During the 9th and 10th centuries, continually threatened by Viking invasions, France became a very decentralised state: the nobility's titles and lands became hereditary, and the authority of the king became more religious than secular and thus was less effective and constantly challenged by powerful noblemen. Thus was established feudalism in France. Over time, some of the king's vassals would grow so powerful that they often posed a threat to the king. For example, after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror added "King of England" to his titles, becoming both the vassal to (as Duke of Normandy) and the equal of (as king of England) the king of France, creating recurring tensions. France's railway network, which stretches 29,473 kilometres (18,314mi) as of 2008, [216] is the second most extensive in Western Europe after Germany. [217] It is operated by the SNCF, and high-speed trains include the Thalys, the Eurostar and TGV, which travels at 320km/h (199mph). [218] The Eurostar, along with the Eurotunnel Shuttle, connects with the United Kingdom through the Channel Tunnel. Rail connections exist to all other neighbouring countries in Europe except Andorra. Intra-urban connections are also well developed, with most major cities having underground or tramway services complementing bus services. The 101 departments are subdivided into 335 arrondissements, which are, in turn, subdivided into 2,054 cantons. [117] These cantons are then divided into 36,658 communes, which are municipalities with an elected municipal council. [117] Three communes—Paris, Lyon and Marseille—are subdivided into 45 municipal arrondissements.

French is an official language, mostly in conjunction with English, of 36 international organisations. These include: Also in March 1793, a counter-revolution in Vendée began, evoked by both the Civil Constitution of the Clergy of 1790 and the nationwide army conscription in early 1793; elsewhere in France rebellion was brewing too. A factionalist feud in the National Convention, smouldering ever since October 1791, came to a climax on 2 June 1793 with the group of the Girondins being forced to resign and leave the convention. By July the counter-revolution had spread to Brittany, Normandy, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Toulon, and Lyon. Between October and December 1793, Paris' Convention government took brutal measures to subdue most internal uprisings at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. Some historians consider the civil war to have lasted until 1796 with a toll of possibly 450,000 lives. [63] By the end of 1793, the allies had been driven from France. OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license. Large parts of Greenland are also considered a desert, an area without or with little vegetation. By the way, Greenland is the country with the lowest population density, and no, it is not for sale. See also: France in the Middle Ages Joan of Arc led the French Army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), which paved the way for the final victory.France Map Outline demarcates the international boundary. Explore the map to know more about neighboring countries and water bodies adjacent to the country.

The legislature consists of the French Parliament, a bicameral body made up of a lower house, the National Assembly ( Assemblée nationale) and an upper house, the Senate. [127] Legislators in the National Assembly, known as députés, represent local constituencies and are directly elected for five-year terms. [128] The Assembly has the power to dismiss the government by majority vote. Senators are chosen by an electoral college for six-year terms, with half the seats submitted to election every three years. [129] The Senate's legislative powers are limited; in the event of disagreement between the two chambers, the National Assembly has the final say. [130] The parliament is responsible for determining the rules and principles concerning most areas of law, political amnesty, and fiscal policy; however, the government may draft specific details concerning most laws. Main article: History of France §Revolutionary France (1789–1799) The Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 was the most emblematic event of the French Revolution. Contemporary period (1946–present) Charles de Gaulle, a hero of World War I, leader of the Free French during World War II, and President of FranceFurther, there are some countries where French is commonly used, but it is not an official language: The Carolingian dynasty ruled France until 987, when Hugh Capet, Duke of France and Count of Paris, was crowned King of the Franks. [45] His descendants—the Capetians, the House of Valois and the House of Bourbon—progressively unified the country through wars and dynastic inheritance into the Kingdom of France, which was fully declared in 1190 by Philip II of France ( Philippe Auguste). Later kings would expand their directly possessed domaine royal to cover over half of modern continental France by the 15th century, including most of the north, centre and west of France. During this process, the royal authority became more and more assertive, centred on a hierarchically conceived society distinguishing nobility, clergy, and commoners.

France was invaded by Germany and defended by Great Britain to start World War I in August 1914. A rich industrial area in the northeast was occupied. France and the Allies emerged victorious against the Central Powers at a tremendous human and material cost. World War I left 1.4million French soldiers dead, 4% of its population. [67] Between 27 and 30% of soldiers conscripted from 1912 to 1915 were killed. [68] The interbellum years were marked by intense international tensions and a variety of social reforms introduced by the Popular Front government (e.g., annual leave, eight-hour workdays, women in government). Although France is in the UTC (Z) ( Western European Time) zone, UTC+01:00 ( Central European Time) was enforced as the standard time since 25 February 1940, upon German occupation in WW2, with a +0:50:39 offset (and +1:50:39 during DST) from Paris LMT (UTC+0:09:21). [13]National Geographic Executive Map of the World - World Political Map Poster Wall Art Giclee Print - Decorative Canvas World Map French is the official language of France, which is composed of 27 regions. 22 of them are situated in Europe and 5 are overseas territories. The 5 overseas territories are called Département d’Outre Mer (DOM) and are the following: How many oceans are there? In fact, there is only one ocean, a large continuous body of water with relatively free exchange (currents) between its parts.