WhileMetropolitanFranceislocatedinWesternEurope,FrancealsohasanumberofterritoriesinNorthAmerica,theCaribbean,SouthAmerica,thesouthernIndianOcean,thePacificOcean,andAntarctica.[15]Theseterritorieshavevaryingformsofgovernmentrangingfromoverseasdepartmenttooverseascollectivity.

　　MetropolitanFrancecovers547,030squarekilometres(211,209sqmi),[16]havingthelargestareaamongEuropeanUnionmembersandslightlylargerthanSpain.Francepossessesawidevarietyoflandscapes,fromcoastalplainsinthenorthandwesttomountainrangesoftheAlpsinthesouth-east,theMassifCentralinthesouth-centralandPyreneesinthesouth-west.At4,807metres(15,770ft)abovesea-level,thehighestpointinWesternEurope,MontBlanc,issituatedintheAlpsontheborderbetweenFranceandItaly.[17]MetropolitanFrancealsohasextensiveriversystemssuchastheLoire,theGaronne,theSeineandtheRhône,whichdividestheMassifCentralfromtheAlpsandflowsintotheMediterraneanseaattheCamargue,thelowestpointinFrance(2m/6.5ftbelowsealevel).[17]CorsicaliesofftheMediterraneancoast.

　　TheExclusiveEconomicZoneofFranceextendsover11millionkm²(4millionsqmiles)ofoceanacrosstheworld.[18]France'stotallandarea,withitsoverseasdepartmentsandterritories(excludingAdélieLand),is674,843squarekilometres(260,558sqmi),0.45%ofthetotallandareaonEarth.However,Francepossessesthesecond-largestExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ)intheworld,covering11,035,000squarekilometres(4,260,000sqmi),approximately8%ofthetotalsurfaceofalltheEEZsoftheworld,justbehindtheUnitedStates(11,351,000km²/4,383,000sqmi)andaheadofAustralia(8,232,000km²/3,178,000sqmi).[19]

　　MetropolitanFranceissituatedbetween41°and51°North,onthewesternedgeofEurope,andthuslieswithinthenortherntemperatezone.Thenorthandnorthwesthaveatemperateclimate,whileacombinationofmaritimeinfluences,latitudeandaltitudeproduceavariedclimateintherestofMetropolitanFrance.[20]Inthesouth-eastaMediterraneanclimateprevails.Inthewest,theclimateispredominantlyoceanicwithahighlevelofrainfall,mildwintersandcooltowarmsummers.Inlandtheclimatebecomesmorecontinentalwithhot,stormysummers,colderwintersandlessrain.TheclimateoftheAlpsandothermountainousregionsismainlyalpine,withthenumberofdayswithtemperaturesbelowfreezingover150peryearandsnowcoverlastingforuptosixmonths.