abstract
| - France officially the Empire of France is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean; and rules over the majority of Africa. France is a Constitutional Monarchy with its main ideals expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Metropolitan France is bordered by, Rhineland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Denmark. France's overseas departments and collectivities also share land borders with German Africa. France is linked to the United Kingdom by the Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the English Channel. France is the second largest country in the western Europe by area and the largest in Europe by population. France has been a major power for many centuries with strong economic, cultural, military and political influence. France is a developed country and possesses the second largest economy by nominal GDP and by purchasing power parity. It is the second most visited country in the world, receiving 2 million foreign tourists annually. It is also a founding member of the League of Nations, and a member of the Global Market Forum, Atlantic Coalition, and the Latin Union. It is one of the five permanent members of the League of Nations Naval Council, possesses the third largest number of aircraft in the world and the largest number of power plants in Europe.
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