The French Republic

France lies in Western Europe on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean; its European part covers about 550 thousand km², population about 66–68 million, and capital Paris. It borders 8 states in Europe; the Mediterranean island of Corsica also belongs to it, as do overseas territories in the Caribbean and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The form of government is a mixed (semi-presidential) republic: the president is elected, and the president and parliament together shape the government. France is a unitary state of 13 mainland regions (with Corsica) and 5 overseas regions. Most of its territory is plain, with the Alps, Pyrenees, Jura and Massif Central in the east and south. Rivers: the Loire (longest), the Rhône (most water), the Seine and the Garonne. The climate is temperate maritime in the west, temperate continental in the east and Mediterranean subtropical in the south. Natural increase is low and immigration matters; urbanisation is about 80 %; the Paris agglomeration has over 10 million people, and other big cities are Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille and Bordeaux. Native peoples include Basques, Bretons, Corsicans and Alsatians. The state is secular (laïcité); the traditional religion is Catholicism, and today many people are non-religious and there are many Muslims. France is a G7 member. In industry, engineering (cars, aircraft – Airbus in Toulouse), chemicals, food, perfume and luxury goods lead. A large part of electricity (about two-thirds) comes from nuclear plants. French agriculture is the largest in the EU: wheat, sugar beet, grapes (wine), milk and cheese. France is the country receiving the most foreign tourists, and the Louvre is among the most visited museums.