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France is the biggest country in Western
Europe with an overall surface of 549,000
square kilometers.
It has common borders with five other
countries of the European Union and one
with Switzerland, and the Channel Tunnel
connects it to England. On the west it
opens on the Atlantic Ocean and on the
east on the Mediterranean.
The size of the borders : 3427 kms of
coastline, 451 kms with Germany, 60 with
Andorra, 620 with Belgium, 623 with Spain,
488 kms with Italy, 73 with Luxemburg, 4.4
kms with Monaco and 573 kms with
Switzerland.
Metropolitan France is made up of 22
regions and there are four Overseas
territories : Guadeloupe, Guyana,
Martinique and Reunion.
There are over 2 million inhabitants in
the French territories overseas, three
quarters of whom live in the DOM TOM (the
French Departments and Territories
Overseas).
France, which is situated on the western
side of Europe has a large geographical
diversity.
There are vast plains in the north.
The Jura, the Vosges, the Massif Central,
the Alps, very ancient mountain ranges,
form a spine all along the eastern
part.
The west of the country is much flatter
and covered with rivers.
The rivers are relatively small. There are
for example the Seine, the Yonne, the
Marne and the Oise.
They tend to flow towards the Atlantic and
the English Channel. The Rhine runs north
and the Saone and the Rhone to the
Mediterranean.
There are several coastal rivers : the
Somme, the Vilaine, the Adour, the
Herault.
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