France (: French: Pronounced

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France (French: [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française,

pronounced [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz]), is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western
Europe and several overseas regions and territories.[XIII] The metropolitan area of 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 by Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast, Switzerland
and Italy to the east, and Andorra and Spain to the south. The overseas territories include French
Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The
country's 18 integral regions (five of which are situated overseas) span a combined area of 643,801
square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and a total population of 67.3 million (as of October 2018).[10]
France, a sovereign state, is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the
country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban areas include
Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice.

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