Fraunce: Republic locatit maistly in Wastren Europe

The European, or metropolitan, aurie o Fraunce stends frae the Mediterranean Sea tae the Inglis Channel an the North Sea, an frae the Rhine tae the Atlantic Ocean. Owerseas Fraunce include French Guiana on the Sooth American continent an siveral island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific an Indie oceans. Fraunce spans 643,801 square kilometre (248,573 sq mi) an haed a tot population o awmaist 67 million fowk as o Januar 2017. It is a unitary semi-presidential republic wi the caipital in Paris, the kintra's lairgest ceety an main cultural an commercial centre. Ither major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse an Bordeaux.

French Republic République française  (French)
Banner Naitional emblem
Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité"
Anthem: "La Marseillaise"
Territory o the French Republic (reid) Claimed territory (Adélie Laund; hatched)
Location o  metropolitan Fraunce  (dark green) – on the European continent  (green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (green)
Caipital and largest city	Paris 48°51.4′N 2°21.05′E / 48.8567°N 2.35083°E / 48.8567; 2.35083
Offeecial leid an naitional leid	French
Ethnic groups	89.4% French 4.4% French (bi acquiseetion) 6.2% Foreigners 8.9% Immigrants
Releegion	63-66% Christian 7-9% Muslim 0.5-0.75% Buddhist 0.5-0.75% Jewish 0.5-1.0% ither 23-28% none
Demonym(s)	French
Govrenment	Unitary semi‑presidential republic
• Preses	Emmanuel Macron
• Prime Meenister	Gabriel Attal
• Preses o the Senate	Gérard Larcher
• Preses o the Naitional Assembly	Yaël Braun-Pivet
Legislatur	Pairlament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Naitional Assembly
Establishment
• Francia unified	486
• Treaty o Verdun	August 843
• Republic established	22 September 1792
• Founded the EEC	1 Januar 1958
• Current constitution	4 October 1958
Aurie
• Total	643,801 km2 (248,573 sq mi) (41st)
• Metropolitan Fraunce (IGN)	551,695 km2 (50t) 213,010 sq mi
• Metropolitan Fraunce (Cadastre)	543,940.9 km2 (50t) 210,026 sq mi
Population
• Tot 2017​ estimate	66,991,000 (20t)
• Metropolitan Fraunce Januar 2017 estimate	64,859,000 (22nt)
• Density	116/km2 (300.4/sq mi) (89t)
GDP (PPP)	2015 estimate
• Total	$2.647 trillion (10t)
• Per capita	$41,181 (24t)
GDP (nominal)	2015 estimate
• Tot	$2.422 trillion (6t)
• Per capita	$37,675 (20t)
Gini (2013)	30.1 medium
HDI (2015)	0.897 verra heich · 21st
Currency	Euro (EUR) CFP franc (XPF)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Drivin side	right
Cawin code	+33
ISO 3166 code	FR
Internet TLD	.fr

In the Airn Age, the Gauls, a Celtic fowk, dwallt i whit is nou metropolitan Fraunce. The aurie wis annexed in 51 BC bi Roum, whilk held Gaul till 486, whan the Germanic Franks conquered the region an formed the Kinrick o Fraunce. Fraunce emerged as a major European pouer in the Late Middle Ages, wi its veectory in the Hunder Years' War (1337 tae 1453) strenthenin state-biggin an poleetical centralisation. Durin the Renaissance, French cultur flourisht and a global colonial empire wis estaiblisht, whilk bi the 20t century wad be the seicont lairgest in the warld. The 16t century wis dominatit bi releegious ceevil wars atween Catholics an Protestants (Huguenots). Fraunce acame Europe's dominant cultural, poleetical, an militar power unner Louis XIV. In the late 18t century, the French Revolution owerthrew the absolute monarchy, established ane o modren history's earliest republics, an saw the draftin o the Declaration o the Richts o Man an o the Ceetizen, whilk expresses the naition's ideals tae this day.

In the 19t century Napoleon teuk pouer an estaiblisht the First French Empire, whase subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the coorse o continental Europe. Follaein the collapse o the Empire, Fraunce endured a tumultuous succession o govrenments culminatin wi the establishment o the French Third Republic in 1870. Fraunce wis a major pairteecipant in the First Warld War, frae whilk it emerged victorious, an wis ane o the Allied Pouers in the Seicont Warld War, but cam unner occupation bi the Axis Pouers in 1940. Follaein leeberation in 1944, a Fowert Republic wis established an later dissolved in the coorse o the Algerian War. The Fift Republic, led bi Charles de Gaulle, wis formed in 1958 an remeens tae this day. Algerie an nearly aw the ither colonies acame independent in the 1960s wi minimal controversy an teepically reteened close economic an militar connections wi Fraunce.

Fraunce haes lang been a global centre o airt, science, an filosofie. It hosts Europe's fowerth-lairgest nummer o cultural UNESCO Warld Heritage Steids an receives aroond 83 million foreign tourists annually, the maist o ony kintra in the warld. Fraunce is a developit kintra wi the warld's saxt-lairgest economy bi nominal GDP an nint-lairgest bi purchasin pouer parity. In terms o aggregate hoosehauld wealth, it ranks fowert in the warld. Fraunce performs weel in internaitional rankins o eddication, heal care, life expectancy, an human development. Fraunce remeens a great pouer in the warld, bein ane o the five permanent members o the Unitit Naitions Security Cooncil wi the pouer tae veto an an offeecial nuclear-wappen state. It's a leadin member state o the European Union an the Eurozone. It is a member o the Group o 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation an Development (OECD), the Warld Tred Organisation (WTO), an La Francophonie an aa.

Oreeginally applee'd tae the hail Frankish Empire, the name "Fraunce" comes frae the Laitin Francia, or "kintra o the Franks". Modren Fraunce is still named the day Francia in Italian an Spaingie, Frankreich in German an Frankrijk in Dutch, aw o whilk hae the same historical meanin.

Thare is various theories as tae the origin o the name Frank. Follaein the precedents o Edward Gibbon an Jacob Grimm, the name o the Franks haes been airtit wi the wird frank (free) in Inglis. It haes been suggestit that the meanin o "free" wis adoptit acause, efter the conquest o Gaul, anerly Franks war free o taxation. Anither theory is that it is derived frae the Proto-Germanic wird frankon, whilk translates as javelin or lance as the thrawin axe o the Franks wis kent as a francisca. Housomeiver, it haes been determined that thir wappens war named acause o thair uise bi the Franks, nae the ither wey aroond.

Antiquity

In 600 BC, Ionie Greeks, oreeginatin frae Phocaea, foondit the colony o Massalia (present-day Marseille), on the shores o the Mediterranean Sea. This maks it Fraunce's auldest ceety. At the same time, some Gallic Celtic tribes penetratit pairts o the current territory o Fraunce, an this occupation spread tae the rest o Fraunce atween the 5t an 3rd century BC. The concept o Gaul emerged at that time; it corresponds tae the territories o Celtic settlement rangin atween the Rhine, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pyrenees an the Mediterranean.

Aroond 125 BC, the sooth o Gaul wis conquered bi the Romans, wha cried this region Provincia Nostra ("Oor Province"), whilk ower time evolved intae the name Provence in French. Julius Caesar conquered the remainder o Gaul an owercame a revolt carried oot bi the Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix in 52 BC. Gaul wis dividit bi Augustus intae Roman provinces. Mony ceeties war foondit durin the Gallo-Roman period, includin Lugdunum (present-day Lyon), whilk is conseedert the caipital o the Gauls.

Frae the 250s tae the 280s AD, Roman Gaul suffert a serious crisis wi its fortified borders bein attacked on several occasions bi barbarians. Nivertheless, the situation impruived in the first hauf o the 4t century, whilk wis a period o revival an prosperity for Roman Gaul. In 312, the emperor Constantin I convertit tae Christianity. Subsequently, Christians, wha haed been persecute till then, increased rapidly athort the entire Roman Empire. But, frae the beginnin o the 5t century, the Barbarian Invasions resumed, an Germanic tribes, sic as the Vandals, Suebi an Alans crossed the Rhine an settled in Gaul, Spain an ither pairts o the collapsin Roman Empire.

Middle Ages

At the end o the Antiquity period, auncient Gaul wis dividit intae several Germanic kinricks an a remeenin Gallo-Roman territory, kent as the Kinrick o Syagrius. Simultaneously, Celtic Britons, fleein the Anglo-Saxon settlement o Breetain, settled the wastren pairt o Armorica. As a result, the Armorican peninsula wis renamed Brittany, Celtic cultur wis revived an independent petty kinricks arose in this region. The pagan Franks, frae that the auncient name o "Francie" wis derived, oreeginally settlet the north pairt o Gaul, but unner Clovis I conquered maist o the ither kinricks in northren an central Gaul. The Franks embraced the Christian Gallo-Roman cultur an auncient Gaul wis hinderly renamed Francia ("Laund o the Franks"). The Germanic Franks adoptit Romanic leids, except in northren Gaul whaur Roman settlements war less dense an whaur Germanic leids emerged. Clovis made Paris his caipital an estaiblished the Merovingian dynasty, but his kinrick wadnae survive his daith. The Franks treatit laund purely as a private possession an dividit it amang thair heirs, sae fower kinricks emerged frae Clovis's: Paris, Orléans, Soissons, an Rheims. The lest Merovingian keengs lost pouer tae thair mayors o the palace (heid o hoosehauld). Ane mayor o the palace, Charles Martel, defeatit an Islamic invasion o Gaul at the Battle o Tours (732) an earned respect an pouer amang the Frankish kinricks. His son, Pepin the Short, seized the croun o Francie frae the waikened Merovingians an foondit the Carolingian dynasty. Pepin's son, Charlemagne, reunitit the Frankish kinricks an biggit a vast empire athort Wastren an Central Europe.

Proclaimed Haly Roman Emperor bi Pape Leo III an sicweys establishin in earnest the French govrenment's langtime historical association wi the Catholic Kirk, Charlemagne tried tae revive the Wastren Roman Empire an its cultural grandeur. Charlemagne's son, Louis I (emperor 814–840), keepit the empire unitit; housomiver, this Carolingian Empire wadnae survive his daith. In 843, unner the Treaty o Verdun, the empire wis dividit atween Louis' three sons, wi East Francia gangin tae Louis the German, Middle Francia tae Lothair I, an Wast Francia tae Charles the Bald. Wast Francia approximatit the aurie occupied bi, an wis the precursor, tae modren Fraunce.

The Carolingian dynasty ruled Fraunce till 987, when Hugh Capet, Duke o Fraunce an Coont o Paris, wis crouned Keeng o the Franks. His stryndants—the Capetians, the Hoose o Valois, an the Hoose o Bourbon—progressively unified the kintra throu wars an dynastic inheritance intae the Kinrick o Fraunce, whilk wis fou declaret in 1190 bi Philip II Augustus.

Lik the rest o Europe, Fraunce wis struck bi the Black Daith; hauf o the 17 million population o Fraunce dee'd.

Early modren period

 

The French Renaissance saw a spectacular cultural development an the first staundartisation o the French leid, whilk wad acome the offeecial leid o Fraunce an the leid o Europe's aristocracy. French explorers, sic as Jacques Cartier or Samuel de Champlain, claimed lands in the Americas for Fraunce, pavin the wey for the expansion o the First French colonial empire. The rise o Protestantism in Europe led Fraunce tae a ceevil war kent as the French Wars o Releegion, whaur, in the maist notorious incident, thoosands o Huguenots wis murthert in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre o 1572. The Wars o Releegion war endit bi Henry IV's Edict o Nantes, which granted some freedom o releegion tae the Huguenots.

The monarchy reached its peak durin the 17t century an the reign o Louis XIV. Fraunce obteened mony owerseas possessions in Americae, Africae an Asie. Louis XIV. amang mony things, revoked the Edict o Nantes, forcin thoosands o Huguenots intae exile. Unner Louis XV, Louis XIV's grandson, Fraunce lost New Fraunce an maist o its Indie possessions efter its defeat in the Seiven Years' War, whilk endit in 1763. An unpopular king, Louis XV's waik rule, his ill-advised financial, poleetical an militar deceesions – as weel as the debauchery o his coort– discreditit the monarchy, whilk arguably paved the wey for the French Revolution 15 year efter his daith.

Late modren period

Facin financial truibles, Louis XVI summoned the Estates-General (gatherin the three Estates o the realm) in Mey 1789 tae propose solutions tae his govrenment. As it cam tae an impasse, the representatives o the Third Estate formed intae a Naitional Assembly, signallin the ootbreak o the French Revolution. Fearin that the king wad suppress the newly creatit Naitional Assembly, insurgents stormed the Bastille on 14 Julie 1789, a date which wad acome Fraunce's Naitional Day. The absolute monarchy wis subsequently replaced bi a constitutional monarchy. While Louis XVI, as a constitutional keeng, enjoyed popularity amang the population, his disastrous flicht tae Varennes seemed tae juistify rumours he haed tied his howps o poleetical salvation tae the prospects o foreign invasion. His credibility wis sae deeply unnermined that the aboleetion o the monarchy an establishment o a republic acame an increasin possibeelity.

Louis XVI wis convictit o traison an guillotined in 1793. Facin increasin pressur frae European monarchies, internal guerrilla wars an coonterrevolutions (sic as the War in the Vendée), the young Republic fell intae the Reign o Terror. Atween 1793 an 1794, atween 16,000 an 40,000 fowk war executit. In Wastren Fraunce, the ceevil war atween the Bleus ("Blues", supporters o the Revolution) an the Blancs ("Whites", supporters o the Monarchy) lestit frae 1793 tae 1796 an led tae the loss o atween 200,000 an 450,000 lifes. Baith foreign airmies an French coonter-revolutionaries wis crushed an the French Republic survived.

Efter a short-lived govrenmental scheme, Napoleon Bonaparte seized control o the Republic in 1799 acomin First Consul an later Emperor o the French Empire (1804–1814/1815). As a continuation o the wars sparked bi the European monarchies against the French Republic, chyngin sets o European Coaleetions declared wars on Napoleon's Empire. His airmies conquered maist o continental Europe wi swift victories sic as the battles o Jena-Auerstadt or Austerlitz. He redrew the European poleetical cairt, while members o the Bonaparte faimily war appyntit as monarchs in some o the newly established kinricks. Thir victories led tae the warldwide expansion o French revolutionary ideals an reforms, sic as the Metric seestem, the Napoleonic Code an the Declaration o the Richts o Man. Efter the catastrophic Roushie campaign, an the ensuin uprisin o European monarchies against his rule, Napoleon wis defeatit an the Bourbon monarchy restored. Aboot a million Frenchmen died during the Napoleonic Wars.

Efter his brief return frae exile, Napoleon wis feenally defeatit in 1815 at the Battle o Waterloo, the monarchy wis re-established (1815–1830), wi new constitutional leemitations. The discreditit Bourbon dynasty wis owerthrawn bi the Julie Revolution o 1830, whilk established the constitutional Julie Monarchy, whilk lestit till 1848, whan the French Seicont Republic wis proclaimed, in the wake o the European Revolutions o 1848. In 1852, the preses o the French Republic, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Napoleon I's neffae, wis proclaimed emperor o the seicont Empire, as Napoleon III. Napoleon III wis unseatit follaein defeat in the Franco-Proushie War o 1870 an his regime wis replaced bi the Third Republic.

Contemporar history

Fraunce wis a member o the Triple Entente whan the First Warld War ootbrak. A smaw pairt o Northren Fraunce wis occupied, but Fraunce an its allies emerged victorious agin the Central Pouers at a tremendous human an material cost. Warld War I left 1.4 million French sodgers deid, 4% o its population.

In 1940 Fraunce wis invadit an occupied bi Nazi Germany. Metropolitan Fraunce wis dividit intae a German occupation zone in the north an Vichy Fraunce, a newly established authoritarian regime collaboratin wi Germany, in the sooth, while Free Fraunce, the govrenment-in-exile led bi Charles de Gaulle, wis set up in Lunnon. Frae 1942 tae 1944, aboot 160,000 French ceetizens, includin aroond 75,000 Jews, war deportit tae daith camps an concentration camps in Germany an Poland. On 6 Juin 1944 the Allies invaded Normandy an in August thay invadit Provence. Ower the follaein year the Allies an the French Resistance emerged victorious ower the Axis pouers an French sovereignty wis restored wi the establishment o the Proveesional Govrenment o the French Republic (GPRF).

The GPRF laid the grundwark for a new constitutional order that resultit in the Fowert Republic, which saw spectacular economic growthe (les Trente Glorieuses). Fraunce wis ane o the foondin members o NATO (1949). Fraunce attemptit tae regain control o French Indocheenae but wis defeatit bi the Viet Minh in 1954 at the climactic Battle o Dien Bien Phu. Anerly months later, Fraunce faced anither anti-colonialist conflict in Algerie. Tortur and illegal executions war perpetratit bi baith sides an the debate ower whether or nae tae keep control o Algerie, then hame tae ower ane million European settlers, wracked the kintra an nearly led tae a coup an ceevil war. In 1958, the waik an unstable Fowert Republic gae wey tae the Fift Republic, which includit a strenthened Presidency. In the latter role, Charles de Gaulle managed tae keep the kintra thegether while takin steps tae end the war. The Algerie War wis concludit wi the Évian Accords in 1962 that led tae Algerie unthirldom.

In the context o the Cauld War, de Gaulle pursued a policy o "naitional unthirldom" taewart the Wastren an Eastren blocs. Tae this end, he widrew frae NATO's militar integratit command, he launched a nuclear development programme an made Fraunce the fowert nuclear pouer.

Syne the 1995 Paris Métro an RER bombins, Fraunce haes been sporadically targetit bi Islamist organisations, notably the Charlie Hebdo attack in Januar 2015 whilk provoked the lairgest public rallies in French history, getherin 4.4 million fowk, the November 2015 Paris attacks which resultit in 130 daiths, the deidliest attack on French sile syne Warld War II, an the deidliest in the European Union syne the Madrid train bombins in 2004 an the 2016 Nice attack which caused 87 daiths during Bastille Day celebrations.

The European pairt o Fraunce is cried Metropolitan Fraunce an it is locatit in ane o the occidental ends o Europe. It is bordered bi the North Sea in the north, the Inglis Channel in the northwast, the Atlantic Ocean in the wast an the Mediterranean sea in the sootheast. It borders Belgium an Luxembourg in the northeast, Germany and Swisserland in the east, Italy an Monaco in the sootheast, an Spain an Andorra in the sooth an soothwast. The borders in the sooth an in the east o the kintra are moontain ranges: the Pyrenees, the Alps an the Jura, the mairch in the east is frae the Rhine river, while the mairch in the north an the northeast melts in na naitural elements.

Fraunce haes Owerseas regions athort the warld. Thir territories hae varyin statuses in the territorial admeenistration o Fraunce an are locatit:

• In Sooth Americae: French Guiana.
• In the Atlantic Ocean: Saunt Pierre an Miquelon an, in the Antilles: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saunt Martin an Saunt Barthélemy.
• In the Paceefic Ocean: French Polynesie, the special collectivity o New Caledon, Wallis an Futuna an Clipperton Island.
• In the Indie Ocean: Réunion island, Mayotte, Scaitert Islands in the Indie Ocean, Crozet Islands, St. Paul an Amsterdam islands.
• In the Indie Ocean: Kerguelen Islands.
• In the Antarctic: Adélie Land.

Fraunce haes laund borders wi Brazil an Suriname in French Guiana an wi the Kinrick o the Netherlands throu the French pairt o Saunt Martin.

At 4,810.45 metre (15,782 ft) abuin sea level, the heichest pynt in Wastren Europe, Mont Blanc, is situatit in the Alps on the French an Italian border. Fraunce haes extensive river seestems sic as the Seine, the Loire, the Garonne, an the Rhone an aa, which divides the Massif Central frae the Alps an flows intae the Mediterranean Sea at the Camargue. Corsica lies off the Mediterranean coast.

Maist o the law-lyin auries o metropolitan Fraunce excludin Corsica are locatit in the oceanic climate zone, Cfb, Cwb an Cfc in the Köppen clessification. A smaw pairt o the territory borderin the mediterranean basin lies in the Csa an Csb zones.

Fraunce wis ane o the first kintras tae creaut an environment meenistry, in 1971. Awtho it is ane o the maist industrialised kintras in the warld, Fraunce is ranked anerly 17t bi carbon dioxide emeessions, behind less populous naitions sic as Canadae or Australie. This is acause Fraunce decidit tae invest in nuclear pouer follaein the 1973 ile crisis, which nou accoonts for 75% o its electricity production an results in less pollution. Forests accoont for 28% o Fraunce's laund aurie, an are some o the maist diverse in Europe, comprisin mair nor 140 species o trees. Thare are nine naitional pairks an 46 naitural pairks in France.

• Fraunce owerseas territories