Metropolitan France

Metropolitan France, also known as European France, is the part of France located in Europe. It includes mainland France, often called "the Hexagon," Corsica, and nearby French islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel, and the Mediterranean Sea. This area is very important because it is where most people in France live and work.

Unlike the overseas parts of France, Metropolitan France is part of the Schengen Area, which allows people to travel freely between many European countries without passports. The borders of Metropolitan France have changed over time, but they have stayed mostly the same since Algeria became independent in 1962.

Metropolitan France makes up most of the land, population, and economic activity of the whole country. It is different from overseas France, which includes French areas outside of Europe. Together, both parts form the French Republic. People from Metropolitan France are sometimes called "métro" by those living in overseas France.

Etymology

The term "metropolitan France" began during the time when France had colonies around the world, from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Back then, people called mainland France "la Métropole", meaning "the motherland," to distinguish it from the colonies, which were called "les colonies" or "l'Empire".

This use of the word comes from Ancient Greek, where "metropolis" described a main city-state that sent out smaller colonies. For example, the city-state of Phocaea started the colony of Marseille, so Phocaea was its "metropolis."

Today, some people in Overseas France dislike the term "metropolitan France" because of its history linked to colonialism. They prefer to call it "the European territory of France," which is also how the Treaties of the European Union refer to it.

Statistics for France now usually include both metropolitan France and its overseas departments. This means when we talk about the whole country, we are counting everyone living in France, whether in Europe or in its overseas parts.

Statistics

Metropolitan France covers an area of 543,940 km² (210,020 sq mi), while overseas France covers 119,396 km² (46,099 sq mi), making up a total of 663,336 km² (256,115 sq mi) for the whole country. Metropolitan France makes up about 82% of the country's land.

As of January 2026, about 66,793,000 people lived in metropolitan France, and 2,891,000 lived in overseas France, totaling 69,684,000 people in the whole country. Metropolitan France is home to about 96% of all French people.

Hexagon

Legislators in 2023 decided to use the name l'Hexagone ("the Hexagon") to describe the main part of France that is in Europe. This name helps move away from older ways of talking about the country. The idea of France looking like a hexagon, or six-sided shape, started showing up in geography books from the 1850s.

Mainland or Continental France (called la France continentale in French) is the big part of France on the land. It does not include the French islands in the Atlantic Ocean, English Channel, or Mediterranean Sea. Corsica is the largest of these islands. People from the mainland are sometimes called les continentaux in Corsica.