France is the largest country in Western Europe, with a vast maritime zone (exclusive economic zone extending over 11 million sq. km). The total area is 547 030 sq. km.

Plains cover two-thirds of the total area. The principal mountain ranges are the Alps (of which the highest peak, Mont Blanc, rising to 4807 metres, is the highest mountain in Western Europe), Pyrenees, Jura, Ardennes, Massif Central, and Vosges. Bordered by four seas (North Sea, Channel, Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean), France has 5500 km of coastline.

There are three types of climates in metropolitan France: Oceanic in the west, Mediterranean in the south, and Continental in central and eastern France. Generally the winters are cool and the summers mild, but there are mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean area.

France has overseas subdivisions (departments): Mayotte, Saint Pierre et Miquelon, Guyane, Runion, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Nouvelle Caldonie, and Tahiti.

France is a multi-cultural society. From the beginning of the 20th century, immigration has been a phenomenon that distinguishes French society from other European countries, having welcomed more than 4 million foreigners (2004) to citizenship since 1900. At the turn of the 20th century, immigrants were predominantly of Portuguese, Polish, Italian, and Spanish descent. After the mid-20th century, there have been more African (Algeria War) and Asian immigrants (1980s).

France also has an aging population. There is an increasing part of the population over 60 years old, due to the baby-boomers born in the decades immediately following World War II. They currently have significant consumer buying power.