Internet country code International dialling code Time zone Licence plate code .fr +33 0 F

France is located in western Europe between the North Sea in the North, the river Rhine in the East, the Mediterranean Sea in the South and the Atlantic Ocean in the West. Its capital is Paris, and oversea territories in other continents also belong to France. In 2004 France was the fifth-largest economy in the world. As a member of the European Union France is the land with the largest land area. So there are several types of landscapes from the Sea to the Alps, with the highest point in Europe the Mont Blanc (4810 m). The Loire, The Rhone, the Garonne and the Seine are the biggest rivers.

France is divided in 26 regions and subdivided into 100 departments. France's motto "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite" was first used as the rebels' slogan during the French Revolution in 1789. France is a democracy. The economy is split into private enterprise and substantial government intervention in key segments of infrastructure sectors like railway, electricity, aircraft and telecommunication. France's aerospace industry is important and has its own national spaceport (Centre Spatial Guyanais).

In 2003 France had more than 75 million tourists and was the number one tourist destination in the world. France includes cities of cultural interest such as Paris, beaches on three different Seas with various climates, ski resorts and rural regions. Besides the official language French you can find many regional languages, like dialects. Important cities are Aix-en-Provence, Besancon, Bordeaux, Calais, Cannes, Dijon, Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Paris, Strasbourg and Toulouse. But the most popular city is Paris which is home to numerous historical buildings, monuments and museums.

The Mont Saint Michel in the English Channel is the most visited sight in France. After that famous sights are the Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Palace of Versailles, the Disneyland Resort Paris, the chateaux of the Loire Valley, the ski resorts in the French Alps and the overseas destinations Tahiti and the lagoons of French Polynesia.

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