France: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 14, 2026

News •

French-speaking nations hold a summit in Cambodia but an African conflict threatens a rift • Nov. 14, 2026, 1:08 AM ET (AP)

France blames Iran for a cyberattack that heated supermarket refrigerators • Nov. 9, 2026, 8:17 PM ET (AP)

Rubio makes clear that Trump's foreign policy won't change after GOP election losses • Nov. 9, 2026, 4:49 PM ET (AP)

He fought France's far right for half a century. Now Mélenchon eyes a 2027 runoff with Le Pen • Nov. 9, 2026, 2:07 PM ET (AP)

Judo star Teddy Riner announces a run for French president, pledging to bring people together • Nov. 9, 2026, 7:44 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	French Republic • République Française
Head Of Government	Prime minister: Sébastien Lecornu
Capital	Paris
Population	(2026 est.) 66,590,000
Currency Exchange Rate	1 USD equals 0.904 euro
Head Of State	President: Emmanuel Macron
Form Of Government	republic with two legislative houses (Parliament; Senate [348], National Assembly [577])
Official Language	French
Official Religion	none
Official Name	République Française (French Republic)
Total Area (Sq Km)	543,941
Total Area (Sq Mi)	210,017
Monetary Unit	euro (€)
Population Rank	(2026) 22
Population Projection 2030	68,379,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2026) 317.1
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2026) 122.4
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2018) 80.4% • Rural: (2018) 19.6%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2025) 80.3 years • Female: (2025) 85.9 years
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2024) 3,096,055
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2024) 45,160

Photos and Videos

Political map of France showing regional boundaries, major cities, and neighboring countries including Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom across the English Channel. The map highlights regions such as Normandy, Brittany, Aquitaine, and Provence, and includes an inset locator map of France within Europe and a detail of Corsica in the lower left.

Map of Western Europe highlighting France in orange, with neighboring countries labeled, including Spain, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Paris is marked within France, and surrounding bodies of water such as the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea are shown.

Château Gaillard

Chaîne des Puys

View of the Seine River along the Ile Saint-Louis in Paris, with bare tree branches in the foreground and historic buildings lining the riverbank.

The chateau at Amboise, France, stands above the Loire River in the evening light, with its reflection in the water, a bridge to the right, and a small boat in the foreground.

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The controversial life and death of Marie-Antoinette

How the halt command saved British troops in Dunkirk

History of Élysée Palace in France

Joan of Arc's heroic life

La Marseillaise

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Topics

World War II Anglo-American Chain of Command in Western Europe, June 1944 German Chain of Command in Western Europe, June 1944 casualties of World War II Dreyfus affair Capetian dynasty Valois Dynasty La Trémoille Family National Convention Durfort Family United States Paris - Facts India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan

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René Descartes

René Descartes

French mathematician and philosopher

Life-sized plaster sculpture Seated Voltaire by Jean-Antoine Houdon shows Voltaire draped in a robe, seated with a thoughtful expression and a ribbon crown, against a dark background.

Voltaire

French philosopher and author

Jacques-Louis David: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries

Napoleon I

emperor of France

Painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres showing Joan of Arc in armor holding a banner at an altar during the coronation of Charles VII in Reims Cathedral, with figures praying behind her.

St. Joan of Arc

French heroine

Full-length portrait of Cardinal Richelieu by Philippe de Champaigne, showing him in red clerical robes holding a red book, standing beside a balustrade with a draped curtain behind.

Cardinal Richelieu

French cardinal and statesman

Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle

president of France

Portrait of Napoleon III in a dark military uniform with gold epaulettes, a red sash, and medals, set against a deep red background. Painted by Hippolyte Flandrin.

Napoleon III

emperor of France

Portrait of Georges Clemenceau wearing a suit and a wide-brimmed hat, looking to the left with a serious expression.

Georges Clemenceau

prime minister of France

Eighteenth-century painted portrait of Maximilien de Robespierre wearing a brown striped coat, high collar, and white cravat, set against a plain background.

Maximilien Robespierre

French revolutionary

King Philip IV

Philip IV

king of France

Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron

president of France

Talleyrand

Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, prince de Bénévent

French statesman and diplomat

Jacques-Louis David

Jacques-Louis David

French painter

Charles Le Brun: Portrait of King Louis XIV

Louis XIV

king of France

Henry IV, undated copperplate engraving.

Henry IV

king of France

Louis-Philippe

Louis-Philippe

king of France

Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti

Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau

French politician and orator

Alexis de Tocqueville

Alexis de Tocqueville

French historian and political writer

Louis IX

Louis IX

king of France

Edward I

Edward I

king of England

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Pyrénées-Atlantiques

department, France

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Aveyron

department, France

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Aude

department, France

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Ardennes

department, France

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Ardèche

department, France

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Alpes-Maritimes

department, France

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Allier

department, France

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Aube

department, France

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Ain

department, France

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Ariège

department, France

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Aisne

department, France

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Meurthe-et-Moselle

department, France

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Meuse

department, France

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Morbihan

department, France

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Moselle

department, France

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