There are 102 départements in France of which 96 in Metropolitan France,
who correspond in China approximatively to the size of a region city like Ningbo City in the Zhejiang Province with several Chinese counties.
The other six departments are oversea territories out of the Europe,
the heritage of the French Empire in the History: Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guyane,
Reunion, St Pierre and Miquelon and Mayotte.
In China, there are 34 Provinces, Metropolitan Cities or Autonomous Regions.
Nourishing 65,350,000 people in January 2012 (
INSEE),
France has an area of 670,922 km², the 14th of that of China,
or 7 times of the Zhejiang POrovince who produces 70% of world garments,
of which 547,030 km² Metropolitan France in Western Europe.
By land area, it is the largest country of the European Union (EU).
It is the third largest country in Europe,
just after Russia and Ukraine, the second if you include the ultra-marine departments.
Finally it is the 41st largest country in the world and the second by its exclusive economic zone.
In hexagonal, its metropolitan territory covers continental approximately 1,000 km
from north to south and from east to west.
With the overseas, the extent of its coastline is 8,245 km.
