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| label1 = Nationality {{Nobold|(2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=L'essentiel sur... les immigrés et les étrangers |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3633212 |website=[[Insee]] |access-date=9 September 2023 |archive-date=26 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626142004/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3633212 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| data1 = {{Unbulleted list|92.2% [[French people|French]]|7.8% [[Demographics of France|other]]}}}}
| religion_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=État des lieux de la laïcité en France |url=https://www.info.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/contenu/piece-jointe/2021/02/etat_des_lieux_de_la_laicite_en_france._viavoice_-_observatoire_de_la_laicite._2021.pdf |website=www.info.gouv.fr}}</ref>
| religion_year =
| religion = {{unbulleted list
|50% [[Christianity]]
{{Tree list}}
** 47% [[Roman Catholicism]]
** 3% Other [[Christians|Christian]]
{{Tree list/end}}
|33% [[Irreligion]]
|4% [[Islam]]
|2% [[Buddhism]]
|1% [[Judaism]]
|9% Undeclared
|1% Other religions}}
| demonym = French
| government_type = Unitary [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential republic]]
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}}
'''France''',{{efn|{{IPA|fr|fʁɑ̃s|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Fhala.K-France.wav}}<!-- Do not add English pronunciation per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead Section]]. -->}} officially the '''French Republic''',{{efn|{{Lang-fr|link=no|République française}} {{IPA|fr|ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz|}}}} is a country located primarily in [[Western Europe]].
Metropolitan France was settled during the [[Iron Age]] by [[List of ancient Celtic peoples and tribes|Celtic tribes]] known as [[Gauls]] before [[Roman Gaul|Rome annexed the area]] in 51 BC, leading to a distinct [[Gallo-Roman culture]]. In the [[Early Middle Ages]], the [[Franks]] formed the Kingdom of [[Francia]], which became the heartland of the [[Carolingian Empire]]. The [[Treaty of Verdun]] of 843 partitioned the empire, with [[West Francia]] evolving into the [[Kingdom of France]]. In the [[High Middle Ages]], France was a powerful but decentralized [[Feudalism|feudal]] kingdom, but from the mid-14th to the mid-15th centuries, France was plunged into a dynastic conflict with [[Kingdom of England|England]] known as the [[Hundred Years' War]]. In the 16th century, the [[French Renaissance]] saw culture flourish and a [[French colonial empire]] rise.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UX8aeX_Lbi4C&pg=PA1 |title=Memory, Empire, and Postcolonialism: Legacies of French Colonialism |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7391-0821-5 |editor-last=Hargreaves, Alan G. |page=1}}</ref> Internally, France was dominated by the conflict with the [[House of Habsburg]] and the [[French Wars of Religion]] between [[Catholics]] and [[Huguenots]]. France was successful in the [[Thirty Years' War]] and further increased its influence during the reign of [[Louis XIV]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=R.R. Palmer |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernw00palm |title=A History of the Modern World |last2=Joel Colton |year=1978 |edition=5th |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernw00palm/page/161 161] |url-access=registration}}</ref>
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France retains its centuries-long status as a global centre [[French art|of art]], [[Science and technology in France|science]], and [[French philosophy|philosophy]]. [[List of World Heritage Sites in France|It hosts]] the [[World Heritage Sites by country|fourth-largest]] number of [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]s and is the [[World Tourism rankings|world's leading tourist destination]], receiving 100 million foreign [[Tourism in France|visitors in 2023]].<ref name="tourism.stat"/> France is a [[developed country]] with a [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|high nominal per capita income globally]], and [[Economy of France|its advanced economy]] ranks among the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|largest in the world]]. It is a [[great power]],<ref>Jack S. Levy, ''War in the Modern Great Power System, 1495–1975'', (2014) p. 29</ref> being one of the five [[permanent members of the United Nations Security Council]] and an official [[List of states with nuclear weapons|nuclear-weapon state]]. France is a [[Inner Six|founding]] and [[Big Four (Western Europe)|leading]] member of the [[European Union]] and the [[eurozone]],<ref name="superficy" /> as well as a member of the [[Group of Seven]], [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO), [[OECD|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), and [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|Francophonie]].
==Etymology
{{Main|Name of France}}
Originally applied to the whole [[Francia|Frankish Empire]], the name ''France'' comes from the [[Latin]] {{Lang|la|[[Francia]]}}, or "realm of the [[Franks]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of France |url=http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/History/DF_history.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824051936/http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/History/DF_history.shtml |archive-date=24 August 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011 |publisher=Discoverfrance.net}}</ref> The [[name of the Franks]] is related to the English word ''frank'' ("free"): the latter stems from the [[Old French]] {{Lang|ang|franc}} ("free, noble, sincere"), and ultimately from the [[Medieval Latin]] word ''francus'' ("free, exempt from service; freeman, Frank"), a generalisation of the tribal name that emerged as a [[Late Latin]] borrowing of the reconstructed [[Frankish language|Frankish]] [[Endonym and exonym|endonym]] {{Lang|frk|*Frank}}.<ref>Examples: {{Cite encyclopedia |title=frank |encyclopedia=American Heritage Dictionary}} {{Cite encyclopedia|title=frank|encyclopedia=Webster's Third New International Dictionary}} And so on.</ref><ref name=":0" /> It has been suggested that the meaning "free" was adopted because, after the conquest of [[Gaul]], only Franks were free of taxation,<ref>{{Cite book |first=Michel |last=Rouche |title=A History of Private Life: From Pagan Rome to Byzantium |publisher=Belknap Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-674-39974-7 |editor-first=Paul |editor-last=Veyne |page=425 |chapter=The Early Middle Ages in the West |oclc=59830199}}</ref> or more generally because they had the status of freemen in contrast to servants or slaves.<ref name=":0" /> The etymology of ''*Frank'' is uncertain. It is traditionally derived from the [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] word {{Lang|gem-x-proto|frankōn}}, which translates as "javelin" or "lance" (the throwing axe of the Franks was known as the ''[[francisca]]''),<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Tarassuk |first1=Leonid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UJbyPwAACAAJ |title=The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapons: the most comprehensive reference work ever published on arms and armor from prehistoric times to the present with over 1,250 illustrations |last2=Blair |first2=Claude |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-671-42257-8 |page=186 |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref> although these weapons may have been named because of their use by the Franks, not the other way around.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Origin and meaning of Frank |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/frank |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |language=en |access-date=18 May 2024 |archive-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515001926/https://www.etymonline.com/word/frank |url-status=live }}</ref>
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The [[French Renaissance]] saw cultural development and standardisation of French, which became the [[Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts|official language of France]] and Europe's aristocracy. France became rivals of the [[House of Habsburg]] during the [[Italian Wars]], which would dictate much of their later foreign policy until the mid-18th century. French explorers claimed lands in the Americas, paving expansion of the [[French colonial empire]]. The rise of Protestantism led France to a civil war known as the [[French Wars of Religion]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/516821/Massacre-of-Saint-Bartholomews-Day |access-date=21 July 2011 |archive-date=4 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504150458/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/516821/Massacre-of-Saint-Bartholomews-Day |url-status=live }}</ref> This forced [[Huguenots]] to flee to Protestant regions such as the [[British Isles]] and [[Switzerland]]. The wars were ended by [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]]'s [[Edict of Nantes]], which granted some freedom of religion to the Huguenots. [[Habsburg Spain|Spanish]] troops,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rex |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uSVVBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT302 |title=Tudors: The Illustrated History |year=2014 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-4456-4403-5 |via=Google Books |access-date=6 March 2019 |archive-date=18 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518175344/https://books.google.com/books?id=uSVVBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT302#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> assisted the Catholics from 1589 to 1594 and invaded France in 1597. Spain and France returned to all-out war between 1635 and 1659. [[Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)|The war]] cost France 300,000 casualties.<ref>Michael Clodfelter, ''Warfare and armed conflicts: a statistical encyclopedia of casualty and other figures, 1492-2015'' (McFarland, 2017) p.40</ref>
Under [[Louis XIII]], [[Cardinal Richelieu]] promoted centralisation of the state and reinforced royal power. He destroyed castles of defiant lords and denounced the use of private armies. By the end of the 1620s, Richelieu established "the royal monopoly of force".<ref>Tilly, Charles (1985). "War making and state making as organized crime," in Bringing the State Back In, eds P.B. Evans, D. Rueschemeyer, & T. Skocpol. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. p. 174.</ref> France fought in the [[Thirty
[[File:Louis XIV of France.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|alt=Louis XIV of France standing in plate armour and blue sash facing left holding baton|[[Louis XIV]], the "Sun King", was the [[Absolute monarchy in France|absolute monarch of France]] and made France the leading European power.]]
During [[Louis XIV]]'s minority, trouble known as [[The Fronde]] occurred. This rebellion was driven by feudal lords and [[Parliament|sovereign courts]] as a reaction to the [[Absolutism (European history)|royal absolute power]]. The monarchy reached its peak during the 17th century and reign of Louis XIV. By turning lords into [[courtier]]s at the [[Palace of Versailles]], his command of the military went unchallenged. The "Sun King" made France the leading European power. France became the [[Demographics of France|most populous European country]] and had tremendous influence over European politics, economy, and culture. French became the most-used language in diplomacy, science, and literature until the 20th century.<ref name="Language and Diplomacy">{{Cite web |title=Language and Diplomacy |url=http://www.nakedtranslations.com/en/2004/language-and-diplomacy/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721070018/http://www.nakedtranslations.com/en/2004/language-and-diplomacy/ |archive-date=21 July 2011 |access-date=21 July 2011 |publisher=Nakedtranslations.com}}</ref> France took control of territories in the Americas, Africa and Asia. In 1685, Louis XIV [[Edict of Fontainebleau|revoked the Edict of Nantes]], forcing thousands of Huguenots into exile and published the ''[[Code Noir]]'' providing the legal framework for slavery and expelling Jews from French colonies.<ref>{{Cite journal | journal = Louisiana Law Review | title = The Origins and Authors of the Code Noir | author = Vernon Valentine Palmer | url = https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol56/iss2/5 | year = 1996 | volume = 56 | issue = 2 | access-date = 24 January 2023 | archive-date = 24 January 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230124174315/https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol56/iss2/5/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
Under the wars of [[Louis XV]] (r.
[[Louis XVI]] (r.
===Revolutionary France (1789–1799)===
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In 1940, France was [[Battle of France|invaded and quickly defeated]] by [[Nazi Germany]]. France was divided into a [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|German occupation zone]] in the north, an [[Italian occupation of France|Italian occupation zone]] and an unoccupied territory, the rest of France, which consisted of the southern France and the French empire. The [[Vichy France|Vichy government]], an authoritarian regime collaborating with Germany, ruled the unoccupied territory. [[Free France]], the government-in-exile led by [[Charles de Gaulle]], was set up in London.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Crémieux-Brilhac |first=Jean-Louis |title=La France libre |publisher=Gallimard |year=1996 |isbn=2-07-073032-8 |location=Paris |language=fr}}</ref>
From 1942 to 1944, about 160,000 French citizens, including around [[The Holocaust in France|75,000 Jews]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies |url=http://www.holocaust-education.dk/holocaust/deportationer.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416061232/http://www.holocaust-education.dk/holocaust/deportationer.asp |archive-date=16 April 2014 }}; {{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/genocide/jewish_deportation_01.shtml|title=BBC – History – World Wars: The Vichy Policy on Jewish Deportation|publisher=BBC|access-date=18 May 2024|archive-date=21 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121015257/https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/genocide/jewish_deportation_01.shtml|url-status=live}}; France, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, {{Cite web|url=http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005429|title=France|access-date=16 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206075910/http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005429|archive-date=6 December 2014}}</ref> were deported to [[Extermination camp|death]] and [[Internment|concentration camps]].<ref>Noir sur Blanc: Les premières photos du camp de concentration de Buchenwald après la libération,{{Cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.ain.fr/upload/docs/application/pdf/2011-05/dp_expo_schwartz_auf_weiss_nantua_2011bd.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109055804/http://www.ain.fr/upload/docs/application/pdf/2011-05/dp_expo_schwartz_auf_weiss_nantua_2011bd.pdf |archive-date=9 November 2014 |access-date=14 October 2014}} (French)</ref> On 6 June 1944, the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] [[Operation Overlord|invaded Normandy]], and in August they [[Operation Dragoon|invaded Provence]]. The Allies and [[French Resistance]] emerged victorious, and French sovereignty was restored with the [[Provisional Government of the French Republic]] (GPRF). This interim government, established by de Gaulle, continued to [[Western Allied invasion of Germany|wage war against Germany]] and to [[Épuration légale|purge collaborators from office]]. As one of the biggest winners in World War II, France became one of the [[Allied Control Council|four Allied Powers]] occupying Germany (1945–1949/1991) and [[Allied-occupied Austria|Austria]] (1945–1955) as well as one of the five permanent members of the [[United Nations Security Council]] (1945–present). It made important reforms e.g. suffrage extended to women and the creation of a [[Social security in France|social security]] system.
===1946–present===
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Forests account for 31 per cent of France's land area—the fourth-highest proportion in Europe—representing an increase of 7 per cent since 1990.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 July 2019 |title=Why France's forests are getting bigger |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2019/07/18/why-frances-forests-are-getting-bigger |access-date=20 August 2019 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=21 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821003124/https://www.economist.com/europe/2019/07/18/why-frances-forests-are-getting-bigger |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Countries Compared by Environment > Forest area > % of land area |url=http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Environment/Forest-area/%25-of-land-area#2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108120450/http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Environment/Forest-area/%25-of-land-area#2005 |archive-date=8 January 2018 |access-date=7 January 2018 |website=Nationmaster.com |publisher=International Statistics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Evolution of the French forest from 1984 to 1996 |url=http://www.ifn.fr/spip/?rubrique83&lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513083104/http://www.ifn.fr/spip/?rubrique83&lang=en |archive-date=13 May 2011 |publisher=Inventaire Forestier National [National Forest Inventory]}}</ref> French forests are some of the most diverse in Europe, comprising more than 140 species of trees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=La forêt en France et dans le monde |trans-title=The forest in France and in the world |url=http://www.lepapier.fr/foret_france.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727011505/http://www.lepapier.fr/foret_france.htm |archive-date=27 July 2010 |website=lepapier.fr |language=fr}}</ref> France had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 4.52/10, ranking it 123rd globally.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{Cite journal |last1=Grantham |first1=H. S. |last2=Duncan |first2=A. |last3=Evans |first3=T. D. |last4=Jones |first4=K. R. |last5=Beyer |first5=H. L. |last6=Schuster |first6=R. |last7=Walston |first7=J. |last8=Ray |first8=J. C. |last9=Robinson |first9=J. G. |last10=Callow |first10=M. |last11=Clements |first11=T. |last12=Costa |first12=H. M. |last13=DeGemmis |first13=A. |last14=Elsen |first14=P. R. |last15=Ervin |first15=J. |year=2020 |title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=5978 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=7723057 |pmid=33293507 |last16=Franco |first16=P. |last17=Goldman |first17=E. |last18=Goetz |first18=S. |last19=Hansen |first19=A. |last20=Hofsvang |first20=E. |last21=Jantz |first21=P. |last22=Jupiter |first22=S. |last23=Kang |first23=A. |last24=Langhammer |first24=P. |last25=Laurance |first25=W. F. |last26=Lieberman |first26=S. |last27=Linkie |first27=M. |last28=Malhi |first28=Y. |last29=Maxwell |first29=S. |last30=Mendez |first30=M. |last31=Mittermeier |first31=R. |last32=Murray |first32=N. J. |last33=Possingham |first33=H. |last34=Radachowsky |first34=J. |last35=Saatchi |first35=S. |last36=Samper |first36=C. |last37=Silverman |first37=J. |last38=Shapiro |first38=A. |last39=Strassburg |first39=B. |last40=Stevens |first40=T. |last41=Stokes |first41=E. |last42=Taylor |first42=R. |last43=Tear |first43=T. |last44=Tizard |first44=R. |last45=Venter |first45=O. |last46=Visconti |first46=P. |last47=Wang |first47=S. |last48=Watson |first48=J. E. M.|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G }}</ref> There are nine [[national park]]s<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parks and other protected areas in France |url=http://www.parks.it/world/FR/Eindex.html |website=Parks.it |access-date=18 May 2024 |archive-date=23 August 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040823215154/http://www.parks.it/world/FR/Eindex.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and 46 [[Protected area|natural parks]] in France.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fédération des parcs naturels régionaux de France |trans-title=Federation of Regional Natural Parks of France |url=http://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr/fr/accueil/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712003310/http://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr/fr/accueil/ |archive-date=12 July 2010 |language=fr}}</ref> A regional nature park<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 July 2013 |title=The regional nature Parks of France |url=http://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr/en/parc.UK2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722030433/http://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr/en/parc.UK2.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2013 |access-date=22 June 2014 |publisher=Fédération des Parcs naturels régionaux de France [Federation of the regional nature Parks of France]}}</ref> ({{Lang-fr|parc naturel régional|links=no}} or PNR) is a public establishment in France between local authorities and the [[Government of France|national government]] covering an inhabited rural area of outstanding beauty, to protect the scenery and heritage as well as setting up sustainable economic development in the area.<ref>{{Cite book |first=William M. |last=Lafferty |title=Sustainable communities in Europe |publisher=Earthscan |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-85383-791-3 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VHP96jPKl-0C&pg=PA181 181]}}</ref><ref name="FGTO">{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=Regional Natural Parks |url=http://uk.franceguide.com/Regional-natural-parks.html?NodeID=1&EditoID=205227 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405192042/http://uk.franceguide.com/Regional-natural-parks.html?NodeID=1&EditoID=205227 |archive-date=5 April 2012 |access-date=27 October 2011 |website=France Guide |publisher=Maison de la France}}</ref> {{As of|2019}} there are 54 PNRs in France.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Découvrir les 54 Parcs |url=https://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.fr/les-parcs-naturels-regionaux-de-france/decouvrir-les-54-parcs |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819171349/https://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.fr/les-parcs-naturels-regionaux-de-france/decouvrir-les-54-parcs |archive-date=19 August 2019 |access-date=16 October 2019 |website=Fédération des Parcs naturels régionaux de France}}</ref>
==Politics==
{{Main|Politics of France}}
France is a [[representative democracy]] organised as a unitary [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential republic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitutional Limits on Government: Country Studies – France |url=http://www.democracyweb.org/limits/france.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828081904/http://democracyweb.org/limits/france.php |archive-date=28 August 2013 |access-date=30 September 2013 |website=Democracy Web: Comparative studies in Freedom}}</ref> Democratic traditions and values are deeply rooted in French culture, identity and politics.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=France {{!}} History, Map, Flag, Capital, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/France |access-date=27 August 2021 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en |archive-date=14 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614044325/https://www.britannica.com/place/France |url-status=live }}</ref> The Constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by [[1958 French constitutional referendum|referendum]] on 28 September 1958, establishing a framework consisting of executive, legislative and judicial branches.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Helen |last=Drake |title=Contemporary France |date=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-79243-8 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7L8cBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 95] |doi=10.1007/978-0-230-36688-6}}</ref> It sought to address the instability of the Third and Fourth Republics by combining elements of both parliamentary and presidential systems, while greatly strengthening the authority of the executive relative to the legislature.<ref name=":1"/>▼
===Government===
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| image1 = Emmanuel Macron 2023 (cropped).jpg
| width1 = 152
| caption1 = [[Emmanuel Macron]]<br /><small>[[President of France|President]]</small><br />since 14 May 2017
| image2 = (Michel Barnier) EPP Summit Brussels, March 2019 (46712419984) (cropped).jpg
| width2 = 160
| caption2 = [[Michel Barnier]]<br /><small>[[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]]</small><br />since 5 September 2024
}}
▲France is a [[representative democracy]] organised as a unitary [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential republic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitutional Limits on Government: Country Studies – France |url=http://www.democracyweb.org/limits/france.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828081904/http://democracyweb.org/limits/france.php |archive-date=28 August 2013 |access-date=30 September 2013 |website=Democracy Web: Comparative studies in Freedom}}</ref> Democratic traditions and values are deeply rooted in French culture, identity and politics.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=France {{!}} History, Map, Flag, Capital, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/France |access-date=27 August 2021 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en |archive-date=14 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614044325/https://www.britannica.com/place/France |url-status=live }}</ref> The Constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by [[1958 French constitutional referendum|referendum]] on 28 September 1958, establishing a framework consisting of executive, legislative and judicial branches.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Helen |last=Drake |title=Contemporary France |date=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-79243-8 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7L8cBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 95] |doi=10.1007/978-0-230-36688-6}}</ref> It sought to address the instability of the Third and Fourth Republics by combining elements of both parliamentary and presidential systems, while greatly strengthening the authority of the executive relative to the legislature.<ref name=":1"/>
The executive branch has two leaders. The [[President of France|President of the Republic]], currently [[Emmanuel Macron]], is the [[head of state]], elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a five-year term.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le quinquennat : le référendum du 24 Septembre 2000 |trans-title=The 5-year term: referendum of 24 September 2000 |url=http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/dossiers/quinquennat/index.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812105736/http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/dossiers/quinquennat/index.shtml |archive-date=12 August 2010 |language=fr}}</ref> The [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]], currently [[Michel Barnier]], is the [[head of government]], appointed by the President to lead the [[Government of France|government]]. The President has the power to dissolve Parliament or circumvent it by submitting referendums directly to the people; the President also appoints judges and civil servants, negotiates and ratifies international agreements, as well as serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Prime Minister determines public policy and oversees the civil service, with an emphasis on domestic matters.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 March 2013 |title=The French National Assembly – Constitution of October 4, 1958 |url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/8ab.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313212736/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/8ab.asp |archive-date=13 March 2013 |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref> In the [[2022 French presidential election|2022 presidential election]], president Macron was re-elected.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 April 2022 |title=What's in Emmanuel Macron's intray after his re-election as French president? |language=en |work=the Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/24/whats-in-emmanuel-macrons-intray-after-his-re-election-as-french-president |access-date=18 May 2024 |archive-date=24 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424230933/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/24/whats-in-emmanuel-macrons-intray-after-his-re-election-as-french-president |url-status=live }}</ref> Two months later, in the [[2022 French legislative election|June 2022 legislative elections]], Macron lost his parliamentary majority and had to form a [[minority government]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 July 2022 |title=France learns parliamentary democracy the hard way |language=en |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/france-learns-parliamentary-democracy-the-hard-way/ |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=19 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619010727/https://www.politico.eu/article/france-learns-parliamentary-democracy-the-hard-way/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
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{{Main|Economy of France}}
[[File:04-2017. París-34.jpg|alt=La Défense, seen from the Eiffel Tower|thumb|[[La Défense]] was in 2017 ranked by [[Ernst & Young]] as the leading [[central business district]] in continental Europe, and the fourth in the world.<ref>[https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-the-attractiveness-of-world-class-business-districts/$FILE/ey-the-attractiveness-of-world-class-business-districts.pdf The attractiveness of world-class business districts: Paris La Défense vs. its global competitors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718045821/https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-the-attractiveness-of-world-class-business-districts/$FILE/ey-the-attractiveness-of-world-class-business-districts.pdf |date=18 July 2020 }}, [[Ernst & Young|EY]], November 2017</ref>]]France has a [[
▲[[File:04-2017. París-34.jpg|alt=La Défense, seen from the Eiffel Tower|thumb|[[La Défense]] was in 2017 ranked by [[Ernst & Young]] as the leading [[central business district]] in continental Europe, and the fourth in the world.<ref>[https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-the-attractiveness-of-world-class-business-districts/$FILE/ey-the-attractiveness-of-world-class-business-districts.pdf The attractiveness of world-class business districts: Paris La Défense vs. its global competitors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718045821/https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-the-attractiveness-of-world-class-business-districts/$FILE/ey-the-attractiveness-of-world-class-business-districts.pdf |date=18 July 2020 }}, [[Ernst & Young|EY]], November 2017</ref>]]France has a [[mixed economy|mixed market economy]], characterised by [[Dirigisme in France|sizeable government involvement]], and [[economic diversity]]. For roughly two centuries, the French economy has [[Angus Maddison statistics of the ten largest economies by GDP (PPP)|consistently ranked]] among the ten largest globally; it is currently the [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|world's ninth-largest]] by [[purchasing power parity]], the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|seventh-largest]] by [[nominal GDP]], and the second-largest in the European Union by both metrics.<ref name="data.worldbank.org">{{Cite web |title=GDP, PPP (current international $) |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.CD?order=wbapi_data_value_2014+wbapi_data_value+wbapi_data_value-last&sort=desc |access-date=1 November 2015 |publisher=The World Bank Group |archive-date=4 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704033414/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.CD?order=wbapi_data_value_2014+wbapi_data_value+wbapi_data_value-last&sort=desc |url-status=live }}</ref> France is considered an [[economic power]], with membership in the [[Group of Seven]] leading [[Developed country|industrialised countries]], the [[OECD|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), and the [[G20|Group of Twenty]] largest economies.
France's economy is highly diversified; [[Service sector|services]] represent two-thirds of both the workforce and GDP,<ref>[https://www.eulerhermes.com/en_global/economic-research/country-reports/France.html Country profile: France] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001071241/https://www.eulerhermes.com/en_global/economic-research/country-reports/France.html |date=1 October 2020 }}, [[Euler Hermes]]</ref> while the [[industrial sector]] accounts for a fifth of GDP and a similar proportion of employment. France is the third-biggest manufacturing country in Europe, behind Germany and Italy, and ranks [[List of countries by manufacturing output|eighth in the world by share of global manufacturing output]], at 1.9 per cent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=These are the top 10 manufacturing countries in the world |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/countries-manufacturing-trade-exports-economics/ |access-date=10 February 2022 |website=World Economic Forum |date=25 February 2020 |language=en |archive-date=14 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314171606/https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/countries-manufacturing-trade-exports-economics/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Less than 2 per cent of GDP is generated by the [[primary sector]], namely agriculture;<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/france Country profil: France], [[CIA World factbook]]</ref> however, France's agricultural sector is among the largest in value and leads the EU in terms of overall production.<ref>[https://import-export.societegenerale.fr/en/country/france/market-sectors France: the market] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219011017/https://import-export.societegenerale.fr/en/country/france/market-sectors |date=19 February 2021 }}, [[Société Générale]] (latest Update: September 2020)</ref>
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France remains a major destination for immigrants, accepting about 200,000 legal immigrants annually.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 November 2010 |title=Flux d'immigration par continent d'origine |trans-title=Immigration flow by continent of origin |url=https://www.ined.fr/fr/tout-savoir-population/chiffres/france/flux-immigration/annee-continent/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523053018/http://www.ined.fr/fr/pop_chiffres/france/flux_immigration/depuis_1994/ |archive-date=23 May 2012 |website=Ined |language=fr}}</ref> In 2005, it was Western Europe's leading recipient of [[refugee|asylum]] seekers, with an estimated 50,000 applications (albeit a 15% decrease from 2004).<ref name="UNHCR">{{Cite book |title=UNHCR Global Report 2005 |publisher=[[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]] |chapter=Western Europe |access-date=14 December 2006 |chapter-url=http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/4492677f0.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614025835/http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/4492677f0.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010, France received about 48,100 asylum applications—placing it among the top five asylum recipients in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kalt |first1=Anne |last2=Hossain |first2=Mazeda |last3=Kiss |first3=Ligia |last4=Zimmerman |first4=Cathy |date=March 2013 |title=Asylum Seekers, Violence and Health: A Systematic Review of Research in High-Income Host Countries |journal=American Journal of Public Health |volume=103 |issue=3 |pages=e30–e42 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2012.301136 |issn=0090-0036 |pmc=3673512 |pmid=23327250}}</ref> In subsequent years it saw the number of applications increase, ultimately doubling to 100,412 in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2017 |title=aida – Asylum Information Database – Country Report: France |url=https://www.asylumineurope.org/sites/default/files/report-download/aida_fr_2017update.pdf |access-date=18 May 2024 |archive-date=26 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226092504/https://www.asylumineurope.org/sites/default/files/report-download/aida_fr_2017update.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The European Union allows free movement between the member states, although France established controls to curb [[Eastern European]] migration.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}} Foreigners' rights are established in the [[Code of Entry and Residence of Foreigners and of the Right to Asylum]]. Immigration remains a contentious political issue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 June 2023 |title=Le regard des Français sur l'immigration |url=https://www.ifop.com/publication/le-regard-des-francais-sur-limmigration-3/ |website=IFOP |language=fr |access-date=20 January 2024 |archive-date=26 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126070820/https://www.ifop.com/publication/le-regard-des-francais-sur-limmigration-3/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2008, the [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]] (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies) estimated that the total number of foreign-born immigrants was around 5 million (8% of the population), while their French-born descendants numbered 6.5 million, or 11% of the population. Thus, nearly a fifth of the country's population were either first or second-generation immigrants, of which more than 5 million were of European origin and 4 million of [[Maghrebis|Maghrebi]] ancestry.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Catherine Borrel |last2=Bertrand Lhommeau |date=30 March 2010 |title=Être né en France d'un parent immigré |trans-title=To be born in France of an immigrant parent |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=ip1287 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203052501/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=ip1287 |archive-date=3 February 2012 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref name="Insee_1">{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=Répartition des immigrés par pays de naissance |trans-title=Distribution of immigrants by country of birth |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=immigrespaysnais |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026174732/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=immigrespaysnais |archive-date=26 October 2011 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref><ref name="INSEE1">{{Cite web |first=Catherine |last=Borrel |date=August 2006 |title=Enquêtes annuelles de recensement 2004 et 2005 |trans-title=Annual census surveys 2004 and 2005 |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/ipweb/ip1098/ip1098.html#encadre1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212212050/http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/ipweb/ip1098/ip1098.html |archive-date=12 December 2006 |access-date=14 December 2006 |publisher=Insee |language=fr}}</ref> In 2008, France granted [[citizenship]] to 137,000 persons, mostly from Morocco, Algeria and Turkey.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Swalec |first=Andrea |date=6 July 2010 |title=Turks and Moroccans top list of new EU citizens |work=Reuters |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-49921620100706 |url-status=
In 2014, the INSEE reported a significant increase in the number of immigrants coming from Spain, Portugal and Italy between 2009 and 2012. According to the institute, this increase resulted from the financial crisis that hit several European countries in that period.<ref name="sudouest.fr">{{Cite news |date=2 December 2014 |title=Qui sont les nouveaux immigrés qui vivent en France? |language=fr |trans-title=Who are the new immigrants living in France? |work=SudOuest |url=http://www.sudouest.fr/2014/11/28/qui-sont-les-nouveaux-immigres-qui-vivent-en-france-1751452-705.php |access-date=3 May 2015 |archive-date=17 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717001609/http://www.sudouest.fr/2014/11/28/qui-sont-les-nouveaux-immigres-qui-vivent-en-france-1751452-705.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Statistics on Spanish immigrants in France show a growth of 107 per cent between 2009 and 2012, with the population growing from 5,300 to 11,000.<ref name="sudouest.fr"/> Of the total of 229,000 foreigners coming to France in 2012, nearly 8% were Portuguese, 5% British, 5% Spanish, 4% Italian, 4% German, 3% Romanian, and 3% Belgian.<ref name="sudouest.fr"/>
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{{Main|Religion in France}}
[[File:Reims Cathédrale Notre-Dame 5002 (fixed angles).jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Notre-Dame de Reims façade, gothic stone cathedral against blue sky|[[Reims Cathedral|Notre-Dame de Reims]] is the Roman Catholic cathedral where the [[Coronation of the French monarch|Kings of France were crowned]] until 1825.{{Efn-ur|The last ''sacre'' was that of [[Charles X of France|Charles X]], 29 May 1825.}}]]
France is a secular country in which [[freedom of religion]] is a constitutional right. The French policy on religion is based on the concept of ''[[laïcité]]'', a strict [[separation of church and state]] under which the government and public life are kept completely secular, detached from any religion. The region of [[Alsace]] and [[Moselle]] is an exception to the general French norm since the [[local law in Alsace-Moselle|local law]] stipulates official status and state funding for [[Lutheranism]], [[Catholicism]], and [[Judaism]]. According to the national survey of 2020 held by the [[INSEE]],{{Efn-ur|name=2020-INSEE-methodology|The 2020 survey of religion by [[INSEE]] was conducted on a nationally representative large sample (≈ 28,000) of people aged 18–49 and 18–59. It is reputed to be representative of the whole population of [[Metropolitan France]], comprising French people without immigrant background, French people with immigrant background since various generations, as well as first-generation immigrant citizens.<ref name=religion2020>{{cite web|last1=Drouhot|first1=Lucas|last2=Simon|first2=Patrick|last3=Tiberj|first3=Vincent|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6793308/IMMFRA23-D2.pdf|title=La diversité religieuse en France : transmissions intergénérationnelles et pratiques selon les origines|trans-title=Religious diversity in France: Intergenerational transmissions and practices according to the origins|publisher=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies]] (INSEE)|type=official statistics|date=30 March 2023|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330154402/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6793308/IMMFRA23-D2.pdf|archive-date=30 March 2023}}</ref>{{rp|Drouhout et al. p. 48.}}}} 34-38% of the French population adhered to [[Christianity]], of whom approximately 25-29% were Catholics and 9% other Christians (without further specification); at the same time, 10-11% of the French population adhered to [[Islam]], 0.5% to [[Buddhism]], 0.5% to Judaism, and 1% to other religions.<ref name=religion2020/> 51-53% of the population declared that they had no religion.<ref name=religion2020/>
[[Catholic Church in France|Catholicism]] was the main religion in France for more than a millennium, and it was once the country's [[state religion]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wolf|first1=John Baptiste Wolf|title=The Emergence of European Civilization: From the Middle Ages to the Opening of the Nineteenth Century|date=1962|publisher=University of Virginia Press|isbn=9789733203162|page=419|quote=}}</ref> France was traditionally considered the Church's eldest daughter (French: ''Fille aînée de l'Église''), and the [[King of France]] always maintained close links to the Pope,<ref name="Parisse">{{cite book|title=The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. 900–c. 1024|volume=III|editor-first=T.|editor-last=Reuter|last=Parisse|first=Michael|year=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, UK|chapter=Lotharingia|pages=313–315}}</ref> receiving the title ''Most Christian Majesty'' from the Pope in 1464.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095610571 | title=Christian Majesty, His Most }}</ref> However, the French monarchy maintained a significant degree of autonomy, namely through its policy of "[[Gallicanism]]", whereby the king selected bishops rather than the papacy.<ref>Wolfe, M. (2005). Jotham Parsons. The Church in the Republic: Gallicanism and Political Ideology in Renaissance France. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press. 2004. pp. ix, 322. The American Historical Review, 110(4), 1254–1255.</ref> Its role nowadays, however, has been greatly reduced, although, as of 2012, among the 47,000 religious buildings in France 94% were still Catholic churches.<ref>{{cite web|date=1 February 2012|title=Observatoire du patrimoine religieux|url=http://www.patrimoine-religieux.fr/rubriques/gauche/actualites/actualites-de-la-base-de-donnees|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126171213/http://www.patrimoine-religieux.fr/rubriques/gauche/actualites/actualites-de-la-base-de-donnees|archive-date=26 November 2013|quote=94% des édifices sont catholiques (dont 50% églises paroissiales, 25% chapelles, 25% édifices appartenant au clergé régulier)}}</ref> After alternating between royal and secular republican governments during the 19th century, in 1905 France passed the [[1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State|1905 law on the Separation of the Churches and the State]], which established the aforementioned principle of ''laïcité''.<ref name="georgetown2">{{cite web|title=France|url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206213909/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france|archive-date=6 February 2011|publisher=[[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]]}}</ref>
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The earliest French literature dates from the [[Middle Age]]s when what is now known as modern France did not have a single, uniform language. There were several languages and dialects, and writers used their own spelling and grammar. Some authors of French medieval texts, such as ''[[Tristan and Iseult]]'' and ''[[Lancelot-Grail]]'' are unknown. Three famous medieval authors are [[Chrétien de Troyes]], [[Christine de Pizan]] ([[Langues d'oïl|langue d'oïl]]), and [[William IX of Aquitaine|Duke William IX of Aquitaine]] ([[Occitan language|langue d'oc]]). Much medieval French poetry and literature was inspired by the legends of the [[Matter of France|Carolingian cycle]], such as the ''[[Song of Roland]]'' and the [[chansons de geste]]. The ''Roman de Renart'', written in 1175 by Perrout de Saint Cloude, tells the story of the medieval character [[Reynard]] ('the Fox') and is another example of early French writing. An important 16th-century writer was [[François Rabelais]], who wrote five popular early [[picaresque]] novels. Rabelais was also in regular communication with [[Marguerite de Navarre]], author of the ''[[Heptameron]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Rabelais and Marguerite de Navarre on Sixteenth-Century Views of Clandestine Marriage | first= Cathleen M. |last= Bauschatz | journal = Sixteenth Century Journal | volume = 34 | issue = 2 | pages = 395–408 | date = 2003| doi = 10.2307/20061415 | jstor = 20061415 | s2cid= 163972746 }}</ref> Another 16th-century author was [[Michel de Montaigne]], whose most famous work, ''[[Essays (Montaigne)|Essais]]'', started a literary genre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montaigne |url=http://www.humanistictexts.org/montaigne.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525201508/http://www.humanistictexts.org/montaigne.htm |archive-date=25 May 2011 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Humanistictexts.org}}</ref>
French literature and poetry flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries. [[Denis Diderot]] is best known as the main editor of the ''[[Encyclopédie]]'', whose aim was to sum up all the knowledge of his century and to fight ignorance and [[obscurantism]]. During that same century, [[Charles Perrault]] was a prolific writer of children's fairy tales including ''[[Puss in Boots]]'', ''[[Cinderella]]'', ''[[Sleeping Beauty]]'' and ''[[Bluebeard]]''. At the start of the 19th century, [[Symbolism (movement)|symbolist poetry]] was an important movement in French literature, with poets such as [[Charles Baudelaire]], [[Paul Verlaine]] and [[Stéphane Mallarmé]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Symbolisme français |url=http://users.skynet.be/litterature/symbolisme/symbolismefrancais.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307192737/http://users.skynet.be/litterature/symbolisme/symbolismefrancais.htm |archive-date=7 March 2018 |access-date=29 July 2010 |website=users.skynet.be}}</ref>
The 19th century saw the writings of many renowned French authors. Victor Hugo is sometimes seen as "the greatest French writer of all time"<ref name="victor">{{Cite web |title=Victor Hugo est le plus grand écrivain français |url=http://www.lecavalierbleu.com/images/30/extrait_75.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723121408/http://www.lecavalierbleu.com/images/30/extrait_75.pdf |archive-date=23 July 2013}}</ref> for excelling in all [[literary genre]]s. Hugo's verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, [[Dante]] and [[Homer]].<ref name="hugo">{{Cite web |title=Victor Hugo 1802–1885 |url=http://www.enotes.com/victor-hugo-criticism/hugo-victor |access-date=16 July 2011 |publisher=Enotes.com}}</ref> His novel ''[[Les Misérables]]'' is widely seen as one of the greatest novels ever written<ref>{{Cite web |title=All-Time 100 Best Novels List |url=http://www.adherents.com/people/100_novel.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051128235020/http://adherents.com/people/100_novel.html |archive-date=28 November 2005 |access-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Adherents.com}}</ref> and ''[[The Hunchback of Notre-Dame|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' has remained immensely popular. Other major authors of that century include [[Alexandre Dumas]] (''[[The Three Musketeers]]'' and ''[[The Count of Monte-Cristo]]''), [[Jules Verne]] (''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas]]''), [[Émile Zola]] (''[[Les Rougon-Macquart]]''), [[Honoré de Balzac]] (''[[La Comédie humaine]]''), [[Guy de Maupassant]], [[Théophile Gautier]] and [[Stendhal]] (''[[The Red and the Black]]'', ''[[The Charterhouse of Parma]]''), whose works are among the most well known in France and the world.
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