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France. France, in Western Europe, encompasses medieval and port cities, tranquil villages, mountains and Mediterranean beaches.

Paris, its capital, is known worldwide for its couture fashion houses, classical art museums including the ouvre and monuments likethe Eiffel !ower. !he countr" is also renowned for its sophisticated cuisine and its wines. ascau#$s ancient cave drawings, "on$s%oman theater and the immense Palace of &ersailles are testaments to its long histor".

France '   i (fra ns(ː ) French* +f sʁɑ  '  listen--, officiall" the French Republic 'French* République française-,+note 1 is a sovereign

statecomprising territor" in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories.+note 1/ Metropolitan France e#tends

from theMediterranean 0ea to the English hannel and the 2orth 0ea, and from the %hine to the  3tlantic 4cean) France

covers 5/6,578 square kilometres '9/7,5: sq mi- and has a population of 55.5 million. ;t is a unitar" semi<

presidential republic. !he capital of France is Paris, the countr"=s largest cit" and the main cultural and commercial center.

!he onstitution of France establishes the state as secular  and democratic, with its sovereignt" derived from the people.

>uring the ;ron 3ge, what is now France was inhabited b" the ?auls, a eltic people. !he ?auls were conquered b"

the %oman Empire in @1 A, which held ?aul until /:5. !he ?allo<%omans faced raids and migration from

the ?ermanic Franks, who dominated the region for hundreds of "ears, eventuall" creating the medieval Bingdom of

France. France has been a maCor power in Europe since the ate Middle 3ges, with its victor" in the Dundred ears=

War  '17 to 1/@- strengthening French state<buildingand paving the wa" for a future centralied absolute monarch".

>uring the %enaissance, France e#perienced a vast cultural development and established the first steps of a

worldwide colonial empire. !he 15th centur" was dominated b" religious civilwarsbetween atholics and Protestants 'Duguenots-.

ouis G;& made France the dominant cultural, political and militar" power in Europe, but b" the late 1:th centur", the

monarch" was overthrown in the French %evolution. 4ne legac" of the revolution was the Declaration of the Rights of

Man and of the Citizen, one of the world=s earliest documents on human rights, which e#presses the nation=s ideals to this

da". France was governed as one of histor"=s earliest %epublics until the Empire was declared b" 2apoleon, who

dominated European affairs and had a long<lasting impact on Western culture. Following his defeat, France endured a

tumultuous succession of governments* an absolute monarch" was restored, replaced in 1:6 b" a constitutional

monarch", then briefl" b" a 0econd %epublic, and then b" a 0econd Empire, until a more lasting French !hird

%epublic was established in 1:76.

France=s colonial empire reached the height of global prominence during the 18th and earl" 96th centuries, when it

possessed thesecond<largest colonial empire in the world.+7 ;n World War ;, France was one of the main winners as part of

the !riple Ententepowers fighting against ?erman" and the entral Powers. France was also one of the 3llied

Powers in World War ;;, but it wasoccupied b" 2ai ?erman" in 18/6. Following liberation in 18//, a Fourth %epublic was

established and later dissolved in the course of the 3lgerian War . !he Fifth %epublic, led b" harles de ?aulle, came into

being in 18@: and continues to operate toda". ;n the era of decoloniation, most of the French colonial empire became

independent after the 0econd World War.

!hroughout its long histor", France has produced man" influential artists, thinkers, and scientists, and remains a

prominent global center of culture. ;t hosts the world=s fourth<largest number of cultural H2E04 World Deritage

0ites and receives around : million foreign tourists annuall"Ithe most of an" countr" in the world.+: France remains

a great power with significant cultural, economic,militar", and political influence in Europe and around the world.+8 ;t isa developed countr" with the world=s fifth(si#th<largest econom" b" nominal ?>P and tenth<largest b" purchasing power

parit".+16 ;n terms of total household wealth, France is the wealthiest nation in Europe and fourth in the world.+11 ;t also

possesses the world=s second<largest e#clusive economic one 'EEJ-, covering 11,6@,666 square kilometres

'/,951,666 sq mi-.+19

French citiens enCo" a high standard of living, and the countr" performs well in international rankings of education, health

care, life e#pectanc", civil liberties, and human development.+1+1/ France is a founding member of the Hnited 2ations, 

where it serves as one of the five permanent members of the H2 0ecurit" ouncil. ;t is a member of numerous

international institutions, including the?roup of 7, 2orth 3tlantic !reat" 4rganiation '23!4-, 4rganisation for Economic

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o<operation and >evelopment '4E>-, theWorld !rade 4rganiation 'W!4-, and a Francophonie. France is

a founding and leading member state of the EH.+1@