With a population of 65.1 million, France is the nineteenth most populated country in the world and the second most populous country in the European Union after Germany. The largest cities of the country are Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, Nice and Nantes.
Since the second half of the 17th century, France has been one of the leading countries in the field of international relations around the world. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, France established one of the largest colonial empires of the period. During these periods, the borders of France extended from West Africa to Southeast Asia, and left significant traces in the cultures and policies of the societies in the regions it affected. It has an advanced economy and is in the class of developed countries, with its nominal gross domestic product ranking 6th in the world ranking and its purchasing power parity ranking 7th.
France is the most visited country in the world with approximately 82 million tourists annually, excluding those who stay in the country for less than twenty-four hours, including those who come for business trips.France is one of the founding members of the political and economic organization called the European Union and has the largest area among the member countries of the union. The country is also one of the founding members of the United Nations.
With a length of 31,840 kilometers, the French rail network is the most developed in Western Europe. France also has a road network with a total length of 893,300 kilometers. The capital Paris and its surroundings are covered with the densest road and highway network, and it has direct connections with almost every corner of the country.