France (Twilight of a New Era)

France, officially the French Republic (French: République française), is a state in Western Europe with several overseas colonies, territories and islands located in Africa, Asia and America and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. The territories outside Metropolitan France are part of the French Union.

European Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered (clockwise starting from the northeast) by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Monaco; with Spain and Andorra to the south. It also include Overseas Departments of Algeria, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

France is linked to the United Kingdom by the Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the English Channel.