French colonial empires

France has had colonial possessions, in various forms, since the beginning of the 17th century, until the 1960's. In the 19th and 20th centuries, its colonial empire was the second largest in the world, behind the British Empire. At its peak, between 1919 and 1939, the second French colonial empire extended over 12,347,000 km² (4,767,000 sq. miles) of land. Including metropolitan France, the total area of land under French sovereignty reached 12,898,000 km² (4,980,000 sq. miles) in the 1920's and 1930s, which is 8.6% of the world's land area.

Related Topics:
France - Colonial - 17th century - 1960's - British Empire - 1919 - 1939 - Metropolitan France - 12,898,000 km²

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Currently, the remnants of this large empire are tens of islands and archipelagos located in the North Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific, the North Pacific, and the Antarctic Ocean, as well one mainland territory in South America, totaling altogether 123,150 km² (47,548 sq. miles), which amounts to only 1% of the pre-1939 French colonial empire's area, with 2,485,000 people living in them in 2005, (see Administrative divisions of France). All of these enjoy full political representation at the national level, as well as varying degrees of legislative autonomy.

Related Topics:
Empire - Archipelagos - North Atlantic - Caribbean - Indian Ocean - South Pacific - North Pacific - Antarctic Ocean - South America - 123,150 km² - Administrative divisions of France

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Most of the empire was controlled by the French Colonial Forces.

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