Geography of france
Area: 550,000 sq. km
Largest country in Western Europe (almost one fifth of the total area of the European Union), with a vast maritime zone (exclusive economic zone extending over 11 million sq. km).
Climate
Three types: Oceanic in the west ,Oceanic in the west, Mediterranean in the south, Continental in central and eastern France .
Environment
Farms and forests cover 48 million hectares, i.e. 82% of the total area of metropolitan France. Some 27% of French territory is covered by forests, ranking France third in the European Union in forest land, behind Sweden and Finland. France boasts 136 different kinds of trees – exceptional for a European country – and the number of large animals is on the rise: in 20 years, the deer population has doubled and the number of roe deer has tripled.
In order to conserve and develop France’s natural heritage, the government has established six national parks, 128 nature reserves, 430 designated areas for protected species and 299 protected coastal areas. France also has 29 regional nature parks covering more than 7% of the country. 145 billion francs (22.11 billion euros) are allocated to the protection of the environment – 2,480 francs per inhabitant. Three quarters of this goes on waste water management and waste disposal. France is party to many international treaties and conventions concerning the environment, among them United Nations agreements on climate, biodiversity and desertification.
Population
60.4 million (2000)
Density: 107 inhabitants per sq. km
France has 52 urban areas with over 150,000 inhabitants with a total population of 30 million; the five largest are:
Administrative Organization
The French Republic comprises metropolitan France, divided into 22 regions and subdivided into 96 departments, along with four overseas departments (DOM) – Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane (French Guiana) and Runion.
It also includes four overseas territories (TOM) – French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories – and two “territorial collectivities” with a special status, Mayotte and St Pierre and Miquelon.
