France has borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Andorra and Monaco. In total, France covers 545,630 sq km of land and 1,400 sq km of water. That makes France the largest west European nation. The country has a long shoreline, e.g. the Bay of Biscay, the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea. France also has a large number of overseas dependencies, the most important of these being Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guyana, Réunion and French Polynesia.
- Coastline: 3,427 km
- Lowest point: Rhone River delta -2m
- Highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807m
- Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorospar, gypsum, timber and fish
- Climate: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean coast
- Main rivers: the Rhône, the Loire, the Seine and the Garonne
