COLUMNISTS/808140356 |archive-date=22 May 2015 |website=TheLedger.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Stanford Journal of International Relations, "The French Connection: Comparing French and American Civilian Nuclear Energy Programs" |url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/sjir/pdf/Nuclear_11.2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522131703/https://web.stanford.edu/group/sjir/pdf/Nuclear_11.2.pdf |archive-date=22 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 March 2014 |title=Countries Generating The Most Nuclear Energy&nbsp;– Business Insider |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-generating-the-most-nuclear-energy-2014-3?op=1&IR=T |website=Business Insider}}</ref> France was the third nation, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to launch its [[Diamant|space satellite]] and the first to establish a commercial [[launch service provider]], [[Arianespace]]. The French [[List of government space agencies|national space programme]], [[CNES]], is the third oldest in the world, and the oldest, largest, and most active in Europe. France is a founding member of the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA), contributing over a quarter of its budget, the most of any member state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Funding |url=https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/Funding |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=esa.int |language=en}}</ref> ESA is headquartered in Paris, has its principal spaceport in French Guiana, and utilises the French-made [[Ariane 5]] as its primary launch vehicle.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Muriel Gargaud |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oEq1y9GIcr0C&pg=PA322 |title=Encyclopedia of Astrobiology |last2=Ricardo Amils |last3=Henderson James Cleaves |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |year=2011 |isbn=978-3-642-11271-3 |pages=322–}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=France |url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/the-space-economy-at-a-glance-2011/france_9789264113565-22-en;jsessionid=pgi7a3cfp7p2.x-oecd-live-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004165922/http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/the-space-economy-at-a-glance-2011/france_9789264113565-22-en%3Bjsessionid%3Dpgi7a3cfp7p2.x-oecd-live-03 |archive-date=4 October 2015 |website=oecd-ilibrary.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development |title=France at the heart of the Rosetta space mission: a unique technological challenge |url=http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy-1/scientific-diplomacy/events-7867/article/france-at-the-heart-of-the-rosetta |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522152217/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy-1/scientific-diplomacy/events-7867/article/france-at-the-heart-of-the-rosetta |archive-date=22 May 2015 |publisher=France Diplomatie}}</ref> [[Airbus]], a leading aerospace company and the world's largest airline manufacturer, was formed partly from the French company, [[Aérospatiale]]; its main commercial airline business is conducted through its French division, Airbus S.A.S.

[[File:ESRF img 0852.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Top view of the ring of European Synchrotron Radiation Facility|The [[European Synchrotron Radiation Facility]] in [[Grenoble]]]]France also hosts major international research facilities, including the [[European Synchrotron Radiation Facility]], the [[Institut Laue–Langevin]], and [[Minatec]], Europe's leading [[nanotechnology]] research centre. It is also a major member of [[CERN]], which operates the largest [[particle physics]] laboratory in the world and is its third largest contributor. France pioneered and hosts [[ITER]], an international effort to develop nuclear fusion energy, which is the world's biggest megaproject.

The [[TGV]], developed by France's national railway company, the [[SNCF]], is a high-speed train that holds a series of [[Land speed record for railed vehicles|world speed records]]; in 2007, it became the fastest commercial wheeled train, achieving a speed of {{Convert|574.8|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite news |title=French set new rail speed record |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6521295.stm}}</ref> As of 2021, it is the third-fastest train in the world, surpassed only by [[maglev]] models that utilise magnetic levitation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wallach |first=Omri |date=8 October 2021 |title=Visualizing the Fastest Trains in the World |url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-fastest-trains-in-the-world/ |access-date=5 February 2022 |website=Visual Capitalist |language=en-US}}</ref> Western Europe is now serviced by a network of TGV lines.

The ''[[French National Centre for Scientific Research|Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique]]'' (CNRS), the state research agency, is the largest research institute in Europe and among the most prominent internationally; according to the [[Nature Index|2020 Nature Index]], it ranks fourth in the share of articles published in scientific journals worldwide,<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 tables: Institutions {{!}} 2020 tables {{!}} Institutions {{!}} Nature Index |url=https://www.natureindex.com/annual-tables/2020/institution/all/all |access-date=11 January 2021 |website=natureindex.com |archive-date=5 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305183253/https://www.natureindex.com/annual-tables/2020/institution/all/all |url-status=dead }}</ref> with France as a whole having the sixth-highest share.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 tables: Countries/territories {{!}} 2020 tables {{!}} Countries/territories {{!}} Nature Index |url=https://www.natureindex.com/annual-tables/2020/country/all |access-date=11 January 2021 |website=natureindex.com |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125185920/https://www.natureindex.com/annual-tables/2020/country/all |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As of 2022, France ranks fourth in the number of Nobel laureates, with [[List of Nobel laureates by country|70 French]] people having been awarded a Nobel Prize.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Nobel Prizes |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/lists/all/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103203731/http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/lists/all/ |archive-date=3 November 2013 |access-date=10 October 2012}}</ref> Twelve French mathematicians have received a [[Fields Medal]], considered the most prestigious award in the field, making up one-fifth of total recipients,<ref>{{Cite web |title=List of Fields Medallists |url=http://www.mathunion.org/general/prizes/fields/prizewinners/ |access-date=10 October 2012 |publisher=International Mathematical Union}}</ref> and second only to the United States.

France ranked 12th in the 2022 [[Global Innovation Index]], compared to 12th in 2020 and 16th in 2019.<ref>{{Cite book |last=WIPO |title=Global Innovation Index 2022, 15th Edition |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2022/index.html |access-date=2022-11-16 |website=www.wipo.int |series=Global Innovation Index |year=2022 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |doi=10.34667/tind.46596 |isbn=9789280534320 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Innovation Index 2019 |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html |access-date=2 September 2021 |website=wipo.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=RTD - Item |url=https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/rtd/items/691898 |access-date=2 September 2021 |website=ec.europa.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 October 2013 |title=Global Innovation Index |url=https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930 |access-date=2 September 2021 |website=INSEAD Knowledge |language=en |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101622/https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of France}}

[[File:Population density in France.png|upright=1.2|thumb|Population density in France by [[Arrondissements of France|arrondissement]]]]

With an estimated January 2023 population of 68,042,591 people,<ref name=pop_est/> France is the [[List of countries by population#Sovereign states and dependencies by population|20th most populous country in the world]], the third-most populous in Europe (after [[Russia]] and [[Germany]]), and the second most populous in the [[European Union]] (after Germany).

France is an outlier among developed countries, particularly in Europe, for its relatively high rate of [[natural population growth]]: By birth rates alone, it was responsible for almost all natural population growth in the European Union in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bilan démographique 2006: un excédent naturel record |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1280882#titre-bloc-4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708232900/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1280882#titre-bloc-4 |archive-date=8 July 2017 |access-date=22 January 2017 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> Between 2006 and 2016, France saw the second-highest overall increase in population in the EU and was one of only four EU countries where natural births accounted for the most population growth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=People in the EU – statistics on demographic changes – Statistics Explained |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/People_in_the_EU_-_statistics_on_demographic_changes |access-date=21 August 2019 |publisher=European Commission}}</ref> This was the highest rate since the end of the [[baby boom]] in 1973 and coincides with the rise of the [[total fertility rate]] from a nadir of 1.7 in 1994 to 2.0 in 2010.

{{As of|January 2021}}, the fertility rate declined slightly to 1.84 children per woman, below the [[replacement rate]] of 2.1, and considerably below the high of 4.41 in 1800.<ref>{{Citation |last=Max Roser |title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FRA |work=[[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]] |year=2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708151649/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=FRA |access-date=7 May 2019 |archive-date=8 July 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bilan démographique 2016 |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2554860 |access-date=19 January 2017 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref name="population">{{Cite web |title=Bilan démographique 2020 |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/5012724 |access-date=19 January 2021 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tableau 44&nbsp;– Taux de fécondité générale par âge de la mère |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/irweb/sd2008/dd/excel/sd2008_t44_fe.xls |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427013815/http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/irweb/sd2008/dd/excel/sd2008_t44_fe.xls |archive-date=27 April 2011 |access-date=20 January 2011 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> France's fertility rate and crude birth rate nonetheless remain among the highest in the EU. However, like many developed nations, the French [[Population ageing|population is aging]]; the average age is 41.7 years, while about a fifth of French people is 65 or over.<ref>{{Citation |title=World Factbook EUROPE : FRANCE |date=4 February 2021 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/france/ |work=[[The World Factbook]]}}</ref> The [[List of countries by life expectancy|average life expectancy]] at birth is 82.7 years, the 12th highest in the world.

From 2006 to 2011, population growth averaged 0.6 percent per year;<ref name="evol">{{Cite web |title=Évolution générale de la situation démographique, France |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=bilan-demo&page=donnees-detaillees/bilan-demo/pop_age3.htm#evol-gen-sit-demo-fe |access-date=20 January 2011 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> since 2011, annual growth has been between 0.4 and 0.5 percent annually.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WDI – Home |url=http://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/ |access-date=27 August 2019 |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> Immigrants are major contributors to this trend; in 2010, 27 percent of newborns in metropolitan France had at least one [[Immigration to France#Immigration per region|foreign-born]] parent and another 24 percent had at least one parent born outside Europe (excluding French overseas territories).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Naissances selon le pays de naissance des parents 2010 |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?ref_id=ir-sd20101 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927161644/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?ref_id=ir-sd20101 |archive-date=27 September 2013 |publisher=Insee}}</ref>

===Ethnic groups===
{{Main|French people}}
[[File:Map_of_the_French_Diaspora_in_the_World.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|Map of the [[French diaspora]] around the world]]
Most [[French people]] are of [[Celtic peoples|Celtic]]-[[Gauls|Gallic]] origin, with a significant admixture of [[Italic peoples|Italic]] ([[Roman Empire|Romans]]) and [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] ([[Franks]]) groups reflecting centuries of respective migration and settlement.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jean-Louis Brunaux |title=Nos ancêtres les Gaulois |date=2008 |editor-last=Seuil |page=261 |trans-title=Our ancestors the Gauls}}</ref> Through the course of the [[Middle Ages]], France incorporated various neighbouring ethnic and linguistic groups, as evidenced by [[Bretons|Breton]] elements in the west, [[Aquitani]]an in the southwest, [[Scandinavian people|Scandinavian]] in the northwest, [[Alemanni]]c in the northeast, and [[Ligures|Ligurian]] in the southeast.

Large-scale immigration over the last century and a half have led to a more multicultural society; beginning with the French Revolution, and further codified in the [[French Constitution|French Constitution of 1958]], the government is prohibited from collecting data on ethnicity and ancestry; most demographic information is drawn from private sector organisations or academic institutions. In 2004, the ''Institut Montaign''e estimated that within Metropolitan France, 51&nbsp;million people were White (85% of the population), 6&nbsp;million were Northwest African (10%), 2&nbsp;million were Black (3.3%), and 1&nbsp;million were Asian (1.7%).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Yazid Sabeg |url=http://www.conventioncitoyenne.com/documents/oubliesdelegalite.pdf |title=Les oubliés de l'égalité des chances |last2=Laurence Méhaignerie |date=January 2004 |publisher=[[Institut Montaigne]] |language=fr |trans-title=The forgotten of equal opportunities |author-link=Yazid Sabeg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 March 2009 |title=France's ethnic minorities: To count or not to count |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |url=https://www.economist.com/node/13377324 |access-date=25 April 2013}}</ref>

A 2008 poll conducted jointly by [[INED]] and [[INSEE|the French National Institute of Statistics]]<ref>{{Cite web |year=2008 |title='Trajectories and Origins' Survey |url=http://teo_english.site.ined.fr/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202054910/http://teo_english.site.ined.fr/ |archive-date=2 December 2011 |publisher=Ined}}</ref><ref name="Oppenheimer">{{Cite journal |last=Oppenheimer |first=David B. |year=2008 |title=Why France needs to collect data on racial identity...in a French way |journal=Hastings International and Comparative Law Review |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=735–752 |ssrn=1236362}}</ref> estimated that the largest ancestry groups were [[Italians in France|Italian]] (5 million), followed by [[Northwest African]] (3-6 million),<ref name="Cohen1995">{{Cite book |last=Robin Cohen |url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgesurveyo00robi |title=The Cambridge Survey of World Migration |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-521-44405-7 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 November 2009 |title=France's crisis of national identity |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/frances-crisis-of-national-identity-1826942.html}}</ref><ref>"Les personnes d'origine maghrébine y sont également au nombre de 5 à 6 millions; 3,5 millions ont la nationalité française (don't 500 000 harkis)", Évelyne Perrin, ''Identité Nationale, Amer Ministère'', L'Harmattan, 2010, p. 112 {{ISBN|978-2-296-10839-4}}</ref> [[Afro-French|Sub-Saharan African]] (2.5&nbsp;million), Armenian (500,000), and Turkish (200,000).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Falila Gbadamassi |title=Les personnes originaires d'Afrique, des Dom-Tom et de la Turquie sont 5,5 millions dans l'Hexagone |url=http://www.afrik.com/article16248.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002085632/http://www.afrik.com/article16248.html |archive-date=2 October 2013 |publisher=Afrik.com}}</ref> There are also sizeable minorities of other [[European ethnic groups]], namely [[Spaniards|Spanish]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], [[Polish people|Polish]], and [[Greeks|Greek]].<ref name="Cohen1995" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Richburg |first=Keith B. |date=24 April 2005 |title=Europe's Minority Politicians in Short Supply |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12396-2005Apr23.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sachs |first=Susan |date=12 January 2007 |title=In officially colorblind France, blacks have a dream&nbsp;– and now a lobby |work=The Christian Science Monitor |location=Boston |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0112/p01s04-woeu.html}}</ref> France has a significant [[Romani people in France|Gitan (Romani)]] population, numbering between 20,000 and 400,000;<ref>{{Cite web |title=National strategy for Roma integration – European Commission – DG Justiceunknown label |url=http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/roma-integration/france/national-strategy/national_en.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306140020/http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/roma-integration/france/national-strategy/national_en.htm |archive-date=6 March 2016}}</ref> many foreign [[Romani people|Roma]] are [[Deportation of Roma migrants from France|expelled back to Bulgaria and Romania frequently.]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Astier |first=Henri |date=13 February 2014 |title=France's unwanted Roma |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25419423 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

=== Immigration ===
It is currently estimated that 40% of the French population is descended at least partially from the different waves of immigration since the early 20th century;<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 November 2005 |title=Paris Riots in Perspective |work=ABC News |location=New York |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=1280843}}</ref> between 1921 and 1935 alone, about 1.1&nbsp;million net immigrants came to France.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hassell |first=James E. |title=Russian Refugees in France and the United States Between the World Wars |date=1991 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |isbn=978-0-87169-817-9 |series=Transactions of the American Philosophical Society |volume=81/7 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=uUsLAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA22 22] |chapter=III. French Government and the Refugees}}</ref> The next largest wave came in the 1960s when around 1.6&nbsp;million ''[[pieds noirs]]'' returned to France following the independence of its Northwest African possessions, Algeria and Morocco.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Markham |first=James M. |date=6 April 1988 |title=For Pieds-Noirs, the Anger Endures |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFDE1539F935A35757C0A96E948260}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Migration and development co-operation |date=1994 |isbn=978-92-871-2611-5 |editor-last=Raimondo Cagiano De Azevedo |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=N8VHizsqaH0C&pg=PA25 25]}}</ref> They were joined by numerous former colonial subjects from North and West Africa, as well as numerous European immigrants from Spain and Portugal.
[[File:Calais2015a.jpg|thumb|The [[Calais Jungle]] was a [[refugee]] and [[Economic migrant|illegal migrant]] encampment in the vicinity of [[Calais]], France, that existed from January 2015 to October 2016.]]

France remains a major destination for immigrants, accepting about 200,000 legal immigrants annually.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 November 2010 |title=Flux d'immigration par continent d'origine |trans-title=Immigration flow by continent of origin |url=https://www.ined.fr/fr/tout-savoir-population/chiffres/france/flux-immigration/annee-continent/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523053018/http://www.ined.fr/fr/pop_chiffres/france/flux_immigration/depuis_1994/ |archive-date=23 May 2012 |website=Ined |language=fr}}</ref> In 2005, it was Western Europe's leading recipient of [[refugee|asylum]] seekers, with an estimated 50,000 applications (albeit a 15% decrease from 2004).<ref name="UNHCR">{{Cite book |title=UNHCR Global Report 2005 |publisher=[[UNHCR]] |chapter=Western Europe |access-date=14 December 2006 |chapter-url=http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/4492677f0.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614025835/http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/4492677f0.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010, France received about 48,100 asylum applications—placing it among the top five asylum recipients in the world<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kalt |first1=Anne |last2=Hossain |first2=Mazeda |last3=Kiss |first3=Ligia |last4=Zimmerman |first4=Cathy |date=March 2013 |title=Asylum Seekers, Violence and Health: A Systematic Review of Research in High-Income Host Countries |journal=American Journal of Public Health |volume=103 |issue=3 |pages=e30–e42 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2012.301136 |issn=0090-0036 |pmc=3673512 |pmid=23327250}}</ref> and in subsequent years it saw the number of applications increase, ultimately doubling to 100,412 in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2017 |title=aida – Asylum Information Database – Country Report: France |url=https://www.asylumineurope.org/sites/default/files/report-download/aida_fr_2017update.pdf}}</ref> The European Union allows free movement between the member states, although France established controls to curb [[Eastern European]] migration,{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}} and immigration remains a contentious political issue.

In 2008, the [[INSEE]] (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies) estimated that the total number of foreign-born immigrants was around 5&nbsp;million (8% of the population), while their French-born descendants numbered 6.5&nbsp;million, or 11% of the population. Thus, nearly a fifth of the country's population were either first or second-generation immigrants, of which more than 5&nbsp;million were of European origin and 4&nbsp;million of [[Maghrebis|Maghrebi]] ancestry.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Catherine Borrel |last2=Bertrand Lhommeau |date=30 March 2010 |title=Être né en France d'un parent immigré |trans-title=To be born in France of an immigrant parent |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=ip1287 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203052501/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=ip1287 |archive-date=3 February 2012 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref name="Insee_1">{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=Répartition des immigrés par pays de naissance |trans-title=Distribution of immigrants by country of birth |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=immigrespaysnais |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026174732/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=immigrespaysnais |archive-date=26 October 2011 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref name="INSEE1">{{Cite web |last=Catherine Borrel |date=August 2006 |title=Enquêtes annuelles de recensement 2004 et 2005 |trans-title=Annual census surveys 2004 and 2005 |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/ipweb/ip1098/ip1098.html#encadre1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212212050/http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/ipweb/ip1098/ip1098.html |archive-date=12 December 2006 |access-date=14 December 2006 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> In 2008, France granted [[citizenship]] to 137,000 persons, mostly from Morocco, Algeria and Turkey.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Swalec |first=Andrea |date=6 July 2010 |title=Turks and Moroccans top list of new EU citizens |work=Reuters |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-49921620100706 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112223503/http://in.reuters.com/article/2010/07/06/idINIndia-49921620100706 |archive-date=12 January 2012}}</ref>

In 2014, the INSEE reported a significant increase in the number of immigrants coming from Spain, Portugal and Italy between 2009 and 2012. According to the French Institute, this increase resulted from the financial crisis that hit several European countries in that period.<ref name="sudouest.fr">{{Cite news |date=2 December 2014 |title=Qui sont les nouveaux immigrés qui vivent en France? |language=fr |trans-title=Who are the new immigrants living in France? |work=SudOuest |url=http://www.sudouest.fr/2014/11/28/qui-sont-les-nouveaux-immigres-qui-vivent-en-france-1751452-705.php}}</ref> Statistics on Spanish immigrants in France show a growth of 107 percent between 2009 and 2012, with the population growing from 5,300 to 11,000.<ref name="sudouest.fr" /> Of the total of 229,000 foreigners who were in France in 2012, nearly 8% were Portuguese, 5% British, 5% Spanish, 4% Italian, 4% German, 3% Romanian, and 3% Belgian.<ref name="sudouest.fr" />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center; width: 540px"
|+ Number of immigrants{{Efn-ur|INSEE definition: an immigrant is a person born in a foreign country not having French citizenship at birth. Note that an immigrant may have acquired French citizenship since moving to France, but is still considered an immigrant in French statistics. On the other hand, persons born in France with foreign citizenship (the children of immigrants) are not listed as immigrants. Changes in immigrant numbers result from: arrivals of new immigrants - (departures + deaths in France).}} living in France by region of birth
! UN SDG region
! 2019 census
! 2009 census
! Growth
|-
| Northern Africa and Western Asia
| 2,425,200
| 1,983,600
| +22.3%
|-
| Europe
| 2,297,400
| 2,076,200
| +10.7%
|-
| Sub-Saharan Africa
| 1,123,800
| 667,500
| +68.4%
|-
| Eastern and South-Eastern Asia
| 311,400
| 293,100
| +6.2%
|-
| Latin America and the Caribbean
| 307,650
| 233,900
| +31.5%
|-
| Central and Southern Asia
| 205,600
| 120,100
| +71.2%
|-
| Northern America
| 54,600
| 51,600
| +5.8%
|-
| Australia, NZ, and Oceania
| 7,950
| 6,700
| +18.7%
|-
|-
! Total
! 6,733,600
! 5,432,700
! +23.9%
|-
| Colspan=4 style="text-align: left" | {{Small|Sources: INSEE census figures,<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[INSEE]] |title=Immigrés par pays de naissance détaillé - Recensement de la population 2019 |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6478089?sommaire=6478362 |access-date=2022-08-14}}</ref> UN SDG regions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs]] |title=The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 - Regional groupings |url=https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2019/regional-groups |access-date=2022-08-14}}</ref>}}
{{Small|Note: Figures for 2019 refer to [[Metropolitan France]] and the 5 [[Overseas departments and regions of France|overseas regions]] ([[Mayotte]] included). Figures for 2009 do not include Mayotte. The [[overseas collectivity|overseas collectivities]] in the Pacific Ocean are included neither in 2009 nor in 2019.}}
|}

===Major cities===
{{See also|Functional area (France)|Urban unit}}
France is a highly urbanised country, with its [[List of cities in France over 20,000 population (1999 census)|largest cities]] (in terms of [[Functional area (France)|metropolitan area]] population in 2019<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population municipale 2019 - France par aire d'attraction des villes - Tableau |url=https://statistiques-locales.insee.fr/#c=indicator&i=pop_legales.popmun&s=2019&t=A01&view=map13 |access-date=2022-08-11 |website=Insee}}</ref>) being Paris (13,114,718 inh.), [[Lyon]] (2,280,845), [[Marseille]] (1,873,270), [[Lille]] (1,510,079), [[Toulouse]] (1,454,158), [[Bordeaux]] (1,363,711), [[Nantes]] (1,011,020), [[Strasbourg]] (853,110), [[Montpellier]] (801,595), and [[Rennes]] (755,668). (Note: since its 2020 revision of metropolitan area borders, [[INSEE]] considers that [[Nice]] is a metropolitan area separate from the [[Cannes]]-[[Antibes]] metropolitan area; these two combined would have a population of 1,008,296, as of the 2019 census). [[Rural flight]] was a perennial political issue throughout most of the 20th century.
{{Largest metropolitan areas of France}}

===Language===
{{Main|French language|Languages of France|Organisation internationale de la Francophonie}}
[[File:New-Map-Francophone World.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|alt=world map of French speaking countries|Map of the [[List of territorial entities where French is an official language|Francophone]] world:
{{Legend|#0c5eb1|Native language}}
{{Legend|#0080ff|Administrative language}}
{{Legend|#9fceff|Secondary or non-official language}}
{{Legend|#00ff00|Francophone minorities}}]]
The official language of France is French,<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20110604145028/http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/html/constitution/constitution2.htm La Constitution- La Constitution du 4 Octobre 1958]&nbsp;– Légifrance.</ref> a [[Romance language]] derived from [[Latin]]. Since 1635, the [[Académie française]] has been France's official authority on the French language, although its recommendations carry no legal weight. There are also regional languages spoken in France, such as [[Occitan language|Occitan]], [[Breton language|Breton]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[French Flemish|Flemish]] ([[Dutch language|Dutch]] dialect), [[Alsatian dialect|Alsatian]] (German dialect), [[Basque language|Basque]], and [[Corsican language|Corsican]] (Italian dialect). Italian was the official language of Corsica until 9 May 1859.<ref>Abalain, Hervé, (2007) ''Le français et les langues historiques de la France'', Éditions Jean-Paul Gisserot, p. 113.</ref>

The Government of France does not regulate the choice of language in publications by individuals, but the use of French is required by law in commercial and workplace communications. In addition to mandating the use of French in the territory of the Republic, the French government tries to promote French in the European Union and globally through institutions such as the [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]]. The perceived threat from [[anglicisation]] has prompted efforts to safeguard the position of the French language in France. Besides French, there exist 77 vernacular minority languages of France, eight spoken in French metropolitan territory and 69 in the French [[Overseas departments and territories of France|overseas territories]].

From the 17th to the mid-20th century, French served as the pre-eminent international language of diplomacy and international affairs as well as a [[lingua franca]] among the educated classes of Europe.<ref name="exception">Joffre Agnes [http://www.franceinlondon.com/en-Article-335-Is-the-French-obsession-with-cultural-exception-declining-Culture--london-language.html ls the French obsession with "cultural exception" declining?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017023619/http://franceinlondon.com/en-Article-335-Is-the-French-obsession-with-cultural-exception-declining-Culture--london-language.html|date=17 October 2011}}. France in London. 5 October 2008</ref> The dominant position of the French language in international affairs was overtaken by English since the emergence of the United States as a major power.<ref name="Language and Diplomacy"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Language and Diplomacy&nbsp;– Translation and Interpretation |url=http://www.diplomacy.edu/language/Translation/default.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719183516/http://www.diplomacy.edu/language/Translation/default.htm |archive-date=19 July 2011 |access-date=10 September 2010 |publisher=Diplomacy.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Is French Considered the Language of Diplomacy? |url=http://www.legallanguage.com/legal-articles/language-of-diplomacy/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230232848/http://www.legallanguage.com/legal-articles/language-of-diplomacy/ |archive-date=30 December 2010 |access-date=23 January 2011 |publisher=Legallanguage.com}}</ref>

For most of the time in which French served as an international lingua franca, it was not the native language of most Frenchmen: a report in 1794 conducted by [[Henri Grégoire]] found that of the country's 25&nbsp;million people, only three million spoke French natively; the rest spoke one of the country's many regional languages, such as [[Alsatian language|Alsatian]], [[Breton language|Breton]] or [[Occitan language|Occitan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rapport Grégoire an II |url=http://www.languefrancaise.net/dossiers/dossiers.php?id_dossier=66 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405022802/http://www.languefrancaise.net/dossiers/dossiers.php?id_dossier=66 |archive-date=5 April 2008}}</ref> Through the expansion of public education, in which French was the sole language of instruction, as well as other factors such as increased urbanisation and the rise of mass communication, French gradually came to be adopted by virtually the entire population, a process not completed until the 20th century.

As a result of France's extensive [[French colonial empire|colonial ambitions]] between the 17th and 20th centuries, French was introduced to the Americas, Africa, Polynesia, South-East Asia, as well as the [[Caribbean]]. French is the second most studied foreign language in the world after English,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The International Education Site |url=http://www.intstudy.com/articles/practicalfrench.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227075911/http://www.intstudy.com/articles/practicalfrench.htm |archive-date=27 February 2011 |access-date=23 January 2011 |publisher=Intstudy.com}}</ref> and is a lingua franca in some regions, notably in Africa. The legacy of French as a living language outside Europe is mixed: it is nearly extinct in some former French colonies (The Levant, South and Southeast Asia), while creoles and pidgins based on French have emerged in the French departments in the [[West Indies]] and the South Pacific ([[French Polynesia]]). On the other hand, many former French colonies have adopted French as an official language, and the total number of French speakers is increasing, especially in Africa.

It is estimated that between 300&nbsp;million<ref>{{Cite web |title=French: one of the world's main languages |url=http://about-france.com/french/french-language.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160516223437/http://about-france.com/french/french-language.htm |archive-date=16 May 2016 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=About-france.com}}</ref> and 500&nbsp;million<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/francophonie/francophonie.htm Qu'est-ce que la Francophonie ?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623113030/http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/francophonie/francophonie.htm|date=23 June 2011}}&nbsp;– [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]]</ref> people worldwide can speak French, either as a mother tongue or as a second language.

According to the 2007 Adult Education survey, part of a project by the [[European Union]] and carried out in France by the [[INSEE]] and based on a sample of 15,350 persons, French was the native language of 87.2% of the total population, or roughly 55.81&nbsp;million people, followed by Arabic (3.6%, 2.3&nbsp;million), Portuguese (1.5%, 960,000), Spanish (1.2%, 770,000) and Italian (1.0%, 640,000). Native speakers of other languages made up the remaining 5.2% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences |url=https://www.gesis.org/en/missy/metadata/AES/2007/Cross-sectional/original#2007-Cross-sectional-MOTHTONG1 |access-date=24 April 2018 |website=gesis.org}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in France}}
[[File:Reims Cathédrale Notre-Dame 5002 (fixed angles).jpg|thumb|left|180px|alt=Notre-Dame de Reims façade, gothic stone cathedral against blue sky|[[Reims Cathedral|Notre-Dame de Reims]] is the Roman Catholic cathedral where the [[Coronation of the French monarch|Kings of France were crowned]] until 1825.{{Efn-ur|The last ''sacre'' was that of [[Charles X of France|Charles X]], 29 May 1825.}}]]
France is a secular country in which [[freedom of religion]] is a constitutional right. French religious policy is based on the concept of ''[[laïcité]]'', a strict [[separation of church and state]] under which public life is kept completely secular. The exception to this is the region of [[Alsace]] and [[Moselle]] where Lutheranism, Catholicism and Judaism enjoy official status and state funding.

According to a survey held in 2016 by [[Institut Montaigne]] and [[Institut français d'opinion publique]] (IFOP), 51.1% of the total population of France was Christian, 39.6% had no religion ([[atheism]] or agnosticism), 5.6% were [[Muslim]]s, 2.5% were followers of other faiths, and the remaining 0.4% were undecided about their faith.<ref name="2016Montaigne-IFOP">{{Cite web |year=2016 |title=A French Islam is possible |url=http://www.institutmontaigne.org/res/files/publications/a-french-islam-is-possible-report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915201551/http://www.institutmontaigne.org/res/files/publications/a-french-islam-is-possible-report.pdf |archive-date=15 September 2017 |publisher=Institut Montaigne |page=13}}</ref> Estimates of the number of [[Islam in France|Muslims in France]] vary widely. In 2003, the French Ministry of the Interior estimated the total number of people of Muslim background to be between 5 and 6&nbsp;million (8–10%).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jon Henley |date=22 April 2004 |title=France to train imams in 'French Islam' |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/apr/23/france.islam}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=France&nbsp;– International Religious Freedom Report 2005 |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51552.htm |access-date=30 October 2010 |publisher=U.S. State Department}}</ref> The current [[Jews in France|Jewish community in France]] is the largest in Europe and the third largest in the world after Israel and the United States, ranging between 480,000 and 600,000, about 0.8% of the population as of 2016.<ref name="2016Montaigne-IFOP" />

[[Catholicism]] has been the predominant religion in France for more than a millennium, though it is not as actively practised today as it was. Among the 47,000 religious buildings in France, 94% are [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 February 2012 |title=Observatoire du patrimoine religieux |url=http://www.patrimoine-religieux.fr/rubriques/gauche/actualites/actualites-de-la-base-de-donnees |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126171213/http://www.patrimoine-religieux.fr/rubriques/gauche/actualites/actualites-de-la-base-de-donnees |archive-date=26 November 2013 |quote=94% des édifices sont catholiques (dont 50% églises paroissiales, 25% chapelles, 25% édifices appartenant au clergé régulier)}}</ref> During the [[French Revolution]], activists conducted a brutal [[dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution|campaign of de-Christianisation]], ending the Catholic Church as the state religion. In some cases, clergy and churches were attacked, with iconoclasm stripping the churches of statues and ornaments. After alternating between royal and secular republican governments during the 19th century, in 1905 France passed the [[1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State|1905 law on the Separation of the Churches and the State]], which established the principle of ''[[laïcité]]''.<ref name="georgetown2">{{Cite web |title=France |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206213909/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france |archive-date=6 February 2011 |access-date=14 December 2011 |publisher=[[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]]}}</ref>

To this day, the government is prohibited from recognising any specific right to a religious community (except for legacy statutes like those of military chaplains and the [[local law in Alsace-Moselle]]). It recognises religious organisations according to formal legal criteria that do not address religious doctrine. Conversely, religious organisations are expected to refrain from intervening in policymaking.<ref>''Joy of Sects'', Sam Jordison, 2006, p. 166</ref>

Certain groups, such as [[Scientology]], [[Children of God (New Religious Movement)|Children of God]], the [[Unification Church]], or the [[Order of the Solar Temple]] are considered [[cult]]s ("''[[sect]]es''" in French); therefore they do not have the same status as recognised religions in France.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commission d'enquête sur les sectes |url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/rap-enq/r2468.asp |access-date=30 October 2010 |publisher=Assemblee-nationale.fr}}</ref> ''Secte'' is considered a pejorative term in France.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Society2; religion in France; beliefs; secularism (laicité) |url=http://www.understandfrance.org/France/Society2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916220047/http://www.understandfrance.org/France/Society2.html |archive-date=16 September 2009 |access-date=20 September 2009 |publisher=Understandfrance.org}}{{Self-published source|date=June 2016}}</ref>

===Health===
{{Main|Health in France}}
[[File:P1000513_Paris_XIII_Salpetrière_reductwk.JPG|thumb|alt=Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, stone building with slate dome|The [[Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital]], a teaching hospital in Paris, is one of Europe's largest hospitals.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070117112822/http://www.paris-region.com/ard_uk/upload/document/D176.pdf How to conduct European clinical trials from the Paris Region ?] Clinical Trials. Paris. February 2003</ref>]]
The [[Health in France|French health care system]] is one of [[universal health care]] largely financed by government [[national health insurance]]. In its 2000 assessment of world healthcare systems, the [[World Health Organization]] found that France provided the "close to best overall health care" in the world.<ref name="who.int">{{Cite web |date=8 December 2010 |title=World Health Organization Assesses the World's Health Systems |url=https://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/ |access-date=6 January 2012 |publisher=Who.int}}</ref> The French healthcare system was ranked first worldwide by the World Health Organization in 1997.<ref>[http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html The ranking, see spreadsheet details for a whole analysis] photius.com</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Measuring Overall Health System Performance for 191 Countries |url=https://www.who.int/healthinfo/paper30.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805022057/http://www.who.int/healthinfo/paper30.pdf |archive-date=5 August 2011 |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> In 2011, France spent 11.6% of its GDP on health care, or US$4,086 per capita,<ref name="WHO country facts: France">{{Cite web |title=WHO country facts: France |url=https://www.who.int/countries/fra/en/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111212445/http://www.who.int/countries/fra/en/ |archive-date=11 November 2013 |access-date=11 November 2013 |publisher=Who.int}}</ref> a figure much higher than the average spent by countries in Europe but [[Health care compared|less than in the United States]]. Approximately 77% of health expenditures are covered by government-funded agencies.<ref>The World Health Report 2000: WHO</ref>

Care is generally free for people affected by [[chronic disease]]s (''affections de longues durées'') such as cancer, AIDS or [[cystic fibrosis]]. Average life expectancy at birth is 78 years for men and 85 years for women, one of the highest in the European Union and the World.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Espérance de vie, taux de mortalité et taux de mortalité infantile dans le monde |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=98&ref_id=CMPTEF02216 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Evolution de l'espérance de vie à divers âges |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=NATnon02229 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> There are 3.22 physicians for every 1000 inhabitants in France,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nombre de médecins pour 1000 habitants |url=http://www.statistiques-mondiales.com/medecins.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305131215/http://www.statistiques-mondiales.com/medecins.htm |archive-date=5 March 2010 |publisher=Statistiques mondiales |language=fr}}</ref> and average healthcare spending per capita was US$4,719 in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dépenses de santé par habitants |url=http://www.statistiques-mondiales.com/sante.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212061623/http://www.statistiques-mondiales.com/sante.htm |archive-date=12 December 2009 |publisher=Statistiques mondiales |language=fr}}</ref>
{{As of|2007}}, approximately 140,000 inhabitants (0.4%) of France are living with HIV/AIDS.<ref name =France/>

Even if the [[Frenchmen|French]] have the reputation of being one of the thinnest people in developed countries,<ref name="obesity">[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/03/world/europe/03iht-obese.html Even the French are fighting obesity]&nbsp;– ''The New York Times''</ref><ref name="daily">{{Cite web |last=Wahlgren |first=Eric |date=14 November 2009 |title=France's obesity crisis: All those croissants really do add up, after all |url=http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/11/14/frances-obesity-crisis-all-those-croissants-really-do-add-up/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708221117/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/11/14/frances-obesity-crisis-all-those-croissants-really-do-add-up/ |archive-date=8 July 2011 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=Dailyfinance.com}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph">{{Cite news |last=Lambert |first=Victoria |date=8 March 2008 |title=The French children learning to fight obesity |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/3353715/The-French-children-learning-to-fight-obesity.html |url-status=dead |access-date=9 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090730205839/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/3353715/The-French-children-learning-to-fight-obesity.html |archive-date=30 July 2009}}</ref><ref name="bloomberg">[http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/jul2001/nf2001073_981.htm Why So Few French Are Fat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125084124/http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/jul2001/nf2001073_981.htm|date=25 January 2010}}&nbsp;– Bloomberg Businessweek</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The French Diet – Eat, Drink, and be Thin |url=http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/24041/e_diet/the_french_diet___eat_drink_and_be_thin.html |access-date=9 August 2010 |publisher=Streetdirectory.com}}</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|date=September 2021}} France—like other rich countries—faces an increasing and recent epidemic of [[obesity]], due mostly to the replacement in French eating habits of traditional healthy French cuisine by [[junk food]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mimi Spencer |date=7 November 2004 |title=Let them eat cake |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2004/nov/07/foodanddrink.features11 |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref><ref name=obesity/><ref name=daily/><ref name="obesity2">[http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/France-heading-for-US-obesity-levels-says-study France heading for US obesity levels says study]&nbsp;– Food Navigator</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|date=September 2021}} The French obesity rate is still far below that of the United States—currently equal to the American rate in the 1970s—and is still the lowest in Europe.<ref name = daily/><ref name = bloomberg/><ref name = obesity2/> Authorities now regard obesity as one of the main public health issues and fight it fiercely.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 September 2006 |title=New French food guidelines aimed at tackling obesity |url=http://www.nutraingredients.com/Regulation/New-French-food-guidelines-aimed-at-tackling-obesity |access-date=9 August 2010 |publisher=Nutraingredients.com}}</ref> Rates of [[childhood obesity]] are slowing in France while continuing to grow in other countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petah Marian |date=23 May 2008 |title=France urged to get tough on child obesity |url=http://www.just-food.com/analysis/france-urged-to-get-tough-on-child-obesity_id102509.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226205551/http://www.just-food.com/analysis/france-urged-to-get-tough-on-child-obesity_id102509.aspx |archive-date=26 December 2010 |access-date=9 August 2010 |publisher=Just-food.com}}</ref>

===Education===
{{Main|Education in France}}
[[File:École normale supérieure de Paris, 26 January 2013.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The [[École normale supérieure (Paris)|École normale supérieure]] (ENS) in Paris, established in the end of the 18th century, produces more [[Nobel Prize]] laureates [[per capita]] than any other institution in the world.<ref>Tom Clynes, [https://www.nature.com/news/where-nobel-winners-get-their-start-1.20757 Where Nobel winners get their start], [[Nature (journal)|Nature]], 7 October 2016</ref>]]
In 1802, [[Napoleon]] created the [[lycée]], the second and final stage of secondary education that prepares students for higher education studies or a profession.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Lycée |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/352505/lycee |access-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> Nevertheless, [[Jules Ferry]] is considered the father of the French modern school, leading reforms in the late 19th century that established free, secular and compulsory education (currently mandatory until the age of 16).<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.senat.fr/rap/l97-504/l97-5041.html II. L'évolution du contenu de l'obligation scolaire]. Sénat.fr</ref><ref>{{In lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20110605080546/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/site-jeunes/laicite/fiche-dates/fiche-1881-1882/fiche.pdf 1881–1882 : Lois Ferry École publique gratuite, laïque et obligatoire]. Assemblé Nationale</ref>

French education is centralised and divided into three stages: Primary, secondary, and higher education. The [[Programme for International Student Assessment]], coordinated by the [[OECD]], ranked France's education as near the OECD average in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Compare your country - PISA 2018 |url=https://www2.compareyourcountry.org/pisa/country/FRA?lg=en |access-date=4 October 2021 |website=www2.compareyourcountry.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) France report |url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA2018_CN_FRA.pdf |website=oecd}}</ref> France was one of the PISA-participating countries where school children perceived some of the lowest levels of support and feedback from their teachers.<ref name=":2" /> Schoolchildren in France reported greater concern about the disciplinary climate and behaviour in classrooms compared to other [[OECD]] countries.<ref name=":2" />

Primary and secondary education are predominantly public, and run by the [[Ministry of National Education (France)|Ministry of National Education]]. While training and remuneration of teachers and the curriculum are the responsibility of the state centrally, the management of primary and secondary schools is overseen by local authorities. Primary education comprises two phases, nursery school (''école maternelle'') and elementary school (''école élémentaire''). Nursery school aims to stimulate the minds of very young children and promote their socialisation and development of a basic grasp of language and numbers. Around the age of six, children transfer to elementary school, whose primary objectives are learning about writing, arithmetic and citizenship. Secondary education also consists of two phases. The first is delivered through colleges (''collège'') and leads to the national certificate ([[Diplôme national du brevet]]). The second is offered in high schools (''lycée'') and finishes in national exams leading to a baccalaureate (''baccalauréat'', available in professional, technical or general flavours) or certificate of professional competence (''certificat d'aptitude professionelle'').

Higher education is divided between [[Universities in France|public universities]] and the prestigious and selective ''[[Grande école|Grandes écoles]]'', such as [[Sciences Po|Sciences Po Paris]] for Political studies, [[HEC Paris]] for Economics, [[École Polytechnique|Polytechnique]], the [[École des hautes études en sciences sociales]] for Social studies and the [[École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris]] that produce high-profile engineers, or the [[École nationale d'administration]] for careers in the [[Grands corps de l'État|Grands Corps]] of the state. The ''Grandes écoles'' have been criticised for alleged [[elitism]], producing many if not most of France's high-ranking civil servants, CEOs and politicians.<ref name="gécoles">{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.lefigaro.fr/formation/2010/01/08/01015-20100108ARTFIG00525-les-grandes-ecoles-dans-la-tourmente-.php Les grandes écoles dans la tourmente]&nbsp;– [[Le Figaro]]</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of France}}
[[File:Eugène Delacroix - La liberté guidant le peuple.jpg|thumb|[[Eugène Delacroix]]'s ''[[Liberty Leading the People]]'' (1830) portrays the [[July Revolution]] using the stylistic views of [[Romanticism]]. Since Liberty is part of the motto "[[Liberté, égalité, fraternité]]", as the French put it, this painting has become the primary symbol of the French Republic.]]

The creation of the [[Ministry of Culture (France)|Ministry of Culture]] in 1959 helped preserve the cultural heritage of the country and make it available to the public by granting subsidies to artists, promoting French culture in the world, supporting festivals and cultural events, and protecting [[Monument historique|historical monuments]]. The French government also succeeded in maintaining a [[cultural exception]] to defend audiovisual products made in the country.<ref>Geneviève Poujol, and Michael Kelly, "The creation of a Ministry of Culture in France." ''French Cultural Studies'' 2.6 (1991): 251-260.</ref>

France has 1,200 [[List of museums in France|museums]], visited by more than 50&nbsp;million people annually.<ref>Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, "Cultura statistics", [http://www2.culture.gouv.fr/culture/deps/2008/pdf/minichiffrescles2010-en.pdf Key figures]</ref> The most important cultural sites are run by the government, for instance through the public agency [[Centre des monuments nationaux]], which is responsible for approximately 85 historical monuments. The 43,180 buildings protected as historical monuments include mainly residences (many [[List of castles in France|castles]]) and religious buildings ([[List of cathedrals in France|cathedrals]], [[List of basilicas in France|basilicas]], [[Church (building)|churches]]), but also statues, memorials and [[Gardens of France|gardens]]. [[UNESCO]] inscribed 45 sites in [[Table of World Heritage Sites by country|France on the World Heritage List]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in France |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/fr |access-date=9 July 2015 |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref>

===Art===
{{Main|French art}}
[[File:Louvre Museum Wikimedia Commons.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|The [[Louvre|Louvre Museum]], widely recognised as one of the finest [[art museum]]s in the world, was in 2019 both [[List of largest art museums|the largest]] and [[List of most-visited museums|the most-visited museum]].<ref name="ArtNewspaper2019">{{Cite web |date=31 March 2020 |title=Art's Most Popular: here are 2019's most visited shows and museums |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/analysis/art-s-most-popular-here-are-2019-s-most-visited-shows-and-museums |access-date=25 June 2020 |publisher=The Art Newspaper}}</ref> ]]
The origins of French art were very much influenced by [[Flemish art]] and by [[Italian art]] at the time of the [[Renaissance]]. [[Jean Fouquet]], the most famous medieval French painter, is said to have been the first to travel to Italy and experience the Early Renaissance firsthand. The Renaissance painting [[School of Fontainebleau]] was directly inspired by Italian painters such as [[Primaticcio]] and [[Rosso Fiorentino]], who both worked in France. Two of the most famous French artists of the time of the [[Baroque era]], [[Nicolas Poussin]] and [[Claude Lorrain]], lived in Italy. The 17th century was the period when French painting became prominent and individualised itself through classicism. Prime Minister [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert]] founded the [[Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture]] in 1648 under Louis XIV to protect these artists; in 1666 he also created the still-active [[French Academy in Rome]] to have direct relations with Italian artists.

French artists developed the [[rococo]] style in the 18th century, as a more intimate imitation of the old baroque style, the works of the court-endorsed artists [[Antoine Watteau]], [[François Boucher]] and [[Jean-Honoré Fragonard]] being the most representative in the country. The French Revolution brought great changes, as [[Napoleon]] favoured artists of [[Neoclassicism|neoclassic style]] such as [[Jacques-Louis David]] and the highly influential [[Académie des Beaux-Arts]] defined the style known as [[Academism]]. At this time France had become a centre of artistic creation, the first half of the 19th century being dominated by two successive movements, at first [[Romanticism]] with [[Théodore Géricault]] and [[Eugène Delacroix]], then [[Realism (arts)|Realism]] with [[Camille Corot]], [[Gustave Courbet]] and [[Jean-François Millet]], a style that eventually evolved into [[Naturalism (arts)|Naturalism]].

In the second part of the 19th century, France's influence over painting grew, with the development of new styles of painting such as [[Impressionism]] and [[Symbolism (arts)|Symbolism]]. The most famous impressionist painters of the period were [[Camille Pissarro]], [[Édouard Manet]], [[Edgar Degas]], [[Claude Monet]] and [[Auguste Renoir]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guide to Impressionism |url=http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/learn-about-art/guide-to-impressionism/guide-to-impressionism |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=National Gallery}}</ref> The second generation of impressionist-style painters, [[Paul Cézanne]], [[Paul Gauguin]], [[Toulouse-Lautrec]] and [[Georges Seurat]], were also at the avant-garde of artistic evolutions,<ref>{{In lang|fr}} RFI, [http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/063/article_34792.asp Le néo-impressionnisme de Seurat à Paul Klee] 15 March 2005</ref> as well as the [[Fauvism|fauvist]] artists [[Henri Matisse]], [[André Derain]] and [[Maurice de Vlaminck]].<ref>National Gallery of Art (United States), [http://www.nga.gov/feature/artnation/fauve/index.shtm The Fauves (dossier)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105195501/http://www.nga.gov/feature/artnation/fauve/index.shtm|date=5 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{In lang|fr}} RFI, [http://www.rfi.fr/culturefr/articles/098/article_63189.asp Vlaminck, version fauve] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010120345/http://www.rfi.fr/culturefr/articles/098/article_63189.asp|date=10 October 2017}}, 25 February 2008</ref>
[[File:Claude Monet 1899 Nadar crop.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Claude Monet]], founder of the [[Impressionism|Impressionist]] movement]]

At the beginning of the 20th century, Cubism was developed by [[Georges Braque]] and the Spanish painter [[Pablo Picasso]], living in Paris. Other foreign artists also settled and worked in or near Paris, such as [[Vincent van Gogh]], [[Marc Chagall]], [[Amedeo Modigliani]] and [[Wassily Kandinsky]].

There are many art museums in France, the most famous of which being the state-owned [[Louvre|Musée du Louvre]], which collects artwork from the 18th century and earlier. The [[Musée d'Orsay]] was inaugurated in 1986 in the old railway station [[Gare d'Orsay]], in a major reorganisation of national art collections, to gather French paintings from the second part of the 19th century (mainly Impressionism and Fauvism movements).<ref>Musée d'Orsay (official website), History of the museum&nbsp;– [http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/history-of-the-museum/home.html From station to museum]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=31 July 2007 |title=History of the painting collection |url=http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/history-of-the-collections/painting.html |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Musee-orsay.fr}}</ref> It was voted the best museum in the world in 2018.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/best-museums-world-2018-musee-dorsay-paris-911-new-york-tripadvisor-a8525151.html The top 10 museums in the world], [[The Independent]], 6 September 2018</ref>  Modern works are presented in the [[Musée National d'Art Moderne]], which moved in 1976 to the [[Centre Georges Pompidou]]. These three state-owned museums are visited by close to 17&nbsp;million people a year.<ref name="sites">{{In lang|fr}} Ministry of Tourism, [http://www.tourisme.gouv.fr/stat_etudes/memento/2009/sites.pdf Sites touristiques en France] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511093631/http://www.tourisme.gouv.fr/stat_etudes/memento/2009/sites.pdf|date=11 May 2011}} page 2 "Palmarès des 30 premiers sites culturels (entrées comptabilisées)" [Ranking of 30 most visited cultural sites in France]</ref>

Other national museums hosting paintings include the [[Grand Palais]] (1.3&nbsp;million visitors in 2008), but there are also many museums owned by cities, the most visited being the [[Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris]] (0.8&nbsp;million entries in 2008), which hosts contemporary works.<ref name=sites/> Outside Paris, all the large cities have a Museum of Fine Arts with a section dedicated to European and French painting. Some of the finest collections are in [[Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon|Lyon]], [[Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille|Lille]], [[Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen|Rouen]], [[Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon|Dijon]], [[Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes|Rennes]] and [[Museum of Grenoble|Grenoble]].

===Architecture===
{{Main|French architecture}}
[[File:Sainte Chapelle - Upper level 1.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Sainte Chapelle interior showing painted stonework vaulting and stained glass|[[Louis IX of France|Saint Louis]]'s [[Sainte-Chapelle]] represents the French impact on religious architecture.]]
During the Middle Ages, many fortified castles were built by feudal nobles to mark their powers. Some French castles that survived are [[Chinon (castle)|Chinon]], [[Château d'Angers]], the massive [[Château de Vincennes]] and the so-called [[Cathar castles]]. During this era, France had been using [[Romanesque architecture]] like most of Western Europe. Some of the greatest examples of Romanesque churches in France are the [[Basilique de Saint-Sernin, Toulouse|Saint Sernin Basilica]] in [[Toulouse, France|Toulouse]], the largest Romanesque church in Europe,<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 February 1999 |title=Toulouse's Saint Sernin, Largest Romanesque Church in Europe |url=http://www.europeupclose.com/article/toulouses-saint-sernin-largest-romanesque-church-in-europe/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710204930/http://www.europeupclose.com/article/toulouses-saint-sernin-largest-romanesque-church-in-europe/ |archive-date=10 July 2011 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Europeupclose.com}}</ref> and the remains of the [[Cluny Abbey]].

[[Gothic architecture]], originally named ''Opus Francigenum'' meaning "French work",<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brodie |first=Allan M. |title=Oxford Art Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-884446-05-4 |chapter=Opus francigenum |doi=10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t063666 |access-date=13 January 2019 |chapter-url=http://www.oxfordartonline.com/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000063666}}</ref> was born in [[Île-de-France]] and was the first French style of architecture to be copied in all of Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Gothic Period |url=http://www.justfrance.org/france/architecture/001.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718181401/http://www.justfrance.org/france/architecture/001.asp |archive-date=18 July 2011 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Justfrance.org}}</ref> Northern France is the home of some of the most important Gothic cathedrals and basilicas, the first of these being the [[Saint Denis Basilica]] (used as the royal necropolis); other important French Gothic cathedrals are [[Cathedral of Chartres|Notre-Dame de Chartres]] and [[Amiens Cathedral|Notre-Dame d'Amiens]]. The kings were crowned in another important Gothic church: [[Notre-Dame de Reims]].<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.cathedrale-reims.culture.fr/histoire.html Histoire et Architecture]&nbsp;– [http://www.cathedrale-reims.culture.fr Site officiel de la Cathedrale de Notre-Dame de Reims] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717234437/http://www.cathedrale-reims.culture.fr/|date=17 July 2016}}</ref> Aside from churches, Gothic Architecture had been used for many religious palaces, the most important one being the [[Palais des Papes]] in [[Avignon]].

The final victory in the Hundred Years' War marked an important stage in the evolution of French architecture. It was the time of the [[French Renaissance]] and several artists from Italy were invited to the French court; many residential palaces were built in the [[Loire Valley]], from 1450 as a first reference the [[Château de Montsoreau]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Loire |first=Mission Val de |title=Charles VII et Louis XI -Know -Val de Loire patrimoine mondial |url=https://www.valdeloire.org/Connaitre/Au-fil-de-l-histoire/Le-Val-de-Loire-siege-du-pouvoir-royal/Charles-VII-et-Louis-XI |access-date=10 October 2018 |website=loirevalley-worldheritage.org}}</ref> Such residential castles were the [[Château de Chambord]], the [[Château de Chenonceau]], or the [[Château d'Amboise]].

Following the renaissance and the end of the Middle Ages, [[French Baroque architecture|Baroque architecture]] replaced the traditional Gothic style. However, in France, baroque architecture found greater success in the secular domain than in the religious one.<ref>{{In lang|fr}} Claude Lébedel&nbsp;– Les Splendeurs du Baroque en France: ''Histoire et splendeurs du baroque en France'' page 9: "Si en allant plus loin, on prononce les mots 'art baroque en France', on provoque alors le plus souvent une moue interrogative, parfois seulement étonnée, parfois franchement réprobatrice: Mais voyons, l'art baroque n'existe pas en France!"</ref> In the secular domain, the [[Palace of Versailles]] has many baroque features. [[Jules Hardouin Mansart]], who designed the extensions to Versailles, was one of the most influential French architects of the baroque era; he is famous for his dome at [[Les Invalides]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hills |first=Helen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jLmFbEdqBDUC&pg=PA86 |title=Architecture and the Politics of Gender in Early Modern Europe |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7546-0309-2 |page=86}}</ref> Some of the most impressive provincial baroque architecture is found in places that were not yet French such as [[Place Stanislas]] in [[Nancy, France|Nancy]]. On the military architectural side, [[Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban|Vauban]] designed some of the most efficient fortresses in Europe and became an influential military architect; as a result, imitations of his works can be found all over Europe, the Americas, Russia and Turkey.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 2008 |title=Fortifications of Vauban |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1283 |access-date=9 August 2010 |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Official site of the UNESCO |url=https://en.unesco.org/ |access-date=9 August 2010 |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref>

After the Revolution, the [[Republicanism|Republicans]] favoured [[Neoclassicism]] although it was introduced in France before the revolution with such buildings as the [[Panthéon|Parisian Pantheon]] or the [[Capitole de Toulouse]]. Built during the first French Empire, the [[Arc de Triomphe]] and [[Église de la Madeleine|Sainte Marie-Madeleine]] represent the best example of [[Empire style|Empire-style]] architecture.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OtabdzMdbboC&pg=PA48 |title=Paris: City Guide |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-74059-850-7 |page=48}}</ref>
[[File:Bordeaux place de la bourse with tram.JPG|thumb|[[Place de la Bourse]] in [[Bordeaux]], an example of [[French baroque architecture]]]]

Under [[Napoleon III]], a new wave of urbanism and architecture was given birth; extravagant buildings such as the neo-baroque [[Palais Garnier]] were built. The urban planning of the time was very organised and rigorous; most notably, [[Haussmann's renovation of Paris]]. The architecture associated with this era is named [[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire]] in English, the term being taken from the [[Second French Empire]]. At this time there was a strong Gothic resurgence across Europe and in France; the associated architect was [[Eugène Viollet-le-Duc]]. In the late 19th century, [[Gustave Eiffel]] designed many bridges, such as the [[Garabit viaduct]], and remains one of the most influential bridge designers of his time, although he is best remembered for the iconic [[Eiffel Tower]].

In the 20th century, French-Swiss architect [[Le Corbusier]] designed several buildings in France. More recently, French architects have combined both modern and old architectural styles. The [[Louvre Pyramid]] is an example of modern architecture added to an older building. The most difficult buildings to integrate within French cities are skyscrapers, as they are visible from afar. For instance, in Paris, since 1977, new buildings had to be under {{Convert| 37| m}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Henri SECKEL |date=8 July 2008 |title=Urbanisme : Des gratte-ciel à Paris : qu'en pensez-vous &nbsp;– Posez vos questions |url=http://lci.tf1.fr/posez-vos-questions/2008-07/gratte-ciel-paris-pensez-vous-4872555.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029152433/http://lci.tf1.fr/posez-vos-questions/2008-07/gratte-ciel-paris-pensez-vous-4872555.html |archive-date=29 October 2010 |publisher=MYTF1News}}</ref> France's largest financial district is [[La Défense]], where a significant number of skyscrapers are located.<ref>[http://www.groupenci.com/uk/ile-de-france/defense.com-square.html In the heart of the main European Business area] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729154317/http://www.groupenci.com/uk/ile-de-france/defense.com-square.html|date=29 July 2010}}&nbsp;– NCI Business Center</ref> Other massive buildings that are a challenge to integrate into their environment are large bridges; an example of the way this has been done is the [[Millau Viaduct]]. Some famous modern French architects include [[Jean Nouvel]], [[Dominique Perrault]], [[Christian de Portzamparc]] and [[Paul Andreu]].

===Literature===
{{Main|French literature}}
The earliest French literature dates from the [[Middle Age]]s when what is now known as modern France did not have a single, uniform language. There were several languages and dialects, and writers used their own spelling and grammar. Some authors of French medieval texts, such as ''[[Tristan and Iseult]]'' and ''[[Lancelot-Grail]]'' are unknown. Three famous medieval authors are [[Chrétien de Troyes]], [[Christine de Pizan]] ([[Langues d'oïl|langue d'oïl]]), and [[William IX of Aquitaine|Duke William IX of Aquitaine]] ([[Occitan language|langue d'oc]]). Much medieval French poetry and literature was inspired by the legends of the [[Matter of France|Carolingian cycle]], such as ''[[The Song of Roland]]'' and the various [[chansons de geste]]. The ''Roman de Renart'', written in 1175 by Perrout de Saint Cloude, tells the story of the medieval character [[Reynard]] ('the Fox') and is another example of early French writing.

An important 16th-century writer was [[François Rabelais]], who wrote five popular early [[picaresque]] novels. Rabelais was also in regular communication with [[Marguerite de Navarre]], author of the ''[[Heptameron]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Rabelais and Marguerite de Navarre on Sixteenth-Century Views of Clandestine Marriage | first= Cathleen M. |last= Bauschatz | journal = Sixteenth Century Journal | volume = 34 | issue = 2 | pages = 395–408 | date = 2003| doi = 10.2307/20061415 | jstor = 20061415 }}</ref> Another 16th-century author was [[Michel de Montaigne]], whose most famous work, ''[[Essays (Montaigne)|Essais]]'', started a literary genre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montaigne |url=http://www.humanistictexts.org/montaigne.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525201508/http://www.humanistictexts.org/montaigne.htm |archive-date=25 May 2011 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Humanistictexts.org}}</ref>  [[Pierre de Ronsard]] and [[Joachim du Bellay]], were the founders of the [[La Pléiade]] poetic movement.

In 1678, [[Madame de La Fayette]] anonymously published ''[[La Princesse de Clèves]]'', a widely praised [[psychological novel]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 February 2010 |title=La Princesse de Cleves by Madame de Lafayette, adapted by Jo Clifford |url=http://www.radiodramareviews.com/id438.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810091607/http://www.radiodramareviews.com/id438.html |archive-date=10 August 2011 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Radiodramareviews.com}}</ref> [[Jean de La Fontaine]] is a famous 17th century [[fabulist]], who borrowed from [[Aesop]]. Generations of French schoolchildren had to learn his fables by heart, as they were thought to teach [[wisdom]] and [[common sense]]. Some of his verses have entered the popular language to become proverbs.<ref>[[Jean de La Fontaine]], ''Fables'' (1668–1679), I., 21, ''Les Frelons et les Mouches à miel''; reported in Thomas Benfield Harbottle and Philip Hugh Dalbiac, ''Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian)'' (1904), p. 1.</ref>

[[File:French literary figures.jpg|thumb|alt=see description|left|French literary figures. Clockwise from top left: [[Molière]] is the most played author in the [[Comédie-Française]];<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.comedie-francaise.fr/histoire-et-patrimoine?id=525 Auteurs et répertoires] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919234251/http://comedie-francaise.fr/histoire-et-patrimoine?id=525|date=19 September 2010}}&nbsp;– Official site of the Comédie Française</ref> [[Victor Hugo]] is one of the most important French novelist and poet; 19th-century poet, writer and translator [[Charles Baudelaire]]; 20th-century philosopher and novelist [[Jean-Paul Sartre]]]]

[[Jean Racine]], who wrote plays such as ''[[Phèdre]]'' or ''[[Britannicus]]'' using [[French Alexandrine|alexandrine]]s, is considered one of the three great dramatists of France's golden age along with [[Pierre Corneille]] (''[[Le Cid]]'') and [[Molière]], who wrote dozens of plays, including ''[[Le Misanthrope]]'', ''[[L'Avare]]'', ''[[Le Malade imaginaire]]'', and ''[[Le Bourgeois gentilhomme]]''. French is sometimes referred to as "the language of Molière".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Randall |first=Colin |date=25 October 2004 |title=France looks to the law to save the language of Molière |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1475046/France-looks-to-the-law-to-save-the-language-of-Moliere.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=22 July 2011 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1475046/France-looks-to-the-law-to-save-the-language-of-Moliere.html |archive-date=10 January 2022}}{{Cbignore}}</ref>

French literature and poetry flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries. [[Denis Diderot]]'s best-known works are ''[[Jacques the Fatalist]]'' and ''[[Rameau's Nephew]]''. He is best known, however, as the main editor of the ''[[Encyclopédie]]'', whose aim was, to sum up all the knowledge of his century (in fields such as arts, sciences, languages, and philosophy) and to fight ignorance and [[obscurantism]]. During that same century, [[Charles Perrault]] was a prolific writer of children's fairy tales including ''[[Puss in Boots]]'', ''[[Cinderella]]'', ''[[Sleeping Beauty]]'' and ''[[Bluebeard]]''. At the start of the 19th century, [[symbolist poetry]] was an important movement in French literature, with poets such as Charles Baudelaire, [[Paul Verlaine]] and [[Stéphane Mallarmé]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Symbolisme français |url=http://users.skynet.be/litterature/symbolisme/symbolismefrancais.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307192737/http://users.skynet.be/litterature/symbolisme/symbolismefrancais.htm |archive-date=7 March 2018 |access-date=29 July 2010 |website=users.skynet.be}}</ref>

The 19th century saw the writings of many renowned French authors. Victor Hugo is sometimes seen as "the greatest French writer of all time"<ref name="victor">{{Cite web |title=Victor Hugo est le plus grand écrivain français |url=http://www.lecavalierbleu.com/images/30/extrait_75.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723121408/http://www.lecavalierbleu.com/images/30/extrait_75.pdf |archive-date=23 July 2013}}</ref> for excelling in all [[literary genre]]s. The preface of his play ''[[Cromwell (play)|Cromwell]]'' is considered to be the manifesto of the [[Romanticism|Romantic movement]]. ''[[Les Contemplations]]'' and ''[[La Légende des siècles]]'' are considered "poetic masterpieces",<ref name="hugo">{{Cite web |title=Victor Hugo 1802–1885 |url=http://www.enotes.com/victor-hugo-criticism/hugo-victor |access-date=16 July 2011 |publisher=Enotes.com}}</ref> Hugo's verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, [[Dante]] and [[Homer]].<ref name = hugo/> His novel ''[[Les Misérables]]'' is widely seen as one of the greatest novels ever written<ref>{{Cite web |title=All-Time 100 Best Novels List |url=http://www.adherents.com/people/100_novel.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051128235020/http://adherents.com/people/100_novel.html |archive-date=28 November 2005 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Adherents.com}}</ref> and ''[[The Hunchback of Notre-Dame|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' has remained immensely popular. Other major authors of that century include [[Alexandre Dumas]] (''[[The Three Musketeers]]'' and ''[[The Count of Monte-Cristo]]''), [[Jules Verne]] (''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea]]''), [[Émile Zola]] (''[[Les Rougon-Macquart]]''), [[Honoré de Balzac]] (''[[La Comédie humaine]]''), [[Guy de Maupassant]], [[Théophile Gautier]] and [[Stendhal]] (''[[The Red and the Black]]'', ''[[The Charterhouse of Parma]]''), whose works are among the most well known in France and the world.

The [[Prix Goncourt]] is a French literary prize first awarded in 1903.<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.academie-goncourt.fr/?article=1229174089 La première Académie Goncourt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425100025/http://www.academie-goncourt.fr/?article=1229174089|date=25 April 2011}}&nbsp;– [http://www.academie-goncourt.fr Site officiel de l'Académie Goncourt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119231954/http://www.academie-goncourt.fr/|date=19 November 2008}}</ref>

In the early 20th century France was a haven for literary freedom.<ref name="Beat censors" /> Works banned for obscenity in the US, the UK and other Anglophone nations were published in France decades before they were available in the respective authors' home countries.<ref name="Beat censors">{{Cite news |title=Dirty books and literary freedom: The Lady Chatterley publisher who beat the censors |agency=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/25GtYStZ3wsmZHBt6BCP51p/dirty-books-and-literary-freedom-the-lady-chatterley-publisher-who-beat-the-censors |url-status=live |access-date=28 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117185434/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/25GtYStZ3wsmZHBt6BCP51p/dirty-books-and-literary-freedom-the-lady-chatterley-publisher-who-beat-the-censors |archive-date=17 November 2021}}</ref> The innate French regard for the mind meant that France was disinclined to punish literary figures for their writing, and prosecutions were rare.<ref name="Beat censors" /> Important writers of the 20th century include [[Marcel Proust]], [[Louis-Ferdinand Céline]], [[Albert Camus]], and [[Jean-Paul Sartre]]. [[Antoine de Saint Exupéry]] wrote ''[[The Little Prince|Little Prince]]'', which has remained popular for decades.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Little Prince |url=http://www.completelynovel.com/books/50599 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Completelynovel.com |archive-date=30 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930232031/http://www.completelynovel.com/books/50599 |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{As of|2014}}, French authors had more [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Literature Nobel Prizes]] than [[List of Nobel laureates in Literature|those of any other nation]].<ref name="Patrick Modiano">[http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/141009/modiano-strengthens-frances-literature-nobel-dominance Modiano strengthens France's literature Nobel dominance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018105721/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/141009/modiano-strengthens-frances-literature-nobel-dominance|date=18 October 2014}}, [[Global Post]], 9 October 2014</ref> The first Nobel Prize in Literature was for a French author, while France's latest Nobel prize in literature was for [[Patrick Modiano]], who was awarded the prize in 2014.<ref name="Patrick Modiano" /> Jean-Paul Sartre was also the first nominee in the committee's history to refuse the prize in 1964.<ref name="Patrick Modiano" />

===Philosophy===
{{Main|French philosophy}}
Medieval philosophy was dominated by [[Scholasticism]] until the emergence of [[Humanism in France|Humanism]] in the Renaissance. [[Modern philosophy]] began in France in the 17th century with the philosophy of [[René Descartes]], [[Blaise Pascal]] and [[Nicolas Malebranche]]. Descartes was the first [[Western philosophy|Western philosopher]] since ancient times to attempt to build a philosophical system from the ground up rather than building on the work of predecessors.<ref>Russell, Bertrand (2004) [1945]. ''A History of Western Philosophy''. Routledge. p. 511</ref><ref>Kenny, Anthony (2006). ''The Rise of Modern Philosophy: A New History of Western Philosophy, vol. 3''. Oxford University Press. pp. 40</ref> His ''[[Meditations on First Philosophy]]'' changed the primary object of philosophical thought and raised some of the most fundamental problems for foreigners such as [[Spinoza]], [[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz|Leibniz]], [[David Hume|Hume]], [[George Berkeley|Berkeley]], and [[Immanuel Kant|Kant]].
[[File:Frans Hals - Portret van René Descartes.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Frans Hals painting of René Descartes facing right in black coat and white collar|[[René Descartes]], founder of modern [[Western philosophy]]<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rene-Descartes René Descartes], [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]</ref>]]

French philosophers produced some of the most important political works of the [[Age of Enlightenment]]. In ''[[The Spirit of the Laws]]'', [[Baron de Montesquieu]] theorised the principle of [[separation of powers]], which has been implemented in all [[liberal democracy|liberal democracies]] since [[Separation of powers under the United States Constitution|it was first applied in the United States]]. [[Voltaire]] came to embody the Enlightenment with his defence of civil liberties, such as the right to a free trial and freedom of religion.

19th-century French thought was targeted at responding to the social malaise following the French Revolution. Rationalist philosophers such as [[Victor Cousin]] and [[Auguste Comte]], who called for a new social doctrine, were opposed by reactionary thinkers such as [[Joseph de Maistre]], [[Louis de Bonald]] and [[Hugues Felicité Robert de Lamennais|Félicité Robert de Lamennais]], who blamed the rationalist rejection of traditional order. De Maistre, together with the Englishman [[Edmund Burke]], was one of the founders of European conservatism. Comte was the founder of [[positivism]], which [[Émile Durkheim]] reformulated as a basis for social research.

In the 20th century, partly as a reaction to the perceived excesses of positivism, French [[Spiritualism (philosophy)|spiritualism]] thrived with thinkers such as [[Henri Bergson]] and it influenced American [[pragmatism]] and [[Alfred North Whitehead|Whitehead]]'s version of [[process philosophy]]. Meanwhile, French epistemology became a prominent school of thought with [[Jules Henri Poincaré]], [[Gaston Bachelard]], [[Jean Cavaillès]] and [[Jules Vuillemin]]. Influenced by German [[Phenomenology (philosophy)|phenomenology]] and [[existentialism]], the philosophy of [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] gained a strong influence after World War II, and late-20th-century-France became the cradle of [[postmodern philosophy]] with [[Jean-François Lyotard]], [[Jean Baudrillard]], [[Jacques Derrida]] and [[Michel Foucault]].

===Music===
{{Main|Music of France}}
[[File:Claude Debussy atelier Nadar.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Claude Debussy]]]]
France has a long and varied musical history. It experienced a golden age in the 17th century thanks to Louis XIV, who employed many talented musicians and composers in the royal court. The most renowned composers of this period include [[Marc-Antoine Charpentier]], [[François Couperin]], [[Michel-Richard Delalande]], [[Jean-Baptiste Lully]] and [[Marin Marais]], all of them composers at the court. After the death of the "Roi Soleil", French musical creation lost dynamism, but in the next century the music of [[Jean-Philippe Rameau]] reached some prestige, and today he is still one of the most renowned French composers. Rameau became the dominant composer of [[French opera]] and the leading French composer of the harpsichord.<ref>Girdlestone p. 14: "It is customary to couple him with Couperin as one couples Haydn with Mozart or Ravel with Debussy."</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=January 2018}}

French composers played an important role in the music of the 19th and early 20th centuries, which is considered to be the [[Romantic music]] era. Romantic music emphasised a surrender to nature, a fascination with the past and the supernatural, the exploration of unusual, strange and surprising sounds, and a focus on national identity. This period was also a golden age for operas. French composers from the Romantic era included: [[Hector Berlioz]] (best known for his ''[[Symphonie fantastique]]''), [[Georges Bizet]] (best known for ''[[Carmen]]'', which has become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas), [[Gabriel Fauré]] (best known for his ''[[Pavane (Fauré)|Pavane]]'', [[Requiem (Fauré)|''Requiem'']], and ''[[Fauré Nocturnes|nocturnes]]''), [[Charles Gounod]] (best known for his ''[[Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod)|Ave Maria]]'' and his opera ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]''), [[Jacques Offenbach]] (best known for his 100 [[operetta]]s of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera ''[[The Tales of Hoffmann]]''), [[Édouard Lalo]] (best known for his ''[[Symphonie espagnole]]'' for violin and orchestra and his [[Cello Concerto (Lalo)|Cello Concerto in D minor]]), [[Jules Massenet]] (best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty, the most frequently staged are ''[[Manon]]'' (1884) and ''[[Werther]]'' (1892)) and [[Camille Saint-Saëns]] (he has many frequently-performed works, including ''[[The Carnival of the Animals]]'', ''[[Danse macabre (Saint-Saëns)|Danse macabre]]'', ''[[Samson and Delilah (opera)|Samson and Delilah]]'' (Opera), ''[[Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso]]'' and his [[Symphony No. 3 (Saint-Saëns)|Symphony No. 3]]).
[[File:Serge Gainsbourg par Claude Truong-Ngoc 1981.jpg|thumb|alt=head shot of Serge Gainsbourg|[[Serge Gainsbourg]], one of the world's most influential popular musicians]]
[[File:Daftpunklapremiere2010.jpg|thumb|[[Daft Punk]], pioneers of the [[French house]] movement]]

Later came precursors of modern classical music. [[Érik Satie]] was a key member of the early-20th-century Parisian [[avant-garde]], best known for his ''[[Gymnopédies]]''. [[Francis Poulenc]]'s best-known works are his piano suite ''[[Trois mouvements perpétuels]]'' (1919), the ballet ''[[Les biches]]'' (1923), the ''[[Concert champêtre]]'' (1928) for [[harpsichord]] and orchestra, the opera ''[[Dialogues des Carmélites]]'' (1957) and the ''[[Gloria (Poulenc)|Gloria]]'' (1959) for [[soprano]], choir and orchestra. [[Maurice Ravel]] and [[Claude Debussy]] are the most prominent figures associated with [[Impressionist music]]. Debussy was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his use of non-traditional scales and [[chromaticism]] influenced many composers who followed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen Schrott |title=Claude Debussy&nbsp;– Biography&nbsp;– AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/claude-debussy-mn0000768781/biography |website=AllMusic}}</ref> Debussy's music is noted for its sensory content and frequent usage of [[atonality]]. The two composers invented new musical forms<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huizenga |first=Tom |date=14 October 2005 |title=Debussy's 'La Mer' Marks 100th Birthday |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4957580 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=NPR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=12 July 2008 |title=Debussy's Musical Game of Deception |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92338564 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=NPR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography of Claude Debussy |url=http://www.classicfm.co.uk/music/composers/c-g/claude-debussy/ |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Classicfm.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography of Maurice Ravel |url=http://www.classicfm.co.uk/music/composers/n-r/maurice-ravel/ |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Classicfm.co.uk}}</ref> and new sounds. Ravel's piano compositions, such as ''[[Jeux d'eau (Ravel)|Jeux d'eau]]'', ''[[Miroirs]]'', ''[[Le tombeau de Couperin]]'' and ''[[Gaspard de la nuit]]'', demand considerable virtuosity. His mastery of orchestration is evident in the ''[[Rapsodie espagnole]]'', ''[[Daphnis et Chloé]]'', his arrangement of [[Modest Mussorgsky]]'s ''[[Pictures at an Exhibition]]'' and his orchestral work ''[[Boléro]]'' (1928). More recently, in the middle of the 20th century, [[Maurice Ohana]], [[Pierre Schaeffer]] and [[Pierre Boulez]] contributed to the evolution of [[contemporary classical music]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Lloyd |date=24 May 2010 |title=Composer-Conductor Pierre Boulez at 85 |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126668117 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=NPR}}</ref>

French music then followed the rapid emergence of pop and rock music in the middle of the 20th century. Although English-speaking creations achieved popularity in the country, [[French popular music|French pop music]], known as ''[[chanson française]]'', has also remained very popular. Among the most important French artists of the century are [[Édith Piaf]], [[Georges Brassens]], [[Léo Ferré]], [[Charles Aznavour]] and [[Serge Gainsbourg]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 April 2003 |title=100人の偉大なアーティスト&nbsp;- No. 62 |trans-title=The 100 Greatest Artists&nbsp;– No. 62 |url=http://www.hmv.co.jp/news/newsDetail.asp?newsnum=304080038 |website=ローチケHMV [Roachke HMV] |language=ja}}</ref> Although there are very few rock bands in France compared to English-speaking countries,<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 2010 |title=Biography of Noir Désir |url=http://www.rfimusic.com/artist/rock/noir-desir/biography |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430102257/http://www.rfimusic.com/artist/rock/noir-desir/biography |archive-date=30 April 2016 |access-date=11 January 2018 |website=rfi Music |publisher=[[Radio France Internationale|RFI]] Musique |quote=Rock music doesn't come naturally to the French. A Latin country, with more affinity to poetry and melody, France has very rarely produced talented rock musicians. Rock music has other, more Anglo-Saxon ingredients: fury, excess, electricity.}}</ref> bands such as [[Noir Désir]], [[Mano Negra (band)|Mano Negra]], [[Niagara (band)|Niagara]], [[Les Rita Mitsouko]] and more recently [[Superbus (band)|Superbus]], [[Phoenix (band)|Phoenix]] and [[Gojira (band)|Gojira]],<ref name="frmusic">{{Cite web |date=22 June 2009 |title=French music has the whole planet singing |url=http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france_159/culture-and-media_6819/culture_6874/music_5335/french-music-has-the-whole-planet-singing_13031.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222105333/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france_159/culture-and-media_6819/culture_6874/music_5335/french-music-has-the-whole-planet-singing_13031.html |archive-date=22 December 2010 |website=France Diplomatie}}</ref> or [[Shaka Ponk]], have reached worldwide popularity.

Other French artists with international careers have been popular in several countries, most notably female singers [[Dalida]], [[Mireille Mathieu]], [[Mylène Farmer]],<ref name=frmusic/> [[Alizée]] and [[Nolwenn Leroy]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bureau Export&nbsp;– Les certifications export 2012 |url=http://www.irma.asso.fr/IMG/pdf/bureauexport_dossierdepresse_2013_fr.pdf |access-date=7 March 2015 |publisher=IRMA |page=26 |language=fr}}</ref> electronic music pioneers [[Jean-Michel Jarre]], [[Laurent Garnier]] and [[Bob Sinclar]], later [[Martin Solveig]] and [[David Guetta]]. In the 1990s and 2000s (decade), electronic duos [[Daft Punk]], [[Justice (French band)|Justice]] and [[Air (French band)|Air]] also reached worldwide popularity and contributed to the reputation of modern electronic music in the world.<ref name=frmusic/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bernadette McNulty |date=17 November 2007 |title=Daft Punk: Behind the robot masks |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3669339/Daft-Punk-Behind-the-robot-masks.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3669339/Daft-Punk-Behind-the-robot-masks.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |quote=Daft Punk were in many ways responsible for turning the spotlight on a new, cool underground of French music in the late 1990s, including bestselling acts such as Air, and have been a huge influence on the current generation of international star DJs.}}{{Cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Alex Webb |date=20 December 2001 |title=The return of French pop music |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1721450.stm |access-date=22 July 2011}}</ref>

Among current musical events and institutions in France, many are dedicated to classical music and operas. The most prestigious institutions are the state-owned [[Paris National Opera]] (with its two sites [[Palais Garnier]] and [[Opéra Bastille]]), the [[Opéra National de Lyon]], the [[Théâtre du Châtelet]] in Paris, the [[Théâtre du Capitole]] in [[Toulouse]] and the [[Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux]]. As for music festivals, there are several events organised, the most popular being [[Eurockéennes]] (a [[word play]] which sounds in French as "European"), [[Solidays]] and [[Rock en Seine]]. The [[Fête de la Musique]], imitated by many foreign cities, was first launched by the French Government in 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About "Fête de la Musique" |url=http://www.fetedelamusique.culture.fr/site-2010/?page_id=550 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515071351/http://www.fetedelamusique.culture.fr/site-2010/?page_id=550 |archive-date=15 May 2010 |publisher=French Ministry for Culture}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=21 June 2007 |title=Fête de la Musique |url=http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france_159/culture-and-media_6819/culture_6874/music_5335/fete-musique-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118060250/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france_159/culture-and-media_6819/culture_6874/music_5335/fete-musique-21 |archive-date=18 January 2012 |website=France Diplomatie}}</ref> Major music halls and venues in France include [[Le Zénith]] sites present in many cities and other places in Paris ([[Paris Olympia]], [[Théâtre Mogador]], [[Élysée Montmartre]]).

===Cinema===
{{Main|Cinema of France}}
[[File:Palmed'or.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Palme d'Or award in presentation case|A ''[[Palme d'Or]]'' from the [[Cannes Film Festival]], one of the "[[Film festival|Big Three]]" film festivals alongside the [[Venice Film Festival]] and [[Berlin International Film Festival]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dargis |first=Manohla |title=Cannes International Film Festival |work=The New York Times |url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/cannes_international_film_festival/index.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lim |first=Dennis |date=15 May 2012 |title=They'll Always Have Cannes |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/arts/16iht-lim16.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Woolsey |first=Matt |title=In Pictures: Chic Cannes Hideaways |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/05/14/cannes-properties-luxury-forbeslife-cx_mw_0514realestate_slide.html}}</ref>]]

France has historical and strong links with [[Filmmaking|cinema]], with two Frenchmen, Auguste and Louis Lumière (known as the [[Auguste and Louis Lumière|Lumière Brothers]]) credited with creating cinema in 1895.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Larousse |first=Éditions |title=Encyclopédie Larousse en ligne – les frères Lumière |url=http://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/personnage/les_frères_Lumière/130661 |website=larousse.fr}}</ref> The world's first female filmmaker, [[Alice Guy-Blaché]], was also from France.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Dargis, Manohla |author-link=Manohla Dargis |last2=Scott, A.O. |author-link2=A. O. Scott |date=20 September 2018 |title=You Know These 20 Movies. Now Meet the Women Behind Them |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/14/movies/women-film-history.html |access-date=4 December 2018 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> Several important cinematic movements, including the late 1950s and 1960s [[Nouvelle Vague]], began in the country. It is noted for having a strong film industry, due in part to protections afforded by the [[Government of France]]. France remains a leader in filmmaking, {{As of|2015|lc=y}} producing more films than any other European country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=UIS |title=UIS Statistics |url=http://data.uis.unesco.org/?ReportId=5538 |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref><ref name="NYT 1995-02-28">{{Cite news |last=Alan Riding |date=28 February 1995 |title=The Birthplace Celebrates Film's Big 1–0–0 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/28/movies/the-birthplace-celebrates-film-s-big-1-0-0.html}}</ref> The nation also hosts the [[Cannes Festival]], one of the most important and famous film festivals in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 February 2007 |title=Cannes&nbsp;– a festival virgin's guide |url=http://www.cannesguide.com/basics/ |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Cannesguide.com |archive-date=12 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912231419/http://www.cannesguide.com/basics/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cannes Film Festival &#124; Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France |url=http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=21731 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610125315/http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=21731 |archive-date=10 June 2012 |publisher=Whatsonwhen.com}}</ref>

Apart from its strong and innovative film tradition, France has also been a gathering spot for artists from across Europe and the world. For this reason, French cinema is sometimes intertwined with the cinema of foreign nations. Directors from nations such as Poland ([[Roman Polanski]], [[Krzysztof Kieślowski]], [[Andrzej Żuławski]]), Argentina ([[Gaspar Noé]], [[Edgardo Cozarinsky]]), Russia ([[Alexandre Alexeieff]], [[Anatole Litvak]]), Austria ([[Michael Haneke]]) and Georgia ([[Géla Babluani]], [[Otar Iosseliani]]) are prominent in the ranks of French cinema. Conversely, French directors have had prolific and influential careers in other countries, such as [[Luc Besson]], [[Jacques Tourneur]] or [[Francis Veber]] in the [[Cinema of the United States|United States]]. Although the French film market is dominated by Hollywood, France is the only nation in the world where American films make up the smallest share of total film revenues, at 50%, compared with 77% in Germany and 69% in Japan.<ref name="erudit">{{In lang|fr}} Damien Rousselière [http://www.erudit.org/revue/hphi/2005/v15/n2/801295ar.pdf Cinéma et diversité culturelle: le cinéma indépendant face à la mondialisation des industries culturelles]. ''Horizons philosophiques'' Vol. 15 No. 2 2005</ref> French films account for 35% of the total film revenues of France, which is the highest percentage of national film revenues in the developed world outside the United States, compared to 14% in Spain and 8% in the UK.<ref name = erudit/> France is 2013 the 2nd exporter of films in the world after the United States.<ref name="unifrance.org">{{Cite web |title=Enquête sur l'image du cinéma français dans le monde |url=http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/11596/enquete-sur-l-image-du-cinema-francais-dans-le-monde |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213021911/http://www.unifrance.org/actualites/11596/enquete-sur-l-image-du-cinema-francais-dans-le-monde |archive-date=13 December 2014 |website=unifrance.org}}</ref>

France historically was the cultural centre of the world,<ref name=exception/> although its dominant position has been surpassed by the [[American culture|United States]]. Today, France takes steps in protecting and promoting its culture, becoming a leading advocate of [[cultural exception]].<ref>Joëlle Farchy (1999) [http://www.scienceshumaines.com/la-fin-de-l-exception-culturelle_fr_10912.html La Fin de l'exception culturelle ?] [[CNRS]] {{ISBN|978-2-271-05633-7}}</ref> The nation succeeded in convincing all EU members to refuse to include culture and audiovisuals in the list of liberalised sectors of the WTO in 1993.<ref>[http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/actualites/politique/diversite/wto-en2.htm The cultural exception is not negotiable by Catherine Trautmann]&nbsp;– Ministry of Culture</ref> Moreover, this decision was confirmed in a vote by [[UNESCO]] in 2005: the principle of "cultural exception" won an overwhelming victory with 198 countries voting for it and only 2 countries, the United States and Israel, voting against it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=La Convention UNESCO pour la diversité culturelle : vers un droit international culturel contraignant ? |url=http://www.fnsac-cgt.com/administration/upload/ARTICLE%20UNESCO%20CONF%201602_06%20(3).pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427020210/http://www.fnsac-cgt.com/administration/upload/ARTICLE%20UNESCO%20CONF%201602_06%20%283%29.pdf |archive-date=27 April 2011 |publisher=Fédération Nationale des Syndicats du spectacle du cinéma, de l'audiovisuel et de l'action culturelle |language=fr}}</ref>

===Fashion===
{{Main|French fashion}}
[[File:Channel headquarters bordercropped.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Chanel's headquarters storefront window at the Place Vendôme Paris with awning|[[Chanel]]'s headquarters on [[Place Vendôme]], Paris]]

Fashion has been an important industry and cultural export of France since the 17th century, and modern "haute couture" originated in Paris in the 1860s. Today, Paris, along with London, Milan, and New York City, is considered one of the world's [[fashion capital]]s, and the city is home or headquarters to many of the premier fashion houses. The expression [[Haute couture]] is, in France, a legally protected name, guaranteeing certain quality standards.

The association of France with fashion and style ({{Lang-fr|link=no|la mode}}) dates largely to the reign of [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]]<ref>Kelly, 181. DeJean, chapters 2–4.</ref> when the luxury goods industries in France came increasingly under royal control and the French royal court became, arguably, the arbiter of taste and style in Europe. But France renewed its dominance of the high fashion ({{Lang-fr|link=no|couture {{Noitalic|or}} haute couture}}) industry in the years 1860–1960 through the establishment of the great [[couturier]] houses such as [[Chanel]], [[Christian Dior S.A.|Dior]], and [[Givenchy]]. The French perfume industry is the world leader in its sector and is centred on the town of [[Grasse]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=French perfume |url=http://about-france.com/tourism/french-perfume.htm |publisher=About-France.com}}</ref>

In the 1960s, the elitist "Haute couture" came under criticism from France's [[May 1968 in France|youth culture]]. In 1966, the designer [[Yves Saint Laurent (designer)|Yves Saint Laurent]] broke with established Haute Couture norms by launching a [[prêt-à-porter]] ("ready to wear") line and expanding French fashion into mass manufacturing. With a greater focus on marketing and manufacturing, new trends were established by [[Sonia Rykiel]], [[Thierry Mugler]], [[Claude Montana]], [[Jean-Paul Gaultier]] and [[Christian Lacroix]] in the 1970s and 1980s. The 1990s saw a conglomeration of many French couture houses under luxury giants and multinationals such as [[LVMH]].

According to 2017 data compiled by [[Deloitte]], [[Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey]] (LVMH), a French brand, is the largest luxury company in the world by sales, selling more than twice the amount of its nearest competitor.<ref name="mode">[https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ar/Documents/Consumer_and_Industrial_Products/Global-Powers-of-Luxury-Goods-abril-2019.pdf Global Powers of Luxury Goods 2019: Bridging the gap between the old and the new], [[Deloitte]]</ref> Moreover, France also possesses 3 of the top 10 luxury goods companies by sales ([[LVMH]], [[Kering SA]], [[L'Oréal]]), more than any other country in the world.<ref name="mode" />

===Media===
{{Main|Telecommunications in France}}
[[File:Siège_Figaro,_14_boulevard_Haussmann,_Paris_9e.jpg|thumb|left|upright|''[[Le Figaro]]'' was founded in 1826 and it is still considered a [[newspaper of record]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Le Figaro |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/206556/Le-Figaro}}</ref>]]

In 2021, regional daily newspapers (like ''[[Ouest-France]]'', ''[[Sud Ouest (newspaper)|Sud Ouest]]'', ''[[La Voix du Nord (daily)|La Voix du Nord]]'', ''[[Dauphiné Libéré]]'', ''[[Le Télégramme]]'', and ''[[Le Progrès]]'') more than doubled the sales of national newspapers (like ''[[Le Monde]]'', ''[[Le Figaro]]'', ''[[L'Équipe]]'' (sports), ''[[Le Parisien]]'', and ''[[Les Echos (France)|Les Echos]]'' (finance)). Free dailies, distributed in metropolitan centers, continue to increase their market share.<ref>{{cite web | website = acpm.fr | date = 2022 | title = L'observatoire de la presse et des médias de L'APCM 2022 | url = https://www.acpm.fr/Media/Files/Plaquette-Observatoire-2022}}</ref>

The sector of weekly magazines includes more than 400 specialised weekly magazines published in the country.<ref>{{In lang|fr}} Observatoire de la Presse, [http://observatoire.ojd.com/report/visu/obs/20/do/GP_PMAG Presse Magazine&nbsp;– Synthèse] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100929204536/http://observatoire.ojd.com/report/visu/obs/20/do/GP_PMAG|date=29 September 2010}}</ref>

The most influential news magazines are the left-wing ''[[L'Obs|Le Nouvel Observateur]]'', centrist ''[[L'Express (France)|L'Express]]'' and right-wing ''[[Le Point]]'' (in 2009 more than 400,000 copies),<ref>{{In lang|fr}} Observatoire de la Presse, [http://observatoire.ojd.com/report/visu/obs/20/do/GP_NEWS Presse News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100929204512/http://observatoire.ojd.com/report/visu/obs/20/do/GP_NEWS|date=29 September 2010}}</ref> but the highest circulation numbers for weeklies are attained by TV magazines and by women's magazines, among them ''[[Marie Claire]]'' and ''[[ELLE]]'', which have foreign versions. Influential weeklies also include investigative and satirical papers ''[[Le Canard Enchaîné]]'' and ''[[Charlie Hebdo]]'', as well as ''[[Paris Match]]''. As in most industrialised nations, the print media have been affected by a [[Newspaper crisis|severe crisis]] with the rise of the internet. In 2008, the government launched a major initiative to help the sector reform and become financially independent,<ref>''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'', [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/3125110/Nicolas-Sarkozy-French-media-faces-death-without-reform.html Nicolas Sarkozy: French media faces 'death' without reform] 2 October 2008</ref><ref>French government portal, [http://www.gouvernement.fr/gouvernement/lancement-des-etats-generaux-de-la-presse Lancement des états généraux de la presse] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100625023755/http://www.gouvernement.fr/gouvernement/lancement-des-etats-generaux-de-la-presse|date=25 June 2010}} 2 October 2008 [Launching of General State of written media]</ref> but in 2009 it had to give 600,000 euros to help the print media cope with the [[Global financial crisis of 2008–2009|economic crisis]], in addition to existing subsidies.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Angelique Chrisafis in Paris |date=23 January 2009 |title=Sarkozy pledges €600m to newspapers |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/jan/23/sarkozy-pledges-state-aid-to-newspapers |access-date=21 June 2012}}</ref>
[[File:Siège de l'AFP 13 place de la Bourse Paris.jpg|thumb|The Parisian headquarters of [[Agence France-Presse]], one of the world's oldest and leading [[News agency|news agencies]]<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Agence-France-Presse Agence France-Presse], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. Retrieved 11 November 2018.</ref>]]

In 1974, after years of centralised monopoly on radio and television, the governmental agency [[ORTF]] was split into several national institutions, but the three already-existing TV channels and four national radio stations<ref>Radio France, "L'entreprise", [https://web.archive.org/web/20110722004341/http://www.radiofrance.fr/lentreprise/reperes/statuts Repères]. Landmarks of Radio France company</ref><ref name="mediapol">{{In lang|fr}} Vie Publique, [http://www.vie-publique.fr/politiques-publiques/politique-audiovisuel/chronologie Chronologie de la politique de l'audiovisuel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513064756/http://www.vie-publique.fr/politiques-publiques/politique-audiovisuel/chronologie/|date=13 May 2011}} 20 August 2004 [Chronology of policy for audiovisual]</ref> remained under state control. It was only in 1981 that the government allowed free broadcasting in the territory, ending the state monopoly on radio.<ref name=mediapol/> French television was partly liberalised in the next two-decade with the creation of several commercial channels, mainly thanks to cable and satellite television. In 2005 the national service [[Télévision Numérique Terrestre]] introduced digital television all over the territory, allowing the creation of other channels.

The four existing national channels are owned by the state-owned consortium [[France Télévisions]], funded by advertising revenue and TV licence fees. Public broadcasting group [[Radio France]] runs five national radio stations. Among these public media are [[Radio France Internationale]], which broadcasts programmes in French all over the world, as well as Franco-German TV channel [[TV5 Monde]]. In 2006, the government created the global news channel [[France 24]].

===Society===
{{See also|Human rights in France|LGBT rights in France}}
[[File:Germaine Tillion, Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz, Pierre Brossolette et Jean Zay rentrent au Panthéon 15.jpg|thumb|left|Admittance of [[Germaine Tillion]], [[Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz]], [[Pierre Brossolette]] and [[Jean Zay]] at the [[Panthéon|Pantheon]], a [[mausoleum]] for distinguished French people, in 2015]]
According to a [[BBC]] poll in 2010, based on 29,977 responses in 28 countries, France is globally seen as a positive influence in the world's affairs: 49% have a positive view of the country's influence, whereas 19% have a negative view.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 April 2010 |title=World warming to US under Obama, BBC poll suggests |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8626041.stm |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=18 April 2010 |title=Global Views of United States Improve While Other Countries Decline |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/160410bbcwspoll.pdf |access-date=26 December 2011}}</ref> The [[Nation Brands Index|Nation Brand Index]] of 2008 suggested that France has the second best international reputation, only behind [[Germany]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 September 2008 |title=Germany on Top, U.S. Seventh in Nation Brands IndexSM |url=http://www.gfk.com/group/press_information/press_releases/003055/index.en.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825075750/http://www.gfk.com/group/press_information/press_releases/003055/index.en.html |archive-date=25 August 2010 |access-date=9 August 2010 |website=GfK Group}}</ref> A global opinion poll for the BBC saw France ranked the fourth most positively viewed nation in the world (behind Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom) in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 June 2014 |title=World Service Global Poll: Negative views of Russia on the rise |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/world-service-country-poll |access-date=17 February 2018}}</ref>

According to a poll in 2011, the French were found to have the highest level of [[religious tolerance]] and to be the country where the highest proportion of the population defines its identity primarily in term of nationality and not religion.<ref name="pewmwtp">{{Cite web |date=21 July 2011 |title=Muslim-Western Tensions Persist |url=http://www.pewglobal.org/files/2011/07/Pew-Global-Attitudes-Muslim-Western-Relations-FINAL-FOR-PRINT-July-21-2011.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203105340/http://www.pewglobal.org/files/2011/07/Pew-Global-Attitudes-Muslim-Western-Relations-FINAL-FOR-PRINT-July-21-2011.pdf |archive-date=3 December 2011 |access-date=17 November 2011 |publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref> {{As of|2011}}, 75% of French had a favourable view of the United States, making France one of the most pro-American countries in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Opinion of the United States (2011) |url=http://www.pewglobal.org/database/indicator/1/survey/13/ |access-date=9 January 2018 |publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref> {{As of|2017}}, the favourable view of the United States had dropped to 46%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Opinion of the United States (2017) |url=http://www.pewglobal.org/database/indicator/1/ |access-date=9 January 2018 |publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref> In January 2010, the magazine ''International Living'' ranked France as "best country to live in", ahead of 193 other countries, for the fifth year running.<ref name="quality">{{Cite news |last=Daniela Deane |date=11 February 2010 |title=Why France is best place to live in world |publisher=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02/11/france.quality.life/index.html |access-date=1 October 2013}}</ref>

The [[OECD Better Life Index]] states that "France performs well in many measures of well-being relative to most other countries in the Better Life Index".<ref>[http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/france France], [[OECD Better Life Index]]</ref>

The French Revolution continues to permeate the country's [[collective memory]]. The tricolour [[flag of France]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 December 2013 |title=France |url=https://flagspot.net/flags/fr.html |access-date=9 January 2018 |website=Flags of the World}}</ref> the anthem "[[La Marseillaise]]", and the motto ''[[Liberté, égalité, fraternité]]'', defined in Title 1 of the [[Constitution of France|Constitution]] as national symbols, all emerged during the cultural ferment of the early revolution, along with [[Marianne]], a common [[national personification]]. In addition, [[Bastille Day]], the national holiday, commemorates the [[storming of the Bastille]] on 14 July 1789.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Symbols of the French Republic |url=http://www.france.fr/en/institutions-and-values/symbols-french-republic |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107050658/http://www.france.fr/en/institutions-and-values/symbols-french-republic |archive-date=7 January 2014 |access-date=16 January 2014 |publisher=[[Cabinet of France|Government of France]]}}</ref>
[[File:MariannedeTheodoreDoriot.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Sculpture of [[Marianne]], a common national personification of the French Republic]]

A common and traditional symbol of the French people is the [[Gallic rooster]]. Its origins date back to Antiquity since the Latin word Gallus meant both "[[rooster]]" and "inhabitant of Gaul". Then this figure gradually became the most widely shared representation of the French, used by French monarchs, then by the Revolution and under the successive republican regimes as representation of the national identity, used for some stamps and coins.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le coq |trans-title=The rooster |url=http://www.elysee.fr/president/la-presidence/les-symboles-de-la-republique-francaise/le-coq/le-coq.6052.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401063525/http://www.elysee.fr/president/la-presidence/les-symboles-de-la-republique-francaise/le-coq/le-coq.6052.html |archive-date=1 April 2010 |website=Élysée – Présidence de la République |language=fr}}</ref>

France is one of the world leaders of [[gender equality]] in the workplace: as of 2017, it has 36.8% of its corporate board seats held by women, which makes it the leader of the [[G20]] for that metric.<ref>[https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/women-leaders-index-gender-equality-france-case-study Women Leaders Index Gender Equality Case Study: France], Global Government Forum, 5 September 2017</ref> It was ranked in 2019 by the [[World Bank]] as one of the only six countries in the world where women have the same work rights as men.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/03/02/only-countries-give-women-same-work-rights-men-us-isnt-one-them/?noredirect=on Only 6 countries give women the same work rights as men. The U.S. isn't one of them.], ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref>

France is one of the most liberal countries in the world when it comes to [[LGBT rights]]: a 2020 [[Pew Research Center]] poll found that 86% of the French think that [[same-sex relationship]]s should be accepted by society, one of the highest acceptance rates in the world (comparable to that of other [[Western European]] nations).<ref>[https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/06/25/global-divide-on-homosexuality-persists The Global Divide on Homosexuality Persists], [[Pew Research Center]], 25 June 2020</ref> France legalised [[same-sex marriage]] and adoption in 2013.<ref>[https://www.france24.com/en/20180423-france-five-year-anniversary-law-same-sex-marriage-adoption France marks five-year anniversary of same-sex marriage], [[France 24]], 23 April 2018</ref> The government has used its diplomatic clout to support [[LGBT rights by country or territory|LGBT rights throughout the world]], notably in [[LGBT rights at the United Nations|the United Nations]].<ref>[https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/human-rights/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity], [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (France)|France Diplomatie]]. Retrieved 3 September 2019</ref>

In 2020, France was ranked fifth in the [[Environmental Performance Index]] (behind the United Kingdom), out of 180 countries ranked by [[Yale University]] in that study.<ref>[https://epi.envirocenter.yale.edu/downloads/epi2018policymakerssummaryv01.pdf 2018 Environmental Performance Index]. Retrieved 3 September 2019</ref> Being the host country of the [[2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference|2015 Paris Climate Change Conference]], the French Government was instrumental in securing the 2015 [[Paris Agreement]], a success that has been credited to its "openness and experience in diplomacy".<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/13/paris-climate-deal-cop-diplomacy-developing-united-nations Paris climate change agreement: the world's greatest diplomatic success], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 14 December 2019</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{Main|French cuisine}}
[[File:French taste of wines.JPG|thumb|left|[[French wines]] are usually made to accompany French cuisine.]]

French cuisine is renowned for being one of the finest in the world.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Amy B. Trubek |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bSuAyMNantQC |title=Haute Cuisine: How the French Invented the Culinary Profession |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-8122-1776-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gbttJD4bW6UC |title=Accounting for Taste: The Triumph of French Cuisine |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-226-24327-6}}</ref> Different regions have different styles. In the North, butter and cream are common ingredients, whereas [[olive oil]] is more commonly used in the South.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Véronique MARTINACHE |date=30 November 2009 |title=La France du beurre et celle de l'huile d'olive maintiennent leurs positions |trans-title=France butter and olive oil maintain their positions |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jvmxWfyZ2tFVA3qcmC7DkX6SMi5g |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425112349/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jvmxWfyZ2tFVA3qcmC7DkX6SMi5g |archive-date=25 April 2011}}</ref> Each region of France has iconic traditional specialties: [[cassoulet]] in the Southwest, [[choucroute]] in Alsace, [[quiche]] in the [[Lorraine (region)|Lorraine region]], [[beef bourguignon]] in  [[Burgundy]], [[Provence|provençal]] [[tapenade]], etc. France is most famous for its [[French wine|wines]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 May 2008 |title=Wines of France |url=http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/walter/wine/france.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211145428/http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/walter/wine/france.html |archive-date=11 February 2010 |access-date=9 August 2010 |website=Walter's Web}}</ref> and [[List of French cheeses|cheeses]], which are often named for the territory where they are produced ([[Appellation d'origine contrôlée|AOC]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=French Cheese |url=http://www.goodcooking.com/frcheese.htm |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Goodcooking}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=French Cheese |url=http://www.franceway.com/cheese/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827131743/http://www.franceway.com/cheese/ |archive-date=27 August 2010}}</ref> A meal typically consists of three courses, ''entrée'' (starter), ''plat principal'' (main course), and ''fromage'' (cheese) or ''dessert'', sometimes with a salad served before the cheese or dessert.

French cuisine is also regarded as a key element of the [[quality of life]] and the attractiveness of France.<ref name =quality/> A French publication, the [[Michelin guide]], awards ''Michelin stars'' for excellence to a select few establishments.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fairburn, Carolyn |date=29 February 1992 |title=Fading stars&nbsp;– Michelin Red Guide |work=[[The Times]] |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:LTIB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F91F33FE0903F10&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Beale, Victoria |last2=Boxell, James |date=16 July 2011 |title=Falling stars |work=[[Financial Times]] |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:FINB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=13885C564656C1C8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA}}</ref> The acquisition or loss of a star can have dramatic effects on the success of a restaurant. By 2006, the Michelin Guide had awarded 620 stars to French restaurants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Michelin 3 Star Restaurants around the world |url=http://www.3starrestaurants.com/michelin-restaurants-star-guide.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724032127/http://www.3starrestaurants.com/michelin-restaurants-star-guide.asp |archive-date=24 July 2010 |access-date=30 October 2010 |website=Andy Hayler's 3 Star Restaurant Guide}}</ref>

In addition to its wine tradition, France is also a major producer of beer and rum. The three main French brewing regions are Alsace (60% of national production), Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Lorraine. [[List of French rums|French rum]] is made in distilleries located on islands in the Atlantic and Indian oceans.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

===Sports===
{{Main|Sport in France}}
[[File:2020 Tour de France, 2nd stage, before km zero.jpg|thumb|left|alt=The peloton in the streets of Nice during the 2nd stage of the Tour de France on 30 August 2020|Starting in 1903, the [[Tour de France]] is the oldest and most prestigious of [[Grand Tour (cycling)|Grands Tours]], and the world's most famous cycling race.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Union Cycliste Internationale |url=http://www.uciprotour.com/Modules/BUILTIN/getObject.asp?MenuId=MTcxNw&ObjTypeCode=FILE&type=FILE&id=34028&LangId=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114060844/http://www.uciprotour.com/Modules/BUILTIN/getObject.asp?MenuId=MTcxNw&ObjTypeCode=FILE&type=FILE&id=34028&LangId=1 |archive-date=14 November 2012 |access-date=19 May 2012}}</ref>]]

France hosts "the world's biggest annual sporting event", the [[Tour de France]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 July 2019 |title=Tour De France 2019: Everything you need to know |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/18769169 |access-date=15 July 2019 |publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref> Other popular sports played in France include: [[Association football|football]], [[judo]], [[tennis]],<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?ref_id=NATTEF05401&reg_id=0 Les licences sportives en France]&nbsp;– Insee</ref> [[rugby union]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=All you need to know about sport in France |url=http://www.france-pub.com/esport.htm |access-date=11 February 2012}}</ref> and [[pétanque]]. France has hosted events such as the [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]] and [[1998 FIFA World Cup]]s,<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of the World Cup Final Draw |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_10e_fwcdraw-history_8842.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226235749/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_10e_fwcdraw-history_8842.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2008 |access-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> the [[2007 Rugby World Cup]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110606170717/http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2003_april/france_wins_right_to_host_the_2007_rugby_wor_15381%2C3851.html France wins right to host the 2007 rugby world cup]. Associated Press. 11 April 2003</ref> and will host the [[2023 Rugby World Cup]]. The country also hosted the [[1960 European Nations' Cup]], [[UEFA Euro 1984]], [[UEFA Euro 2016]] and [[2019 FIFA Women's World Cup]]. The [[Stade de France]] in [[Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis|Saint-Denis]] is France's largest stadium and was the venue for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2007 Rugby World Cup finals. Since 1923, France is famous for its [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] [[sports car racing|sports car]] [[endurance racing (motorsport)|endurance race]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Une course légendaire |url=http://www.lemans.org/fr/courses/24h/histoire.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116131353/http://www.lemans.org/fr/courses/24h/histoire.html |archive-date=16 January 2013 |language=fr}}&nbsp;– [http://www.lemans.org Site officiel du 24 heures du Mans]</ref> Several major tennis tournaments take place in France, including the [[Paris Masters]] and the [[French Open]], one of the four [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] tournaments. French [[martial arts]] include [[Savate]] and [[Fencing]].

France has a close association with the Modern Olympic Games; it was a French aristocrat, Baron [[Pierre de Coubertin]], who suggested the Games' revival, at the end of the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hill |first=Christopher R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0o-9AAAAIAAJ |title=Olympic Politics |publisher=Manchester University Press ND |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-7190-4451-9 |page=5 |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="Olympic">[http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/olympic.htm Olympic History]&nbsp;– World Atlas of Travel</ref> After [[Athens]] was awarded the first Games, in reference to the Olympics' Greek origins, Paris hosted the second Games [[1900 Summer Olympics|in 1900]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 August 2018 |title=Paris 1900 Summer Olympics. Official Site of the Olympic Movement |url=http://www.olympic.org/paris-1900-summer-olympics |publisher=International Olympic Committee}}</ref> Paris was the first home of the [[International Olympic Committee]], before it moved to [[Lausanne]].<ref>[http://www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/view.asp?DomID=63416&Language=E Lausanne, olympic capital]&nbsp;– Tourism in Lausanne {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006220349/http://www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/view.asp?DomID=63416&Language=E|date=6 October 2007}}</ref> Since 1900, France has hosted the Olympics on 4 further occasions: the [[1924 Summer Olympics]], again in Paris<ref name=Olympic/> and three [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Games]] ([[1924 Winter Olympics|1924]] in [[Chamonix]], [[1968 Winter Olympics|1968]] in [[Grenoble]] and [[1992 Winter Olympics|1992]] in [[Albertville]]).<ref name="Olympic" /> Similar to the Olympics, France introduced Olympics for the deaf people (Deaflympics) in [[1924 Summer Deaflympics|1924]] with the idea of a French deaf car mechanic, [[Eugène Rubens-Alcais]] who paved the way to organise the inaugural edition of the [[Summer Deaflympics]] in Paris.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 December 2004 |title=Deaflympics lowdown |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/4113957.stm |access-date=8 July 2018}}</ref>
[[File:Zinedine Zidane 2015 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Zinedine Zidane|Zidane]] was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years in a 2004 [[UEFA]] poll.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/2004/apr/23/newsstory.sport5 "Zidane voted Europe's best ever"] ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 17 November 2013</ref>]]

Both the [[France national football team|national football team]] and the [[France national rugby union team|national rugby union team]] are nicknamed "''Les Bleus''" in reference to the team's shirt colour as well as the national [[Flag of France|French tricolour flag]]. Football is the most popular sport in France, with over 1,800,000 registered players and over 18,000 registered clubs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fédération Française de Football |url=https://www.fff.fr/ |website=fff.fr}}</ref> The football team is among the most successful in the world, with two [[FIFA World Cup]] victories in 1998 and 2018,<ref>{{Cite news |last=McNulty |first=Phil |date=15 July 2018 |title=World Cup 2018: France beat Croatia 4–2 in World Cup final |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44754965 |access-date=15 July 2018}}</ref> two FIFA World Cup second places in 2006 and 2022,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stevenson |first=Jonathan |date=9 July 2006 |title=Zidane off as Italy win World Cup |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4991652.stm |access-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> and two [[UEFA European Championship]]s in [[UEFA Euro 1984|1984]]<ref>[http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/season=1984/index.html 1984: Platini shines for flamboyant France]. UEFA {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507185106/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/season%3D1984/index.html|date= 7 May 2012}}</ref> and [[UEFA Euro 2000|2000]].<ref>[http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/season=2000/index.html 2000: Trezeguet strikes gold for France]. UEFA {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028011653/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/season%3D2000/index.html|date=28 October 2011}}</ref>

The top national football club competition is [[Ligue 1]]. France has produced some of the greatest players in the world, including three-time FIFA World Player of the Year [[Zinedine Zidane]], three-time [[Ballon d'Or]] recipient [[Michel Platini]], record holder for most goals scored at a World Cup [[Just Fontaine]], first football player to receive the [[Legion of Honour|Légion d'honneur]] [[Raymond Kopa]], and the record goalscorer for the French national team [[Thierry Henry]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8826244.stm "Thierry Henry calls end to France career"]. BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 October 2014.</ref>

The French Open, also called Roland-Garros, is a major [[tennis]] tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June at the [[Stade Roland Garros|Stade Roland-Garros]] in Paris. It is the premier clay court tennis championship event in the world and the second of four annual [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] tournaments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clarey |first=Christopher |date=30 June 2001 |title=Change Seems Essential to Escape Extinction: Wimbledon: World's Most Loved Dinosaur |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2001/06/30/a20_16.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016123550/http://iht.com/articles/2001/06/30/a20_16.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=16 October 2007 |access-date=26 February 2018 |website=[[International Herald Tribune]]}}</ref>

[[Rugby union]] is popular, particularly in Paris and the southwest of France.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090615002946/http://www.123voyage.com/realsw/tosee/rugby.htm Rugby]. 123 Voyage</ref> The national rugby union team has competed at every [[Rugby World Cup]]; it takes part in the annual [[Six Nations Championship]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Europe|France}}
* [[Outline of France]]{{-}}

==Footnotes==
{{Notelist-ur}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=France>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/france/|website=The World Factbook|title=Europe :: France|publisher=CIA|date=3 January 2018}}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* "France." in ''Europe,'' edited by Ferdie McDonald and Claire Marsden, Dorling Kindersley (Gale, 2010), pp.&nbsp;144–217. [https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX1644200020/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=3062efe1 Online].

===Topics===
* Carls, Alice-Catherine. "France." in ''World Press Encyclopedia,'' edited by Amanda C. Quick, (2nd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2003), pp.&nbsp;314–337. [https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3409900079/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=59dd8c94 Online coverage of press and media].
* Chabal, Emile, ed. ''France since the 1970s: History, Politics and Memory in an Age of Uncertainty'' (2015) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1472509773 Excerpt].
* Gildea, Robert. ''France Since 1945'' (2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2002).
* Goodliffe, Gabriel, and Riccardo Brizzi, eds. ''France After 2012'' (Bergham, 2015).
* Haine, W. S. ''Culture and Customs of France'' (Greenwood Press, 2006).
* Kelly, Michael, ed. ''French Culture and Society: The Essentials'' (Oxford University Press, 2001).
* Raymond, Gino. ''Historical Dictionary of France'' (2nd ed. Scarecrow, 2008).
*Jones, Colin. Cambridge Illustrated History of France (Cambridge University Press, 1999).
*[https://merhav.nli.org.il/primo-explore/search?query=any,contains,france%20%20maps&tab=default_tab&search_scope=Local&sortby=lso01&vid=NLI&mfacet=tlevel,include,online_resources,1&mfacet=rtype,include,Maps,1&mfacet=topic,include,France,1&lang=en_US&offset=0&came_from=sort Ancient maps] of France from the Eran Laor Cartographic Collection. [[National Library of Israel]].

==External links==
{{Wikibooks|Wikijunior:Countries A-Z|France}}
{{Sister project links|voy=France|France}}
* [http://www.oecd.org/france France] at ''Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090207004853/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/france.htm France] at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* {{Curlie|Regional/Europe/France}}
* [http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/france/index_en.htm France] at the EU
* {{Wikiatlas|France}}
* {{Osmrelation-inline|1403916}}
* [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=FR Key Development Forecasts for France] from [[International Futures]]

===Economy===
* {{INSEE|National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies}}
* [http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=14594 OECD France statistics]

===Government===
* [http://www.france.fr/en France.fr] – official French tourism site {{In lang|en}}
*  [http://www.gouvernement.fr Gouvernement.fr] – official site of the government {{In lang|fr}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120103101721/http://service-public.fr/langue/english Official site of the French public service]&nbsp;– links to various administrations and institutions
* [http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/index.asp Official site of the National Assembly]

===Culture===
* [http://www.french.uiuc.edu/cfc ''Contemporary French Civilization''] – journal, University of Illinois
* [http://us.franceguide.com FranceGuide]&nbsp;– official site of the French Government Tourist Office

{{France topics}}

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