France

France [1] is a country located in Western Europe. Clockwise from the north, France borders Belgium and Luxembourg to the northeast, Germany and Switzerland to the east, Italy to the south-east and Spain to the south-west, across the Pyrenees mountain range (the small country of Andorra lies in between the two countries). The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south of France, with the Principality of Monaco forming a small enclave. To the west, France has a long Atlantic Ocean coastline, while to the north lies the English Channel, across which lies the last of France's neighbours, England (part of the United Kingdom).

France is the world's most popular tourist destination (78 million in 2006) boasting dozens of major tourist attractions, like Paris, C?te d'Azur (the French Riviera), The Atlantic beaches, The winter sport resorts of the Alps, The Castles of Loire Valley, Brittany: Mont Saint Michel. The country is renowned for its gastronomy (particularly wines and cheeses), history, culture and fashion. France will be hosting the Rugby World Cup 2007[2] in October and November.

Regions

France is divided into 22 administrative regions, which themselves can be grouped into 7 main "cultural regions", which share common points.

The Ile de France is the region surrounding the French capital, Paris.
Northern France is one region where the world wars have left many scars. It includes Nord-Pas de Calais, Picardie, and Haute-Normandie.
Northeast France is a region where wider European culture (and specially German culture) has merged with the French, giving interesting results. It includes Alsace, Lorraine, Champagne-Ardenne and Franche-Comt?.
The Great West is an oceanic region, with a culture greatly influenced by the ancient Celtic peoples. It includes Brittany (French: Bretagne), Basse-Normandie, and Pays de la Loire.
Central France is a largely agricultural and vinicultural region, featuring river valleys, chateaux and historic towns. It includes Centre-Val de Loire, Poitou-Charentes, Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), Limousin, and Auvergne.
Southwestern France is a region of sea and wine, with nice beaches over the Atlantic ocean, as well as young, high mountains close to Spain. It includes Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees.
Southeastern France is primary a tourist region of the country outside of Paris, with a warm climate and azure sea, contrasting with the mountainous French Alps. It includes Rh?ne-Alpes, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Alpes-C?te d'Azur and the Mediterranean island of Corsica (French: Corse).the main surrounding one is isle de alpes.
The world-famous Loire Valley - best known for its wines and chateaux - extends across two regions in west and central France.

Corsica is a large French island located to the south-east of mainland France in the west Mediterranean Sea (close to Nice on one side and Livorno, Italy).

Overseas departments

The following overseas territories are remote possessions kept as natural reservations:

French Southern and Antarctic territories (Terres Antarctiques et Australes Fran?aises, or TAAF), consisting of Terre Ad?lie in Antarctica and some islands in the Indian Ocean
Scattered Islands of the Indian Ocean (Iles Eparses): Europa Island, Bassas da India, Juan de Nova Island, Glorioso Islands (Glorieuses)
Clipperton Island
A very limited form of tourism is available in the TAAF islands.

Cities
France has numerous cities and towns of interest to travelers. Below is a list of nine of the most notable:

Paris -- the "City of Light", the capital of France
Bordeaux - city of wine, capital of South-West
Bourges -- a middle aged city, capital of central France.
Cannes -- host of the annual Cannes Film Festival
Lyon - France's second city, with a history from Roman times to the Resistance, restaurants (Beaujolais and delicatessen)
Marseille - big harbor, heart of Provence
Nice - a major resort on the French Riviera
Strasbourg -- a historic city on the Ill Rhine and home to, among other institutions, the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, the European Ombudsman, the European Parliament
Toulouse -- "La Ville Rose," a very nice and lively city in the south of France