- Total Area : 643,801 sq km; 551,500 sq km (metropolitan France)
- Land Area : 640,427 sq km; 549,970 sq km (metropolitan France)
- Water Area : 3,374 sq km; 1,530 sq km (metropolitan France)
- Climate description : metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral
French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average
Mayotte: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November)
Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April) - Terrain description : metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
French Guiana: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin
Martinique: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
Mayotte: generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks
Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast - Arable Land Use : 33.4 percent
- Permanent Crop Land Use : 1.8 %
- Irrigated Land : 26,950 sq km
- Total Renewable Water Resources : 211 cu km
- Total Freshwater Withdrawal : 31.62 cu km/yr (19%/71%/10%)
- Per Person Freshwater Withdrawal : 512.1 cu m/yr
- Natural Hazards description : metropolitan France: flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean
overseas departments: hurricanes (cyclones); flooding; volcanic activity (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) - Environmental Current Issues : some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff
- Total Labor Force : 29.84 million
- % of Labor Force in Agriculture : 3%
- Agricultural Products description : wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish