“ Metropolitan France ” is a francism which indicates the European part of the France: the continental territory and islands close to the Atlantic Ocean, the Handle and the Mediterranean, including the Corsica . This term is abuse of language (unless to speak about France before with 1962 and independence about Algeria), since a Métropole is what is opposed, in right, with the colonies; however, the Collectivités of overseas (and before them DOM-TOM) are not juridically any more of the colonies since the Constitution of 1946 which created the French Union. The exact legal term (that one finds in the treaties of the European Union, for example) is European territory of France .

The Metropolitan France - sometimes shortened in “Metropolis” - is thus opposed to the France overseas, the parts of the French Republic precisely located apart from the European territory.

The Metropolitan France extends on 551.500 km ², that is to say 80% of the total territory of the country. At the beginning of 2006, its population amounted to 61.044.700 inhabitants, that is to say 96% of the total.

The term “France continental” is sometimes used to describe the territory of Metropolitan France excluding Corsica. It acts also of abuse of language, since the Guyana is also (and contrary to all the other territories out of continental Europe, which is islands), located on a continent - South America.

Internal bond

• France of overseas

External bonds

• List and classification of the 38.000 cities and villages of Metropolitan France