France - download topographic map set
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France is situated in Western Europe. France borders with Belgium, Luxemburg and Germany in the northeast, with Germany, Switzerland and Italy in the east, with Monaco in the southeast, with Spain and Andorra in the south. The coasts of France are washed by the North Sea, by the Strait of Dover and the English Channel in the north, by the Mediterranean Sea in the southeast, by the Bay of Biscay in the west. The total area of France is 547,000 sq km.
Relief. The relief of France is of three types: mountains, plateaus and plains. The Pyrenees, the Alps and the Jura Mountains are parts of the Alpine system. The Central Massif, the Armorican Massif, the Vosges and the Ardennes are the destroyed remnants of the ancient Hercynian Mountains. The Parisian basin (the Northern French Depression), the Garonne Depression (the Aquitanian basin) and the grabens of the Rhône and the Sadne are plains with small-scale altitude amplitudes.
Mountains. The Jura Mountains, along which the border with Switzerland passes, are located between Geneva and Basel. They have folded structure and are created of limestone. The mountains are lower and less dissected than the Alps, though were formed in the same era and have a strong geologic link with the latter.
The Central Massif located between the basins of the Loire, the Garonne and the Rhône is the greatest massif that originated after the destruction of the ancient Hercynian Mountains. In the present times these volcanoes have stopped their activity.
The Armorican Massif occupying the territory of Brittany and Cotentin Peninsula is less lifted and less crack-covered than the Central French Massif. Despite low heights, the Armorican Massif is deeply cut with river valleys and has few flat areas.
Mont Blanc (4,807 m) is the highest peak in Western Europe.
Rivers. Four major rivers of France are the Seine, the Loire, the Garonne and the Rhône; the longest of them is the Loire (1,000 m).
Lakes. Lake of Geneva (Lake Leman, Lac Léman) is the second largest sweet lake in Central Europe located in Switzerland and France. It is the largest tarn lake as well.
Other lakes situated on the territory of France are Lac d`Annecy, Lac Gentau, Lac du Milieu, Lac du Bourget, Lac du Rotondo, Étang de Berre, and Étang de Thau.
Sightseeing. Paris is the capital of France. The major tourist-attracting part of Paris lies on the right bank of the Seine: here one can visit the Louvre, the Stock Exchange, the Temple, the Triumphal Arch, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the bright Tinguely Fountain, the Eiffel Tower, the Campus Martius, and the Luxembourg Gardens.
Nice, the “capital” of Cote d`Azur, is situated on the shore of Baie des Anges, surrounded by the foothills of the Maritime Alps.
Cote d`Azur is the European vacation centre.
Burgundy is the historical province of France.
Provence consists of more than 900 km of beaches and bays from Cote d`Azur to Camargue. Here one can visit the largest wine-making areas in Provence.
Normandy is famous for the beauty of its severe coasts, shady forests and prestigious resorts, such as Doville, Dieppe, Le Tuk, Cabourg, etc.
The Isle of Corsica may well be named in the list of “the seven wonders of the world”.
The French Alps are the highest mountains Western Europe and the major winter sports centre.
Tourism. The most popular ski resorts of France are Trois Vallées (Courchevel, Val Thorens, Les Menuires, Méribel), Alpe d`Huez, Les Deux Alpes, Megève, Paradiski (Les Arcs, La Plagne), Portes du Soleil, Shamonix, Espace Killy (Tignes, Val d`Isère).
France offers possibilities of deluxe beach rest. The well-known coasts and resorts of the country are as follows:
- The Mediterranean coast: Cote d`Azur (Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Jean Le Pen, Saint Tropez);
- The Atlantic coast: the province of Aquitania (Biarritz), the province of Brittany (Saint-Malo, Dinard, Quiberon), the province of Normandy (Deauville, Trouville, Honfleur);
- The Isle of Corsica.
Climate. The climate of France can be characterised as Mediterranean. In the central part of France the summer is quite hot (the temperatures of July and August are +20°C to +25°C), the winter is mild (the temperatures of January are 0°C to +3°C) and rather wet, though snowfalls are rare. The average annual precipitation is 580 mm; the average number of days with downfall is 95.