France

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - The Hercynian massifs
    - The Ardennes
    - The Vosges
    - The Massif Central
    - The Massif Armoricain
  - The great lowlands
    - The Paris Basin
    - The Flanders Plain
    - The Alsace Plain
    - The Loire plains
    - The Aquitaine Basin
  - The younger mountains and adjacent plains
    - Pyrenees, Jura, and Alps
    - The southern plains
- Drainage
  - The Seine system
  - The Loire system
  - The Garonne system
  - The Rhône system
  - The Rhine system
  - The smaller rivers and the lakes
- Soils
- Climate
  - The oceanic region
  - The continental region
  - The Mediterranean region
- Plant and animal life
  - Plant life
  - Animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
  - Rural landscape and settlement
    - Bocage
    - Open-field
    - Mediterranean
    - Mountain
  - Postwar transformation
  - Urban settlement
- Demographic trends
  - Population history
  - Emigration
  - Immigration
  - Population structure
  - Population distribution
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
  - Grains
  - Fruits and wine making
  - Dairying and livestock
  - Agribusiness
  - Forestry
  - Fishing
- Resources and power
  - Minerals
  - Energy
- Manufacturing
  - Industrial trends
  - Branches of manufacturing
- Finance
  - Banking and insurance
  - The stock exchange
  - Foreign investment
- Trade
- Services
  - Civil service
  - Tourism
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
  - Roads
  - Railroads
  - Waterways
  - Air transport
  - Telecommunications
Government and society
- Government
  - The constitutional framework
    - The genesis of the 1958 constitution
    - The dual executive system
    - The role of the president
    - Parliamentary composition and functions
    - The role of referenda
    - The role of the Constitutional Council
  - Regional and local government
    - The régions
    - The départements
    - The communes
    - The overseas territories
- Justice
  - The judiciary
  - Administrative courts
- Political process
- Security
  - Armed forces
  - Police services
- Health and welfare
  - Social security and health
  - Housing
  - Wages and the cost of living
- Education
  - Primary and secondary education
  - Higher education
  - Other features
Cultural life
- Cultural milieu
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
  - Literature
  - The fine arts
    - Painting and sculpture
    - Music
    - Dance
    - Architecture
    - Photography
  - The cinema
- Cultural institutions
  - Administrative bodies
  - Museums and monuments
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
  - Television and radio
  - The press
History
- Gaul
  - Geographic-historical scope
  - The people
  - The Roman conquest
    - Gaul under the high empire (c. 50 bce–c. 250 ce)
    - Gaul under the late Roman Empire (c. 250–c. 400)
  - The end of Roman Gaul (c. 400–c. 500)
- Merovingian and Carolingian age
  - Origins
    - Early Frankish period
    - Gaul and Germany at the end of the 5th century
  - The Merovingians
    - Clovis and the unification of Gaul
      Frankish expansion
      The conversion of Clovis
    - The sons of Clovis
      The conquest of Burgundy
      The conquest of southern Germany
    - The grandsons of Clovis
      The shrinking of the frontiers and peripheral areas
      The parceling of the kingdom
    - The failure of reunification (613–714)
      Chlotar II and Dagobert I
      The hegemony of Neustria
      Austrasian hegemony and the rise of the Pippinids
  - The Carolingians
    - Charles Martel and Pippin III
      Charles Martel
      Pippin III
    - Charlemagne
      The conquests
      The restoration of the empire
    - Louis I
    - The partitioning of the Carolingian empire
      The Treaty of Verdun
      The kingdoms created at Verdun
  - The Frankish world
    - Society
      Germans and Gallo-Romans
      Social classes
      Diffusion of political power
    - Institutions
      Kingship
      The central government
      Local institutions
      The development of institutions in the Carolingian age
    - Economic life
      Trade
      Frankish fiscal law
    - The church
      Institutions
      Monasticism
      Education
      Religious discipline and piety
      The influence of the church on society and legislation
    - Merovingian literature and arts
    - Carolingian literature and arts
- The emergence of France
  - French society in the early Middle Ages
  - The political history of France (c. 850–1180)
    - Principalities north of the Loire
    - The principalities of the south
    - The monarchy
    - Economy, society, and culture in the Middle Ages (c. 900–1300)
      Economic expansion
      Urban prosperity
      Rural society
    - Religious and cultural life
      The age of cathedrals and Scholasticism
      Culture and learning
- France, 1180 to c. 1490
  - France from 1180 to 1328
    - The kings and the royal government
      Philip Augustus
      Louis VIII
      Louis IX
      Later Capetians
    - Foreign relations
  - The period of the Hundred Years’ War
    - The kings and the war, 1328–1429
      Philip VI
      John the Good
      Charles V
      Charles VI
      Charles VII
    - Recovery and reunification, 1429–83
      Governmental reforms
      Military reforms
      Regrowth of the French monarchy
    - Economy, society, and culture in the 14th and 15th centuries
      Economic distress
      The cities
      The church
      Culture and art
- France, 1490–1715
  - France in the 16th century
    - Military and financial organization
    - The growth of a professional bureaucracy
    - The age of the Reformation
    - The Wars of Religion
    - Political ideology
  - France in the early 17th century
    - Henry IV
    - Louis XIII
    - The Fronde
  - The age of Louis XIV
    - The development of central government
    - Louis’s religious policy
    - Absolutism of Louis
    - Foreign affairs
  - French culture in the 17th century
- France, 1715–89
  - The social and political heritage
    - The social order of the ancien régime
    - Monarchy and church
    - Commitment to modernization
  - Continuity and change
    - Agricultural patterns
    - Industrial production
    - Commerce
    - Cities
  - Cultural transformation
    - The Enlightenment
    - The influence of Montesquieu and Rousseau
  - The political response
    - The historical debate
    - Foreign policy and financial crisis
    - Domestic policy and reform efforts
    - Tax reform
    - Parlements
    - King and parlements
  - The causes of the French Revolution
- The French Revolution and Napoleon, 1789–1815
  - The destruction of the ancien régime
    - The convergence of revolutions, 1789
      The juridical revolution
      Parisian revolt
      Peasant insurgencies
      The abolition of feudalism
    - The new regime
      Restructuring France
      Sale of national lands
    - Seeds of discord
      Religious tensions
      Political tensions
  - The First French Republic
    - The second revolution
    - A republic in crisis
    - Girondins and Montagnards
    - The Reign of Terror
    - The Jacobin dictatorship
    - The Army of the Republic
    - The Thermidorian Reaction
    - The Directory
      Sister republics
      Alienation and coups
  - The Napoleonic era
    - The Consulate
    - Loss of political freedom
    - Society in Napoleonic France
      Religious policy
      Napoleonic nobility
      The civil code
    - Campaigns and conquests, 1797–1807
    - The Grand Empire
    - The Continental System
    - Conscription
  - Napoleon and the Revolution
- France, 1815–1940
  - The restoration and constitutional monarchy
    - Constitutionalism and reaction, 1815–30
      Louis XVIII, 1815–24
      Charles X, 1824–30
    - The revolution of 1830
    - The July Monarchy
  - The Second Republic and Second Empire
    - The revolution of 1848
    - The Second Republic, 1848–52
    - The Second Empire, 1852–70
      The authoritarian years
      The liberal years
      The Franco-German War
  - The Third Republic
    - The Commune of Paris
    - The formative years (1871–1905)
      Attempts at a restoration
      The constitution of the Third Republic
      Republican factions
      Opportunist control
      The Dreyfus Affair
      Foreign policy
    - The prewar years
    - World War I
    - The interwar years
      German reparations
      Financial crisis
      Collective security
      Internal conflict on the left
      The Great Depression and political crises
      German aggressions
    - Society and culture under the Third Republic
      Economy
      Cultural and scientific attainments
- France since 1940
  - Wartime France
    - The Vichy government
    - The Resistance
    - Liberation
  - The Fourth Republic
    - Constitution of the Fourth Republic
    - Political and social changes
    - Colonial independence movements
  - The Fifth Republic
  - France after de Gaulle
  - France under a Socialist presidency
    - Mitterrand’s first term
    - Mitterrand’s second term
  - France under conservative presidencies
    - The Chirac administration
    - The Sarkozy administration
  - The euro-zone crisis and the Socialist resurgence
    - The 2012 presidential campaign
    - The Hollande administration
    - The Macron presidency
  - Society since 1940
  - The cultural scene
Major rulers of France

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

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.

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.

At a Glance

France summary

France: Media

country, Europe

Videos

Who Was Widukind, Leader of the Saxons?

Learn about the Saxon leader Widukind.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Jorisvo/Dreamstime.com

The controversial life and death of Marie-Antoinette

Overview of Marie-Antoinette's life.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

How the halt command saved British troops in Dunkirk

Overview of the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, 1940.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

History of Élysée Palace in France

Overview of the Élysée Palace, Paris.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Joan of Arc's heroic life

Overview of Joan of Arc's life.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Exploring underwater caves at Calanques National Park

Learn about the marine life in the submerged caves under the Mediterranean Sea at...

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

A look at France's historic restaurant culture and what sets its cuisine apart from the rest of the world

Learn more about restaurants in France.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Learn about the Scandola Nature Reserve located on the island of Corsica and the strict patrolling done by the rangers

Learn about Scandola Nature Reserve, Corsica, France.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Images

France

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Villandry

The château of Villandry, built in 1532, and its formal gardens in the Loire valley...

France

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Paris skyline

Paris skyline at dusk.

Château Gaillard

Château Gaillard, a 12th-century castle, overlooks the Seine River in the Normandy...

Chaîne des Puys

Cinder cones of the Chaîne des Puys in the Massif Central, France.

Christian Kempf from TSW—CLICK/Chicago

beach at Nice

The Mediterranean-washed pebble beach at Nice on the French Riviera.

Paris, France

The Seine River flows past the Île Saint-Louis in Paris, France.

Dana Hyde/Photo Researchers

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.

Loire River at Amboise, France

The château at Amboise, France, on the Loire River.

Shoppers browse fruit and vegetable stands at a busy outdoor market in Chaillot, Paris. A family with a child in a stroller walks past displays of cherries, melons, and other produce.

Outdoor market in Paris

Shopping for produce at an outdoor market in Paris.

Chartres Cathedral

Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, completed mid-13th century.

lavender

Fields of lavender in Provence, France.

Marseille

The Old Port of Marseille, France.

Workers harvest grapes among neatly aligned rows of vines on a hillside vineyard at Ay, near Epernay in the Champagne region of France.

vineyard in Ay, France

Harvesting grapes in a vineyard at Ay, near Épernay in the Champagne region of France.

Serraillier—Rapho/Photo Researchers

Map of France highlighting major wine-producing regions in purple, including Champagne, Alsace, Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Provence, Languedoc, Roussillon, Cognac, Armagnac, Bergerac, Chablis, Jura, Savoy, and the island of Corsica. Major rivers and surrounding seas are also labeled for geographic context.

France: wine regions

Major wine-producing regions of France.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Chamonix

Visitors enjoy skiing at Chamonix in the French Alps.

high-speed TGV

A high-speed TGV (train à grande vitesse) traversing the Burgundy région...

Riviere—Rapho/Photo Researchers

Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle, 1967.

Bruno Barbey/Magnum Photos

French Foreign Legion soldiers in uniform with white hats and rifles stand in formation during a Bastille Day parade on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

Foreign Legion, French

Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion in a parade celebrating Bastille Day in Paris.

Molière

Molière, oil painting by Pierre Mignard; in the Musée Condé, Chantilly,...

Gustave Flaubert

Gustave Flaubert, painting by Eugene Giraud, c. 1845; in the Castle Museum, Versailles,...

Candide

Title page of an early printed version of Voltaire's Candide published in...

The Newberry Library, Louis H. Silver Collection purchase, 1964 (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette

Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, oil on canvas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir,...

Henri Matisse: Decorative Figure on an Ornamental Background

Decorative Figure on an Ornamental Background, oil painting by Henri Matisse,...

S.P.A.D.E.M., Paris/V.A.G.A., New York City, 1985; photograph, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

Claude Debussy

Claude Debussy.

Eugène Atget: Shop Window: Tailor Dummies

Shop Window: Tailor Dummies, photograph by Eugène Atget, c. 1910; in the...

George Eastman House Collection

Anna Karina and Eddie Constantine descend a spiral staircase in a modern interior in a black-and-white scene from the film Alphaville, directed by Jean-Luc Godard.

Anna Karina and Eddie Constantine in Alphaville

Anna Karina and Eddie Constantine in Alphaville (1965), directed by Jean-Luc...

Pathé Contemporary Films; photograph from a private collection

Louvre Museum

Louvre Museum, Paris, with pyramid designed by I.M. Pei.

Roman Gaul

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Frankish kingdom

The division of the Frankish kingdom among the sons of Clovis at his death in 511.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Historical map of Western Europe showing the Frankish domains during the time of Charles Martel, with approximate boundaries. The map uses color shading to distinguish regions of Neustria, Austrasia, Burgundy, and dependent territories, covering areas that now include parts of France, Germany, the Low Countries, and northern Italy, and labels major neighboring kingdoms and regions.

Frankish domains in the time of Charles Martel

The Frankish domains in the time of Charles Martel (boundaries approximate).

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Carolingian empire

The Carolingian empire and (inset) divisions after the Treaty of Verdun, 843.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France in 987

France in 987.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Historical map of France showing the expansion of the French royal domain from 1180 to 1328. The map uses color coding to distinguish the territory held by the crown around 1180 (purple), lands acquired by Philip Augustus (green), and further acquisitions from 1223 to 1328 (orange). Major cities, neighboring kingdoms, and regions such as England, Aragon, and the Holy Roman Empire are also labeled.

growth of the French royal domain, 1180–1328

The growth of the French royal domain, 1180–1328.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Medieval stone castle and fortress with multiple towers and walls overlooking a vineyard and village in Carcassonne, France, with a stone bridge and river in the foreground.

the Cité

Medieval fortifications of the Cité, Carcassonne, France.

Louis IX

Louis IX, carrying the hand of justice.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (RP-P-OB-76.255)

Philip VI

Philip VI, detail from a French manuscript, 14th century; in the Bibliothèque Nationale,...

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris

France in 1453

France in 1453.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Illuminated parchment scroll from 15th-century France, partially unrolled to reveal handwritten text, colored lines, and an illustration of a castle at the top.

“The Lines of French Kings”

Les Lignées des roys de France (“The Lines of French Kings”), c. 1450; the parchment...

The Newberry Library, Purchased with the assistance of T. Kimball Brooker, 1993 (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

The Gould Hours

The Gould Hours, book of hours, illuminated by Marc Coussin, c....

The Newberry Library, Joint gift of fourteen donors, 2003 (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

François Rabelais

François Rabelais's creative exuberance, colorful and wide-ranging vocabulary, and...

From Oeuvres de maitre François Rabelais: avec des remarques historiques et critiques de Mr. Le Duchat (A. Amsterdam: Chez Jean Frederic Bernard, 1741)

Louis XIV

Louis XIV, detail of a portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1701; in the Louvre, Paris.

Giraudon/Art Resource, New York

Historical map of France and surrounding regions showing French territorial expansion from 1600 to 1766. Areas are color-coded by the period of acquisition, with regions gained between 1601 and 1766 highlighted in shades of yellow, brown, and red, mainly along the eastern and southeastern borders with the Spanish Netherlands, Holy Roman Empire, Switzerland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. Major cities and neighboring countries are labeled for reference.

French expansion, 1600–1766

French expansion, 1600–1766.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nicolas de Largillière: Louis XIV and His Family

Louis XIV and His Family, oil painting by Nicolas de Largillière, 1711;...

Reproduced by permission of the trustees of the Wallace Collection, London; photograph, J.R. Freeman & Co. Ltd.

French dramatist Jean Racine

Jean Racine, oil on canvas by Jean-Baptiste Santerre, 1698–1750; in the Museum...

René Descartes

Philosopher and mathematician René Descartes.

National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland

Voltaire

French philosopher and author Voltaire.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, drawing in pastels by Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, 1753; in...

Courtesy of the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva; photograph, Jean Arlaud

Louis XVI

Louis XVI, oil on canvas by Antoine-François Callet, 1786; in the Musée Carnavalet,...

Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris (P2174)

Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun: portrait of Marie-Antoinette

Marie-Antoinette, painting by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 18th century; in the Versailles...

Jacques-Louis David: Oath of the Horatii

Oath of the Horatii, oil on canvas by Jacques-Louis David, 1784, in the...

Fine Art Images—Heritage Images/Getty Images

Map of France before 1789 showing the historical provinces, each labeled with its name, such as Normandy, Brittany, Burgundy, Provence, and Ile-de-France. The map outlines the provincial boundaries and includes neighboring regions like England, Spain, Switzerland, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia, as well as the island of Corsica inset at lower right. Major cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Versailles are marked.

Gouvernements before 1789

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of France showing the revolutionary departments established after 1789, each labeled with its historical name and outlined within the national borders. Neighboring countries and bodies of water, such as England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Atlantic Ocean, are also marked, with an inset highlighting the departments of Corsica.

Revolutionary départements after 1789

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Louis XVI: Execution by guillotine

The execution of Louis XVI in 1793.

PRISMA ARCHIVO/Alamy

Painting by Jacques-Louis David showing Emperor Napoleon standing in his study at the Tuileries, dressed in a military uniform, with papers and a clock behind him.

Napoleon I, portrait by Jacques-Louis David

Napoleon in His Study, by Jacques-Louis David, 1812; in the National Gallery...

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.9.15

Europe in 1812

Europe in 1812.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Louis XVIII

Louis XVIII, painting by Robert Lefèvre.

François Guizot

François Guizot, 1855.

Digital image courtesy of Getty's Open Content Program. J. Paul Getty Museum (Object no. 84.XB.318.2.2)

Napoleon III

Napoleon III, detail of a portrait by Hippolyte Flandrin; in the Versailles Museum.

H. Roger-Viollet

Léon Gambetta

Léon Gambetta, photograph by Étienne Carjat.

J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California (84.XP.1032.10), www.getty.edu.

Joseph-Jacques-Césaire Joffre

Joseph-Jacques-Césaire Joffre, detail of a portrait by H. Jacquier, 1915.

H. Roger-Viollet

Great Victory Parade

Parade celebrating Bastille Day and the end of World War I, Paris, July 14, 1919.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Antique map of Paris and its surrounding areas from around 1900, with the city center shaded in pink and major roads, railways, and neighboring towns labeled. The map details the layout of Paris and nearby suburbs, showing rivers, parks, and key transportation routes.

map of Paris c. 1900

Map of Paris, c. 1900, from the 10th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

François Mitterrand

François Mitterrand.

SPC 5 James Cavalier/U.S. Department of Defense

Edith Cresson

Edith Cresson, 2007.

Jef-Infojef

Jacques Chirac

Jacques Chirac, 2006.

Marcello Casal Jr/ABr

Marine Le Pen

French politician Marine Le Pen, 2017.

Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images

François Hollande

François Hollande, 2012.

Charlie Hebdo

The website of the satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo on January 7,...

Large crowd gathered at Place de la Republique in Paris, standing in silence around a monument covered with flowers, candles, and tributes honoring victims of the 2015 Paris attacks.

Paris attacks of 2015

People observing a minute of silence at the Place de la République on November 26,...

Emmanuel Macron

French Pres. Emmanuel Macron, 2017.

AP/REX/Shutterstock

Notre-Dame Cathedral: 2019 fire

Flames and smoke rising from Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, on April 15, 2019.

Cedric Herpson—AP/Shutterstock.com

Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre, photograph by Gisèle Freund, 1968.

Gisele Freund

Ajaccio

The harbour of Ajaccio, Corsica, France.

Badges

Italian, Welsh, French, and English badges are represented by the knot of the royal...

Drawing by Wm. A. Norman, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

European Union

Map of Europe with European Union member states.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Historical Flag: French

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Audio

National anthem of France

The instrumental version of the national anthem of France.

Interactives

France: Ethnic composition

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France: Religious affiliation

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France: Urban-rural

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France: Immigrant population admitted

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France: Age breakdown

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France: Population density

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France: Breakdown of renewable energy by source

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France: Major import sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

France: Major export destinations

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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France: Media

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