France

Metropolitan France: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain French Guiana: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname Guadeloupe: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico Martinique: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Mayotte: Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about halfway between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique Reunion: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E French Guiana: 4 00 N, 53 00 W Guadeloupe: 16 15 N, 61 35 W Martinique: 14 40 N, 61 00 W Mayotte: 12 50 S, 45 10 E Reunion: 21 06 S, 55 36 E

Metropolitan France: Europe French Guiana: South America Guadeloupe: Central America and the Caribbean Martinique: Central America and the Caribbean Mayotte: Africa Reunion: World

643,801 sq km ; 551,500 sq km (metropolitan France)

640,427 sq km ; 549,970 sq km (metropolitan France)

3,374 sq km ; 1,530 sq km (metropolitan France)

Slightly more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly less than the size of Texas

3,956 km

Andorra 55 km; Belgium 556 km; Germany 418 km; Italy 476 km; Luxembourg 69 km; Monaco 6 km; Spain 646 km; Switzerland 525 km

2751 km

1205 km

4,853 km

12 nm

24 nm

200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean Sea)

200m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as the mistral

Metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east French Guiana: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin Martinique: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano Mayotte: generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Mont Blanc 4,810

Rhone River delta -2 m

375 m

Metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, arable land, fish; French Guiana: gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay

52.5% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 31.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 1.9% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 19.2% (2023 est.)

32.7% (2023 est.)

15% (2023 est.)

14,236 sq km (2020)

Lake Geneva (shared with Switzerland) - 580 sq km

Rhin (Rhine) (shared with Switzerland [s], Germany, and Netherlands [m]) - 1,233 km; Loire - 1,012 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Loire (115,282 sq km), Seine (78,919 sq km), Rhine-Maas (198,735 sq km), (Adriatic Sea) Po (76,997 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Rhone (100,543 sq km)

Paris Basin

Much of the population is concentrated in the north and southeast; although there are many urban agglomerations throughout the country, Paris is by far the largest city, with Lyon ranked a distant second

Metropolitan France: flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south overseas departments: hurricanes (cyclones); flooding volcanism: Montagne Pelée (1,394 m) on the island of Martinique in the Caribbean is the most active volcano of the Lesser Antilles arc, although it last erupted in 1932; a catastrophic eruption in 1902 destroyed the city of St. Pierre, killing an estimated 30,000 people; La Soufrière (1,467 m) on the island of Guadeloupe has also had explosive eruptions in recent years

Largest Western European nation; most major French rivers -- the Meuse, Seine, Loire, Charente, Dordogne, and Garonne -- flow northward or westward into the Atlantic Ocean, only the Rhone flows southward into the Mediterranean Sea

68,512,806 (2025 est.)

33,627,639

34,885,167

Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)

French

Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African (Algerian, Moroccan, Tunisian), Indochinese, Basque minorities

French (official) 100%, declining regional dialects and languages (Provençal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish, Occitan, Picard)

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Roman Catholic 47%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 2%, Buddhist 2%, Orthodox 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, none 33%, unspecified 9% (2021 est.)

17.3% (male 6,060,087/female 5,792,805)

60.7% (male 20,875,861/female 20,615,847)

22% (2024 est.) (male 6,621,146/female 8,408,845)

65.2 (2025 est.)

28.4 (2025 est.)

36.8 (2025 est.)

2.7 (2025 est.)

42.7 years (2025 est.)

41 years

44.2 years

0.2% (2025 est.)

10.88 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.91 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Much of the population is concentrated in the north and southeast; although there are many urban agglomerations throughout the country, Paris is by far the largest city, with Lyon ranked a distant second

81.8% of total population (2023)

0.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

11.208 million PARIS (capital), 1.761 million Lyon, 1.628 million Marseille-Aix-en-Provence, 1.079 million Lille, 1.060 million Toulouse, 1.000 million Bordeaux (2023)

1.05 male(s)/female

1.05 male(s)/female

1.01 male(s)/female

0.79 male(s)/female

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

28.9 years (2020 est.)

7 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

3.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

3.4 deaths/1,000 live births

2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

82.6 years (2024 est.)

79.8 years

85.5 years

1.9 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.93 (2025 est.)

Urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

12.3% of GDP (2021)

15.3% of national budget (2022 est.)

3.28 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

6 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

21.6% (2016)

11.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

2.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

6.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

2.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

28.9% (2025 est.)

30.7% (2025 est.)

27.3% (2025 est.)

54.9% (2020 est.)

5.3% of GDP (2022 est.)

9.1% national budget (2022 est.)

16 years (2022 est.)

16 years (2022 est.)

17 years (2022 est.)

Air pollution and acid rain from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

None of the selected agreements

Metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as the mistral

52.5% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 31.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 1.9% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 19.2% (2023 est.)

32.7% (2023 est.)

15% (2023 est.)

81.8% of total population (2023)

0.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

303.779 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

25.355 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

209.4 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

69.025 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

232 kt (2022-2024 est.)

1,496.1 kt (2019-2021 est.)

550.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)

37.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)

36.749 million tons (2024 est.)

31.6% (2022 est.)

5.271 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

16.641 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

2.515 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

211 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

9 (2024)

Armorique; Beaujolais; Causses du Quersey; Chablais; Haute-Provence; Luberon; Massif des Bauges; Monts d'Ardèche; Normandie-Maine (2024)

French Republic

France

République française

France

Derives from the Latin name Francia, meaning "Land of the Franks"; the Franks were a group of Germanic tribes located along the middle and lower Rhine River in the 3rd century A.D.; the origin of the tribal name is unclear but may come from the Old German word franka, meaning "brave," or from a personal name such as Francio or Francus

Semi-presidential republic

Paris

48 52 N, 2 20 E

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Applies to metropolitan France only; for its overseas regions the time difference is UTC-4 for Guadeloupe and Martinique, UTC-3 for French Guiana, UTC+3 for Mayotte, and UTC+4 for Reunion

Name derives from the Parisii, a Celtic tribe that inhabited the area from the 3rd century B.C.; the Celtic settlement became the Roman town of Lutetia Parisiorum (Lutetia of the Parisii); over subsequent centuries it became Parisium and then Paris

18 regions (régions, singular - région); Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Bretagne (Brittany), Centre-Val de Loire (Center-Loire Valley), Corse (Corsica), Grand Est (Grand East), Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Hauts-de-France (Upper France), Ile-de-France, Martinique, Mayotte, Normandie (Normandy), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (New Aquitaine), Occitanie (Occitania), Pays de la Loire (Lands of the Loire), Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Réunion

Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna (8)

Civil law; review of administrative but not legislative acts

Many previous; latest effective 4 October 1958

Proposed by the president of the republic (upon recommendation of the prime minister and Parliament) or by Parliament; proposals submitted by Parliament members require passage by both houses followed by approval in a referendum; passage of proposals submitted by the government can bypass a referendum if submitted by the president to Parliament and passed by at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament’s National Assembly

Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

No

At least one parent must be a citizen of France

Yes

5 years

18 years of age; universal

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017)

Sébastien LECORNU (since 10 September 2025)

Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister

President directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president

10 April 2022, with a runoff held on 24 April 2022

2022: Emmanuel MACRON reelected in second round; percent of vote in first round - Emmanuel MACRON (LREM) 27.8%, Marine LE PEN (RN) 23.2%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (LFI) 22%, Eric ZEMMOUR (Reconquête) 7.1%, Valerie PECRESSE (LR) 4.8%, Yannick JADOT (EELV) 4.6%, other 10.6%; percent of vote in second round - MACRON 58.5%, LE PEN 41.5% 2017: Emmanuel MACRON elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Emmanuel MACRON (EM) 24%, Marine LE PEN (FN) 21.3%, Francois FILLON (LR) 20%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (FI) 19.6%, Benoit HAMON (PS) 6.4%, other 8.7%; percent of vote in second round - MACRON 66.1%, LE PEN 33.9%

April 2027

Parliament (Parlement)

Bicameral

National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)

577 (all directly elected)

Plurality/majority

Full renewal

5 years

9/24/2023

New Popular Front (NFP)/UG (178); Ensemble (presidential majority) (150); National Rally (RN) (125); The Republicans (LR) (39); Other (85)

36.2%

June 2029

Senate (Sénat)

348 (all indirectly elected)

Partial renewal

6 years

6/30/2024 to 7/7/2024

37.1%

September 2026

Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (consists of the court president, 6 divisional presiding judges, 120 trial judges, and 70 deputy judges organized into 6 divisions -- 3 civil, 1 commercial, 1 labor, and 1 criminal); Constitutional Council (consists of 9 members)

Court of Cassation judges appointed by the president of the republic from nominations from the High Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the Court of Cassation and 15 appointed members; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Council has 3 members appointed by the president of the republic and 3 each by the National Assembly and Senate presidents; members serve 9-year, non-renewable terms with one third of the membership renewed every 3 years

Appellate courts or cours d'appel; regional courts or tribunaux judiciaires; first instance courts or tribunaux de proximité; administrative courts

Citizen and Republican Movement or MRC Debout la France or DLF Democratic Movement or MoDem Ensemble or ENS (electoral coalition including RE, MoDem, Horizons, PRV, UDI) The Ecologists - the Greens or EELV French Communist Party or PCF Horizons La France Insoumise or FI Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories or LIOT Movement of Progressives or MDP National Rally or RN (formerly National Front or FN) New Democrats or LND (formerly Ecology Democracy Solidarity or EDS) New Popular Front or NFP (electoral coalition including FI, EELV, PS, PCF) Radical Party of the Left or PRV Reconquete or REC Renaissance or RE Résistons! Socialist Party or PS The Republicans or LR Union of Democrats and Independents or UDI Union of Far Right or UXD (electoral coalition of LR, RN)

Ambassador Laurent BILI (since 19 April 2023)

4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

[1] (202) 944-6000

[1] (202) 944-6166

Info@ambafrance-us.org https://franceintheus.org/

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco

Ambassador Charles KUSHNER (since 11 July 2025); note - also accredited to Monaco

2 avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris

9200 Paris Place, Washington DC 20521-9200

[33] (1) 43-12-22-22, [33] (1) 42-66-97-83

[33] (1) 42-66-97-83

Citizeninfo@state.gov https://fr.usembassy.gov/

Marseille, Strasbourg

Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, FZ, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

No official date of independence: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 August 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14 July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 September 1792 (First French Republic established); 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established)

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

Description: three equal vertical bands of blue (left side), white, and red history: known as the le tricolore (tricolor), the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution, when the traditional color of white was combined with the blue and red of the Paris militia; for the first four years of the flag's use (1790-94), the order of colors was reversed (red-white-blue)

Gallic rooster, fleur-de-lis, Marianne (female personification of the country)

Blue, white, red

"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)

Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle

Adopted 1795, restored 1870; acquired its name when the National Guard of Marseille sang the song while marching into Paris in 1792 during the French Revolution; one of the most recognized anthems in the world

54 (46 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed); note - includes one site in New Caledonia and one site in French Polynesia

Chartres Cathedral (c); Palace and Park of Versailles (c); Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay (c); Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley (c); Pyrénées - Mont Perdu (m); Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay (c); Paris, Banks of the Seine (c); The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes (c); Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct) (c); Amiens Cathedral (c); Palace and Park of Fontainebleau (c); Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne (c); The Maison Carrée of Nîmes (c); Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve (Corsica) (n); Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan (c)

High-income, advanced EU economy and eurozone member; strong tourism, aircraft manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and industrial sectors; high public debt; ongoing pension reform efforts; transitioning to a green economy via "France 2030" strategy

$3.732 trillion (2024 est.)

$3.689 trillion (2023 est.)

$3.655 trillion (2022 est.)

1.2% (2024 est.)

0.9% (2023 est.)

2.6% (2022 est.)

$54,500 (2024 est.)

$54,000 (2023 est.)

$53,700 (2022 est.)

$3.162 trillion (2024 est.)

2% (2024 est.)

4.9% (2023 est.)

5.2% (2022 est.)

1.4% (2024 est.)

17.5% (2024 est.)

70.4% (2024 est.)

53.4% (2023 est.)

23.1% (2023 est.)

23.1% (2023 est.)

0.1% (2023 est.)

34.3% (2023 est.)

-36.3% (2023 est.)

Wheat, sugar beets, milk, maize, barley, potatoes, grapes, rapeseed, pork, sunflower seeds (2023)

Machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles, food processing, tourism

0.7% (2024 est.)

31.725 million (2024 est.)

7.4% (2024 est.)

7.4% (2023 est.)

7.4% (2022 est.)

16.6% (2024 est.)

17.1% (2024 est.)

16% (2024 est.)

15.6% (2021 est.)

31.2 (2022 est.)

12.6% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

3.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

3% (2022 est.)

24.6% (2022 est.)

1.2% of GDP (2024 est.)

1.2% of GDP (2023 est.)

1.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

$1.29 trillion (2023 est.)

$1.447 trillion (2023 est.)

98.5% of GDP (2023 est.)

23.1% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

$12.382 billion (2024 est.)

-$30.334 billion (2023 est.)

-$33.069 billion (2022 est.)

$1.071 trillion (2024 est.)

$1.05 trillion (2023 est.)

$1.021 trillion (2022 est.)

Germany 11%, Italy 9%, USA 8%, Belgium 8%, Spain 7% (2023)

Aircraft, cars, packaged medicine, gas turbines, vehicle parts/accessories (2023)

$1.074 trillion (2024 est.)

$1.094 trillion (2023 est.)

$1.092 trillion (2022 est.)

Germany 15%, Belgium 11%, Netherlands 9%, Spain 8%, Italy 8% (2023)

Cars, natural gas, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, garments (2023)

$282.857 billion (2024 est.)

$240.792 billion (2023 est.)

$242.416 billion (2022 est.)

Euros (EUR) per US dollar -

0.924 (2024 est.)

0.925 (2023 est.)

0.95 (2022 est.)

0.845 (2021 est.)

0.876 (2020 est.)

100% (2022 est.)

151.463 million kW (2023 est.)

415.542 billion kWh (2023 est.)

76.207 billion kWh (2023 est.)

25.107 billion kWh (2023 est.)

35.282 billion kWh (2023 est.)

7.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

63.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

4.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

10.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

10.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

2.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

57 (2025)

61.37GW (2025 est.)

64.8% (2023 est.)

14 (2025)

2.157 million metric tons (2023 est.)

12.57 million metric tons (2023 est.)

64,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

10.347 million metric tons (2023 est.)

160 million metric tons (2023 est.)

80,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

1.536 million bbl/day (2024 est.)

61.719 million barrels (2021 est.)

17.928 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

33.238 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

13.584 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

46.909 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

7.787 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

123.526 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

37.3 million (2023 est.)

56 (2023 est.)

77.5 million (2023 est.)

117 (2023 est.)

A mix of both publicly operated and privately owned TV stations; state-owned TV stations operate 4 networks and have part-interest in several thematic cable/satellite channels and international channels; large number of privately owned regional and local TV stations; multi-channel satellite and cable services; public broadcaster Radio France operates 7 national networks, a series of regional networks, and services for overseas territories and foreign audiences; Radio France Internationale, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a leading international broadcaster; large number of commercial FM stations

Metropolitan France - .fr; French Guiana - .gf; Guadeloupe - .gp; Martinique - .mq; Mayotte - .yt; Reunion - .re

87% (2023 est.)

32.3 million (2023 est.)

49 (2023 est.)

F

1,218 (2025)

405 (2025)

27,860 km (2020) 16,660 km electrified

-5 km

553 (2023)

Container ship 32, general cargo 48, oil tanker 25, other 448

66 (2024)

6

12

22

26

31

Bayonne, Bordeaux, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Dunkerque Port Est, Dunkerque Port Ouest, La Pallice, La Rochelle, Les Sables d'Olonne, Lorient, Montoir, Nantes, Le Havre, Rouen, Rade de Brest, Rade de Cherbourg, Rochefort, St. Nazaire, Toulon

Begun in 1988 and completed in 1994, the Channel Tunnel (nicknamed the Chunnel) is a 50.5-km (31.4-mi) rail tunnel under the English Channel at the Strait of Dover; it runs from Folkestone, Kent, in England to Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, in northern France and is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and mainland Europe

French Armed Forces (Forces Armées Françaises): Army (l'Armee de Terre; includes Foreign Legion), Navy (Marine Nationale), Air and Space Force (l'Armee de l’Air et de l’Espace); includes Air Defense), National Guard (Garde Nationale), National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale) (2025)

2.1% of GDP (2025 est.)

2% of GDP (2024 est.)

1.9% of GDP (2023 est.)

1.9% of GDP (2022 est.)

1.9% of GDP (2021 est.)

Approximately 200,000 active duty Armed Forces; approximately 150,000 National Gendarmerie; approximately 80,000 National Guard (2025)

The French military's inventory consists mostly of domestically produced weapons systems, including some jointly produced with other European countries; there is a smaller mix of armaments from other Western countries, particularly the US; France has a large and sophisticated defense industry capable of manufacturing the full spectrum of air, land, and naval military weapons systems (2025)

Generally 17-30 years of age for both men and women with some variations by service, position, and enlisted versus officer; 17-40 for National Gendarmerie; basic service contract is for 12 months; no conscription (abolished 2001) (2025)

France typically has up to 30,000 total air, ground, and naval forces deployed on permanent or temporary foreign missions; up to 10,000 are permanently deployed, including Djibouti (1,500); French Guyana (2,600); French Polynesia (1,000); French West Indies (1,000); Reunion Island (2,100); UAE (800) other non-permanent deployments include military missions under NATO, the EU, and the UN, as well as some unilateral operations, in such places as Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and adjacent waters (2025)

The French military has a global footprint and a wide range of missions and responsibilities, to include protecting French territory, population, and interests, and fulfilling France’s commitments to NATO, European security, and international peacekeeping operations under the UN; it is the largest military in the EU and has a leading role in the EU security framework, as well as in NATO; in recent years, it has actively participated in coalition peacekeeping and other security operations in regions such as Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, often in a lead role; the military regularly conducts large-scale exercises and participates in a variety of bi-lateral and multinational exercises; it also has a domestic security mission, including providing enhanced security at sensitive sites and large events and support during national crises or disasters, such as fighting forest fires; in recent years, defense responsibilities have expanded to include cyber and space domains in 2010, France and the UK signed a declaration on defense and security cooperation that included greater military interoperability and a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), a deployable, combined Anglo-French military force for use in a wide range of crisis scenarios, including high intensity operations, peacekeeping, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance; the CJEF has no standing forces, but would be available at short notice for French-UK bilateral, NATO, EU, UN, or other operations (2025)

National Center for Space Studies (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, CNES; established 1961) (2025)

Guiana Space Center (Kourou, French Guiana; also serves as the spaceport for the ESA); note – prior to the completion of the Guiana Space Center in 1969, France launched rockets from Algeria (2025)

Has one of Europe’s largest space programs and is one of the top contributors to the ESA; has independent capabilities in all areas, except for autonomous manned space flight; can build, launch, and operate a range of space/satellite launch vehicles (SLVs) and spacecraft, including exploratory probes and a full spectrum of satellites; shifted astronaut training to ESA in 2001; hosts the ESA headquarters and its space launch facility; participates in international space programs such as the Square Kilometer Array radio telescope and International Space Station; works with a broad range of space agencies and commercial space companies, including those of China, Egypt, individual ESA and EU member countries, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Russia, the UAE, the US, and several African countries; has a large commercial space sector involved in satellite construction and payloads, launch capabilities, and a range of other space-related capabilities and technologies (2025)

Early 1960s - began rocket program and launched animals into space 1965 - launched first domestically produced satellite (Asterix) into space on a French Diamant rocket (third country to do so after the Soviet Union and US) 1973 - began development of Ariane heavy-lift satellite launch vehicle (SLV) along with other European states, particularly Germany and the UK; Ariane would become the ESA's SLV 1970s-1990s - development of a space plane/shuttle program (Hermes) 1982 - first French astronaut into space on a Soviet rocket 1986 - launched first joint European Earth observation/remote sensing program (SPOT) 2018 - launched project (Spaceship FR) to lay the groundwork for robotic and crewed missions to the Moon and Mars 2024 - debut launch of Ariane-6 SLV; claimed world's first satellite to ground communications via laser

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); al-Qa'ida

810,325 (2024 est.)

59 (2024 est.)

2,634 (2024 est.)