France: Difference between revisions

'''France''' or the '''French Republic''' ([[French language|French]]: ''République française'') is a country in southwestern [[Europe]]. It is bordered by [[Belgium]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Germany]], [[Switzerland]], [[Italy]], and [[Spain]], as well as the [[English Channel]] and [[Bay of Biscay]] (bodies of the [[Atlantic Ocean]]) to the west, and the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to the southeast. France is the largest West European nation, with a total area of 547,030 square kilometers. The country's capital city is [[Paris]], which is the only French city with more than 1 million inhabitants. Paris has a population of 2,142,800 in the city proper (as of 2004) and 11,330,700 in the metropolitan area (2003 estimate). Greater metropolitan Paris encompasses more than 15% of the country’s total population.<ref name=loc>[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/France.pdf Country Profile: France] by the U.S. Library of Congress]</ref>