agents/samples/FRANCE.txt

{{Short description|Country in Western Europe}}
{{Hatnote|For other uses, see [[France (disambiguation)]], [[Lafrance (disambiguation)|Lafrance]], or (for prior French Republics) [[French Republics (disambiguation)|French Republics]].}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = French Republic
| common_name            = France
| native_name            = {{Native name|fr|République française}}
| image_flag             = Flag of France.svg
| image_coat             = Arms of the French Republic.svg
| symbol_width           = 75px
| symbol_type            = [[Coat of arms of France|Coat of arms]]{{Efn-ur|The current [[Constitution of France]] does not specify a national emblem.<ref>{{Cite constitution|article=II|polity=France|date=1958}}</ref> The [[Fasces|lictor's fasces]] is very often used to represent the French Republic, although today it holds no official status.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-lictor-s-fasces|date=15 December 2022|title=THE LICTOR'S FASCES|access-date=18 May 2024|archive-date=7 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407081203/https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-lictor-s-fasces|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to the coat of arms, France also uses a [[Diplomatic emblem of France|different emblem]] for diplomatic and consular purposes.}}
| other_symbol           = [[File:Armoiries république française.svg|90px]]
| other_symbol_type      = [[Diplomatic emblem of France|Diplomatic emblem]]
| national_motto         = "{{Lang|fr|[[Liberté, égalité, fraternité]]|italics=no}}"
| englishmotto           = ("Liberty, Equality, Fraternity")
| national_anthem        = "[[La Marseillaise]]"<br /><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em">[[File:La Marseillaise.ogg|alt=sound clip of the Marseillaise French national anthem]]</div>
| image_map              = {{Switcher|[[File:EU-France (orthographic projection).svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|France on the globe centred on Europe|[[File:EU-France.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|[[Metropolitan France]] (European part of France) in Europe|[[File:France and its region.png|frameless]]|France and its neighbors<!--Map restored per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] in 03:24, 11 July 2023 discussion [[Talk:France#Removal of map]]-->|[[File:Territorial waters - France.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show France, its overseas territories and [[Exclusive economic zone of France|its exclusive economic zones]]|Labelled map|default=1}}
| map_caption            = {{Map caption|location_color=blue or dark green|region=Europe|region_color=dark grey|subregion=the European Union|subregion_color=green|unbulleted list|Location of the territory of the (red)|[[Adélie Land]] (Antarctic claim; hatched)}}
| capital                = [[Paris]]
| coordinates            = {{Coord|48|51|N|2|21|E|type:city(2,100,000)_region:FR-75C}}
| largest_city           = capital
| languages_type         = Official language<br />{{Nobold|and national language}}
| languages              = [[French language|French]]{{Efn-ur|name=one|For information about regional languages, see [[Languages of France]].}}{{Infobox|child=yes
| regional_languages = See [[Languages of France]]
| label1 = Nationality {{Nobold|(2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=L'essentiel sur... les immigrés et les étrangers |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3633212 |website=[[Insee]] |access-date=9 September 2023 |archive-date=26 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626142004/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3633212 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| data1 = {{Unbulleted list|92.2% [[French people|French]]|7.8% [[Demographics of France|other]]}}}}
| religion_ref           = <ref name=religion2020>{{cite web|last1=Drouhot|first1=Lucas|last2=Simon|first2=Patrick|last3=Tiberj|first3=Vincent|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6793308/IMMFRA23-D2.pdf|title=La diversité religieuse en France : transmissions intergénérationnelles et pratiques selon les origines|trans-title=Religious diversity in France: Intergenerational transmissions and practices according to the origins|publisher=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies]] (INSEE)|type=official statistics|date=30 March 2023|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330154402/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6793308/IMMFRA23-D2.pdf|archive-date=30 March 2023}}</ref>
| religion_year          = 2023
| religion               = Aged 18 - 59 {{ublist|item_style=white-space;|51% [[Irreligion|No Religion]]|38% [[Christianity]]|10% [[Islam]]|0.5% [[Judaism]]|0.5% [[Buddhism]]}}
| demonym                = French
| government_type        = Unitary [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[President of France|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Emmanuel Macron]]
| leader_title2          = [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name2           = [[Gabriel Attal]]
| leader_title3          = [[List of presidents of the Senate of France|President of the Senate]]
| leader_name3           = [[Gérard Larcher]]
| leader_title4          = [[List of presidents of the National Assembly of France|President of the National Assembly]]
| leader_name4           = [[Yaël Braun-Pivet]]
| legislature            = [[French Parliament|Parliament]]
| upper_house            = [[Senate (France)|Senate]]
| lower_house            = [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]]
| sovereignty_type       = [[History of France|Establishment]]
| established_event1     = [[West Francia|Kingdom of the West Franks]] – [[Treaty of Verdun]]
| established_date1      = 10 August 843
| established_event2     = [[Kingdom of France]] – [[List of French monarchs#House of Capet (987–1792)|Capetian rulers of France]]
| established_date2      = 3 July 987
| established_event3     = [[Proclamation of the abolition of the monarchy|French Republic]] – [[French First Republic]]
| established_date3      = 22 September 1792
| established_event4     = [[Enlargement of the European Union#Founding members|Founded]] the [[European Economic Community|EEC]]{{Efn-ur|[[European Union]] since 1993}}
| established_date4      = 1 January 1958
| established_event5     = [[Constitution of France|Current&nbsp;constitution]] – [[French Fifth Republic]]
| established_date5      = 4 October 1958
| area_km2               = 643,801
| area_footnote          = <ref name="Field Listing :: Area">{{Cite web |title=Field Listing :: Area |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131115000/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html |archive-date=31 January 2014 |access-date=1 November 2015 |website=The World Factbook |publisher=CIA}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
| area_rank              = 42nd <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] -->
| area_sq_mi             = 248,600 <!--Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers|WP:MOSNUM]] -->
| area_label2            = [[Metropolitan France]] ([[Institut géographique national|IGN]])
| area_data2             = {{Cvt|551695|km2}}{{Efn-ur|name=three|French [[Institut géographique national|National Geographic Institute]] data, which includes bodies of water}} ([[List of countries and dependencies by area|50th]])
| area_label3            = Metropolitan France ([[Cadastre]])
| area_data3             = {{Cvt|543940.9|km2}}{{Efn-ur|name=four|French [[Land registration|Land Register]] data, which exclude lakes, ponds and [[glacier]]s larger than 1 km<sup>2</sup> (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers}}<ref>{{Cite journal |year=2011 |title=France Métropolitaine |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/comparateur.asp?codgeo=METRODOM-1 |url-status=dead |journal=INSEE |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828051307/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/comparateur.asp?codgeo=METRODOM-1 |archive-date=28 August 2015}}</ref> ([[List of countries and dependencies by area|50th]])
| population_estimate    = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 68,373,433<ref name="pop_est">{{Cite web |date=16 January 2023 |title=Bilan démographique 2023 – Composantes de la croissance démographique, France |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7746154?sommaire=7746197#titre-bloc-1 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Insee |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118223724/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7746154?sommaire=7746197#titre-bloc-1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| percent_water          = 0.86<ref>{{Cite web |title=Surface water and surface water change |url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER |access-date=11 October 2020 |publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) |archive-date=24 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324133453/https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = January 2024
| population_estimate_rank = 20th
| population_label2      = Density
| population_data2       = {{Pop density|68373433|643801|km2}} ([[List of countries and territories by population density|106th]])
| population_label3      = Metropolitan France, estimate {{As of|lc=y|January 2024}}
| population_data3       = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 66,142,961<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 January 2024 |title=Bilan démographique 2023 – Composantes de la croissance démographique, France métropolitaine |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7746154?sommaire=7746197#titre-bloc-3 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Insee |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118223724/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7746154?sommaire=7746197#titre-bloc-3 |url-status=live }}</ref> ([[List of countries and dependencies by population|23rd]])
| population_density_km2 = 122
| population_density_sq_mi = 313 <!-- Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers|WP:MOSNUM]] -->
| population_density_rank = 89th
| GDP_PPP                           = {{increase}} $3.988 trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.FR">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/April/weo-report?c=132,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2022&ey=2029&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2024 Edition. (France) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |website=www.imf.org |date=16 April 2024 |access-date=16 April 2024}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year                   = 2024
| GDP_PPP_rank                   = 10th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita          = {{increase}} $60,339<ref name="IMFWEO.FR" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 26th
| GDP_nominal                      = {{increase}} $3.130 trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.FR" />
| GDP_nominal_year             = 2024
| GDP_nominal_rank             = 7th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita   = {{increase}} $47,359<ref name="IMFWEO.FR" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 23rd
| Gini                   = 29.8 <!-- number only -->
| Gini_year              = 2022
| Gini_change            = increase <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| Gini_ref               = <ref name="eurogini">{{Cite web |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en |access-date=25 November 2023 |website=ec.europa.eu |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |archive-date=9 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009091832/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en |url-status=live }}</ref>
| HDI                    = 0.910<!-- number only -->
| HDI_year               = 2022 <!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year -->
| HDI_change             = steady <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2023/24|language=en|publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]|date=13 March 2024|page=288|access-date=13 March 2024|archive-date=13 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313164319/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 28th
| currency               = {{Unbulleted list
| [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]]) ([[ISO 4217|EUR]]){{Efn-ur|name=six|Whole of the except the overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean}}
| [[CFP franc]] (XPF){{Efn-ur|name=seven|French overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean only}}
}}
| time_zone              = [[Central European Time]]
| utc_offset             = +1
| utc_offset_DST         = +2
| time_zone_DST          = [[Central European Summer Time]]{{Efn-ur|name=eight|Daylight saving time is observed in metropolitan France and [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] only.}}
| DST_note               = Note: Various other time zones are observed in overseas France.{{Efn-ur|name=nine|Time zones across the span from UTC−10 ([[French Polynesia]]) to UTC+12 ([[Wallis and Futuna]])}}<br /> Although France is in the [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (Z) ([[Western European Time]]) zone, [[UTC+01:00]] ([[Central European Time]]) was enforced as the standard time since 25 February 1940, upon [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|German occupation in WW2]], with a +0:50:39 offset (and +1:50:39 during [[Daylight saving time|DST]]) from Paris [[Local mean time|LMT]] (UTC+0:09:21).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Time Zone & Clock Changes in Paris, Île-de-France, France |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/france/paris |access-date=9 October 2021 |website=timeanddate.com |archive-date=23 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023233753/https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/france/paris |url-status=live }}</ref>
| date_format            = dd/mm/yyyy ([[Anno Domini|AD]])
| drives_on              = right
| calling_code           = [[Telephone numbers in France|+33]]{{Efn-ur|name=eleven|The overseas regions and collectivities form part of the [[Telephone numbers in France|French telephone numbering plan]], but have their own country calling codes: [[Guadeloupe]] +590; [[Martinique]] +596; [[French Guiana]] +594; [[Réunion]] and [[Mayotte]] +262; [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] +508. The overseas territories are not part of the French telephone numbering plan; their country calling codes are: [[New Caledonia]] +687; [[French Polynesia]] +689; [[Wallis and Futuna]] +681.}}
| cctld                  = [[.fr]]{{Efn-ur|name=ten|In addition to [[.fr]], several other Internet TLDs are used in French overseas ''départements'' and territories: [[.re]], [[.mq]], [[.gp]], [[.tf]], [[.nc]], [[.pf]], [[.wf]], [[.pm]], [[.gf]] and [[.yt]]. France also uses [[.eu]], shared with other members of the European Union. The [[.cat]] domain is used in [[Catalan Countries|Catalan-speaking territories]].}}
| footnotes              = Source gives area of metropolitan France as 551,500 km<sup>2</sup> (212,900 sq mi) and lists overseas regions separately, whose areas sum to 89,179 km<sup>2</sup> (34,432 sq mi). Adding these give the total shown here for the entire French Republic. [[The World Factbook]] reports the total as 643,801 km<sup>2</sup> (248,573 sq mi).
| flag_p1                = Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1974, 2020–present).svg
}}

'''France''',{{efn|{{IPA|fr|fʁɑ̃s|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Fhala.K-France.wav}}<!-- Do not add English pronunciation per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead Section]]. -->}} officially the '''French Republic''',{{efn|{{Lang-fr|link=no|République française}} {{IPA-fr|ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz|}}}} is a country located primarily in [[Western Europe]]. It also includes [[Overseas France|overseas regions and territories]] in the [[Americas]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]], [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] and [[Indian Ocean|Indian]] oceans,{{Efn-ur|name=twelve|[[French Guiana]] is in South America; [[Guadeloupe]] and [[Martinique]] are in the Caribbean Sea; and [[Réunion]] and [[Mayotte]] are in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Africa. All five [[Administrative divisions of France|are considered integral parts of the French Republic]]. France also comprises [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] in North America; [[Saint Barthélemy]] and [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]] in the Caribbean; [[French Polynesia]], [[New Caledonia]], [[Wallis and Futuna]] and [[Clipperton Island]] in the Pacific Ocean; and the [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]].}} giving it one of the largest discontiguous [[exclusive economic zone]]s in the world. [[Metropolitan France]] shares borders with [[Belgium]] and [[Luxembourg]] to the north, [[Germany]] to the north east, [[Switzerland]] to the east, [[Italy]] and [[Monaco]] to the south east, [[Andorra]] and [[Spain]] to the south, and a maritime border with the [[United Kingdom]] to the north west. Its metropolitan area extends from the [[Rhine]] to the Atlantic Ocean and from the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to the [[English Channel]] and the [[North Sea]]. Its overseas territories include [[French Guiana]] in [[South America]], [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] in the North Atlantic, the [[French West Indies]], and many islands in [[Oceania]] and the [[Indian Ocean]]. Its [[Regions of France|eighteen integral regions]] (five of which are overseas) span a combined area of {{Cvt|643801|km2}} and have a total population of 68.4 million {{As of|2024|January|lc=y}}.<ref name="Field Listing :: Area"/><ref name=pop_est/> France is a [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[republic]] with its capital in [[Paris]], the [[List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants|country's largest city]] and main cultural and commercial centre; other major [[Urban area (France)|urban areas]] include [[Marseille]], [[Lyon]], [[Toulouse]], [[Lille]], [[Bordeaux]], [[Strasbourg]], [[Nantes]] and [[Nice]].

Metropolitan France was settled during the [[Iron Age]] by [[List of ancient Celtic peoples and tribes|Celtic tribes]] known as [[Gauls]] before [[Roman Gaul|Rome annexed the area]] in 51 BC, leading to a distinct [[Gallo-Roman culture]]. In the [[Early Middle Ages]], the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[Franks]] formed the Kingdom of [[Francia]], which became the heartland of the [[Carolingian Empire]]. The [[Treaty of Verdun]] of 843 partitioned the empire, with [[West Francia]] evolving into the [[Kingdom of France]]. In the [[High Middle Ages]], France was a powerful but decentralized [[Feudalism|feudal]] kingdom, but from the mid-14th to the mid-15th centuries, France was plunged into a dynastic conflict with [[Kingdom of England|England]] known as the [[Hundred Years' War]]. In the 16th century, the [[French Renaissance]] saw culture flourish and a [[French colonial empire]] rise.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UX8aeX_Lbi4C&pg=PA1 |title=Memory, Empire, and Postcolonialism: Legacies of French Colonialism |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7391-0821-5 |editor-last=Hargreaves, Alan G. |page=1}}</ref> Internally, France was dominated by the conflict with the [[House of Habsburg]] and the [[French Wars of Religion]] between [[Catholics]] and [[Huguenots]]. France was successful in the [[Thirty Years' War]] and further increased its influence during the reign of [[Louis XIV]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=R.R. Palmer |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernw00palm |title=A History of the Modern World |last2=Joel Colton |year=1978 |edition=5th |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernw00palm/page/161 161] |url-access=registration}}</ref>

The [[French Revolution]] of 1789 overthrew the {{Lang|fr|[[Ancien Régime]]|italic=no}} and produced the [[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen|Declaration of the Rights of Man]], which expresses the nation's ideals to this day. France reached its political and military zenith in the early 19th century under [[Napoleon|Napoleon Bonaparte]], subjugating part of continental Europe and establishing the [[First French Empire]]. The [[French Revolutionary Wars|French Revolutionary]] and [[Napoleonic Wars]] significantly shaped the course of European history. The collapse of the empire initiated a period of relative decline, in which France endured the [[Bourbon Restoration]] until the founding of the [[French Second Republic]] which was succeeded by the [[Second French Empire]] upon [[Napoleon III]]'s takeover. His empire collapsed during the [[Franco-Prussian War]] in 1870. This led to the establishment of the [[Third French Republic]] Subsequent decades saw a period of economic prosperity and cultural and scientific flourishing known as the [[Belle Époque]]. France was one of the [[Triple Entente|major participants]] of [[World War I]], from which [[Treaty of Versailles|it emerged victorious]] at great human and economic cost. It was among the [[Allies of World War II|Allied powers]] of [[World War II]], but it surrendered and [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|was occupied]] by the [[Axis powers|Axis]] in 1940. Following [[Liberation of France|its liberation in 1944]], the short-lived [[French Fourth Republic|Fourth Republic]] was established and later dissolved in the course of the defeat in the [[Algerian War]] and [[Rif War|Moroccan War of Independence]]. The current [[French Fifth Republic|Fifth Republic]] was formed in 1958 by [[Charles de Gaulle]]. Algeria and most French colonies became independent in the 1960s, with the majority retaining [[Françafrique|close economic and military ties with France]].

France retains its centuries-long status as a global centre [[French art|of art]], [[Science and technology in France|science]], and [[French philosophy|philosophy]]. [[List of World Heritage Sites in France|It hosts]] the [[World Heritage Sites by country|third-largest]] number of [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s and is the world's [[World Tourism rankings|leading tourist destination]], receiving over 89&nbsp;million foreign [[Tourism in France|visitors in 2018]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 May 2019 |title=France posts new tourist record despite Yellow Vest unrest |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20190517-france-tourism-record-number-visitors-tourists-despite-yellow-vests-paris |website=France 24 |access-date=18 May 2024 |archive-date=12 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512192740/https://www.france24.com/en/20190517-france-tourism-record-number-visitors-tourists-despite-yellow-vests-paris |url-status=live }}</ref> France is a [[developed country]] with a [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|high nominal per capita income globally]] and [[Economy of France|its advanced economy]] ranks among the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|largest in the world]]. It is a [[great power]] in global affairs,<ref>Jack S. Levy, ''War in the Modern Great Power System, 1495–1975'', (2014) p. 29</ref> being one of the five [[permanent members of the United Nations Security Council]] and an official [[List of states with nuclear weapons|nuclear-weapon state]]. France is a founding and [[Big Four (Western Europe)|leading]] [[Member state of the European Union|member of the European Union]] and the [[eurozone]],<ref name="superficy" /> as well as a key member of the [[Group of Seven]], [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO), [[OECD|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), and [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|Francophonie]].

==Etymology and pronunciation==
{{Main|Name of France}}
Originally applied to the whole [[Francia|Frankish Empire]], the name ''France'' comes from the [[Latin]] {{Lang|la|[[Francia]]}}, or "realm of the [[Franks]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of France |url=http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/History/DF_history.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824051936/http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/History/DF_history.shtml |archive-date=24 August 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011 |publisher=Discoverfrance.net}}</ref> Modern France is still named today {{Lang|it|Francia}} in Italian and Spanish, while {{Lang|de|Frankreich}} in German, {{Lang|nl|Frankrijk}} in Dutch and {{Lang|sv|Frankrike}} in Swedish and Norwegian all mean "Land/realm of the Franks".

The [[name of the Franks]] is related to the English word ''frank'' ("free"): the latter stems from the [[Old French]] {{Lang|ang|franc}} ("free, noble, sincere"), ultimately from [[Medieval Latin]] ''francus'' ("free, exempt from service; freeman, Frank"), a generalisation of the tribal name that emerged as a [[Late Latin]] borrowing of the reconstructed [[Frankish language|Frankish]] [[Endonym and exonym|endonym]] {{Lang|frk|*Frank}}.<ref>Examples: {{Cite encyclopedia |title=frank |encyclopedia=American Heritage Dictionary}} {{Cite encyclopedia|title=frank|encyclopedia=Webster's Third New International Dictionary}} And so on.</ref><ref name=":0"/> It has been suggested that the meaning "free" was adopted because, after the conquest of [[Gaul]], only Franks were free of taxation,<ref>{{Cite book |first=Michel |last=Rouche |title=A History of Private Life: From Pagan Rome to Byzantium |publisher=Belknap Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-674-39974-7 |editor-first=Paul |editor-last=Veyne |page=425 |chapter=The Early Middle Ages in the West |oclc=59830199}}</ref> or more generally because they had the status of freemen in contrast to servants or slaves.<ref name=":0"/> The etymology of ''*Frank'' is uncertain. It is traditionally derived from the [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] word {{Lang|gem-x-proto|frankōn}}, which translates as "javelin" or "lance" (the throwing axe of the Franks was known as the ''[[francisca]]''),<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Tarassuk |first1=Leonid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UJbyPwAACAAJ |title=The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapons: the most comprehensive reference work ever published on arms and armor from prehistoric times to the present with over 1,250 illustrations |last2=Blair |first2=Claude |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-671-42257-8 |page=186 |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref> although these weapons may have been named because of their use by the Franks, not the other way around.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Origin and meaning of Frank |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/frank |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |language=en |access-date=18 May 2024 |archive-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515001926/https://www.etymonline.com/word/frank |url-status=live }}</ref>

In English, 'France' is pronounced {{IPAc-en|f|r|æ|n|s}} {{Respell|FRANSS}} in American English and {{IPAc-en|f|r|ɑː|n|s}} {{Respell|FRAHNSS}} or {{IPAc-en|f|r|æ|n|s}} {{Respell|FRANSS}} in British English. The pronunciation with {{IPAc-en|ɑː}} is mostly confined to accents with the [[Trap–bath split|trap-bath split]] such as [[Received Pronunciation]], though it can be also heard in some other dialects such as [[Cardiff English]], in which {{IPAc-en|f|r|ɑː|n|s}} is in free variation with {{IPAc-en|f|r|æ|n|s}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wells |first=John C. |title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary |publisher=Longman |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4058-8118-0 |edition=3rd}}; {{Cite book|last1=Collins|first1=Beverley|last2=Mees|first2=Inger M.|editor-last1=Coupland|editor-first1=Nikolas|editor-last2=Thomas|editor-first2=Alan Richard|year=1990|title=English in Wales: Diversity, Conflict, and Change|chapter=The Phonetics of Cardiff English|publisher=Multilingual Matters Ltd.|page=96|isbn=978-1-85359-032-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPwYt3gVbu4C}}</ref>