Geography of France

[Rick Rodriguez]

France is considered to be a large nation because of its total area. Its total land area is 643,801 km² (approx. 248,572 mi²). Continental shelf of France is approximately 389,422 km² (around 150,356 mi²). France is located in Europe. Europe is a continent whose borders date back to the period of antiquity. European countries include, but are not limited to, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Malta, and The Vatican. France has 8 neighbouring countries. Its neighbours include Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, Switzerland. France is not a landlocked country. It means that is is bordered by at least one major body of water. The average elevation range of France is 375 m (1,230 ft).

Neighbors

Total length of land borders of France is 2751 kilometers (~1,062 miles). France has 10 unique land boundaries with neigbouring territories and it shares its land borders with 8 different countries. France has 2 non-contiguous sections of land borders. This happens, when a country has a border with a neighbour, and this border is split by a border with another neighbour. France has 8 neighbouring countries. Its neighbours include Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, and Switzerland. The lengths of the land borders of France with its neighbouring countries are as follows:

• Andorra - 56.6 km (35 mi),
• Belgium - 620 km (385 mi),
• Germany - 451 km (280 mi),
• Italy - 488 km (303 mi),
• Luxembourg - 73 km (45 mi),
• Monaco - 4.4 km (2 mi),
• Spain - 623 km (387 mi),
• Switzerland - 573 km (356 mi).

Cities

The capital city of France is Paris. The largest city in France is Paris.

Elevation

The average elevation range of France is 375 m (1,230 ft). The highest point of France is Mont Blanc, with its official height being 4810 m (15,782 ft). The lowest point of France is Les Moëres. It lies at -4 m (-13 ft), i.e. below the sea level. The elevation difference between the highest (Mont Blanc) and lowest (Les Moëres) points of France is 4814 m (2 ft).

Area

The total land area of France is 643,801 km² (approx. 248,572 mi²). and the total exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is 11,691,900 km² (~4,514,247 mi²). The continental shelf of France is approximately 389,422 km² (around 150,356 mi²). Including land mass and EEZ, the total area of France is approximately 12,335,701 km² (~4,762,819 mi²). France is considered to be a large nation because of its total area.

Forest and arable land

246,640 km² of France's territory is covered in forests, and forest land comprises 38% of all the land in the country. There are 214,162 km² of arable land in France, and it comprises 33% of the country's total territory.