France is Europe's oldest nation, existing in its present form since the 15th century. The country's boundaries are largely natural ones, with the English Channel to the north, the Atlantic to the west, the Pyrénées and the Mediterranean to the south, and the Alps, the Jura mountains and the Rhine to the east. It is the world's fourth-richest country, Western Europe's largest nation and the world's 37th-largest country.

France has around 56 million visitors a year, making it the world's most popular tourist destination. The fact that France is arguably the only nation that is located at once in northern and southern Europe suggests something of the extraordinary variety that is to be found within its borders.