France

===Geology, topography and hydrography===
[[File:2013.07.05 roussillon - roque anthéron 172.JPG|thumb|Geological formations near [[Roussillon, Vaucluse|Roussillon]], [[Vaucluse]]]]
Metropolitan France has a wide variety of topographical sets and natural landscapes. Large parts of the current territory of France were raised during several tectonic episodes like the [[Hercynian uplift]] in the [[Paleozoic Era]], during which the [[Armorican Massif]], the [[Massif Central]], the [[Morvan]], the [[Vosges]] and [[Ardennes]] ranges and the island of [[Corsica]] were formed. These massifs delineate several sedimentary basins such as the [[Aquitaine Basin]] in the southwest and the [[Paris Basin]] in the north, the latter including several areas of particularly fertile ground such as the silt beds of [[Beauce, France|Beauce]] and [[Brie (region)|Brie]]. Various routes of natural passage, such as the [[Rhône Valley]], allow easy communication. The Alpine, Pyrenean and Jura mountains are much younger and have less eroded forms. At {{Convert|4810.45|m|ft|0}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 November 2009 |title=Mont Blanc shrinks by {{Convert|45|cm|2|abbr=on}} in two years |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=https://www.smh.com.au/environment/mont-blanc-shrinks-by-45cm-in-two-years-20091106-i0kk.html |access-date=9 August 2010}}</ref> above sea level, [[Mont Blanc]], located in the Alps on the [[France–Italy border]], is the highest point in Western Europe. Although 60% of municipalities are classified as having seismic risks, these risks remain moderate.

The coastlines offer contrasting landscapes: mountain ranges along the [[French Riviera]], coastal cliffs such as the [[Côte d'Albâtre]], and wide sandy plains in the [[Languedoc]]. Corsica lies off the Mediterranean coast. France has an extensive river system consisting of the four major rivers [[Seine]], the [[Loire]], the [[Garonne]], the [[Rhône]] and their tributaries, whose combined catchment includes over 62% of the metropolitan territory. The Rhône divides the Massif Central from the Alps and flows into the Mediterranean Sea at the [[Camargue]]. The Garonne meets the [[Dordogne (river)|Dordogne]] just after Bordeaux, forming the [[Gironde estuary]], the largest estuary in Western Europe which after approximately {{Convert|100|km|mi|0}} empties into the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://medoc-tourisme.com/en/mondes/close-to-estuary/|title=Close to ESTUARY}}</ref> Other water courses drain towards the Meuse and Rhine along the northeastern borders. France has {{Cvt|11000000|km2}} of marine waters within three oceans under its jurisdiction, of which 97% are overseas.