France, officially the French Republic is a unitary sovereign state comprising territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean covering 247,368 square miles (640,679 sq kms) and has a population of 66 million. It is a semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the nation's largest city and the main cultural and commercial center.
The name "France" comes from the Latin Francia, which means "country of the Franks". Originally it applied to the whole Empire of the Franks. Modern France is still named today Francia in Italian or Spanish languages and Frankreich in German language, meaning "Frank Reich", the Realm of the Franks.
