France's geographical diversity lies both in its landscape and its climate. Plains account for two thirds of the total surface area, but France also has various mountain ranges: The Alps, (where "Mont Blanc" at 4807m is the highest peak in Western Europe), the "Pyrenees" the "Jura", the "Ardennes", the "Massif Central" and the "Vosges".

Lastly, France's coastline of 5500km opens onto 4 seas (The North sea, the English Channel, the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. France is situated in the temperate zone, between 41 and 52 degrees north latitude on the Western side of the Eurasian continent.

The West of France has an oceanic climate, the South a Mediterranean climate whereas the centre and the East have a more continental climate.

The population density is 107 inhabitants per square Km but with a contrasted distribution. 82% of France is covered by agricultural and forestry production zones; however, 75% of the population is urban. France is made up of 52 urban areas with more than 150 000 inhabitants. The 5 main cities are Paris with 9.8 million inhabitants, Lyon and Marseille both with 1.4 million inhabitants, Lille with 1.1 million and Toulouse with 0.9 million.