France

The French Republic or France ({{ll|French}}: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents.{{ref|overseasholdings}}

International rankings

• Total GDP, 2004: 5th (out of 184) (World Bank data)
• Total value of foreign trade (imports and exports), 2002: 4th (out of 185)
• Human Development Index, 2004: 16th (out of 177)
• Reporters Without Borders world-wide press freedom index 2004: Rank 19 out of 167 countries
• Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2004 - 22nd of 145 countries