Franceball

**Franceball** (French: [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française), is a transcontinental countryball spanning Western Europeball and overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea; overseas territories include French Guianaball in South Americaball, Saint Pierre and Miquelonball in the North Atlantic, the French West Indiesball, and several islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Due to its several coastal territories, Franceball has the largest exclusive economic zone in the world. Franceball borders Belgiumball, Luxembourgball, Germanyball, Switzerlandball, Monacoball, Italyball, Andorraball and Spainball in Europeball, as well as the Netherlandsball, Surinameball and Brazilball in the Americaballs. Its eighteen integral regions (five of which are overseas) span a combined area of 643,801 km2 (248,573 sq mi) and over 67 million people (as of May 2021). Franceball is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Parisball, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre; other major urban areas include Lyonball, Marseilleball, Toulouseball, Bordeauxball, Lilleball, and Niceball.

Inhabited since the Palaeolithic era, the territory of Metropolitan Franceball was settled by Celtic tribes known as Gauls during the Iron Age. Romeball annexed the area in 51 BC, leading to a distinct Gallo-Roman culture that laid the foundation of the French language. The Germanic Franks formed the Kingdom of Franciaball, which became the heartland of the Carolingian Empireball. The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned the empire, with West Franciaball becoming the Kingdom of Franceball in 987. In the High Middle Ages, Franceball was a powerful but highly decentralised feudal kingdom. Philip II successfully strengthened royal power and defeated his rivals to double the size of the crown lands; by the end of his reign, Franceball had emerged as the most powerful state in Europeball. From the mid-14th to the mid-15th century, Franceball was plunged into a series of dynastic conflicts involving Englandball, collectively known as the Hundred Years' War, and a distinct French identity emerged as a result. The French Renaissance saw art and culture flourish, conflict with the House of Habsburg, and the establishment of a global colonial empire, which by the 20th century would become the second-largest in the world. The second half of the 16th century was dominated by religious civil wars between Catholics and Huguenots that severely weakened the country. Franceball again emerged as Europeball's dominant power in the 17th century under Louis XIV following the Thirty Years' War. Inadequate economic policies, inequitable taxes and frequent wars (notably a defeat in the Seven Years' War and costly involvement in the American War of Independence), left the kingdom in a precarious economic situation by the end of the 18th century. This precipitated the French Revolution of 1789, which overthrew the Ancien Régime and produced the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which expresses the nation's ideals to this day.

Franceball reached its political and military zenith in the early 19th century under Napoleon Bonaparte, subjugating much of continental Europeball and establishing the First French Empireball. The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of European and world history. The collapse of the empire initiated a period of relative decline, in which Franceball endured a tumultuous succession of governments until the founding of the French Third Republicball during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Subsequent decades saw a period of optimism, cultural and scientific flourishing, as well as economic prosperity known as the Belle Époque. Franceball was one of the major participants of World War I, from which it emerged victorious at great human and economic cost. It was among the Allied powers of World War II, but was soon occupied by the Axis in 1940. Following liberation in 1944, the short-lived Fourth Republicball was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War. The current Fifth Republic was formed in 1958 by Charles de Gaulle. Algeria and most French colonies became independent in the 1960s, with the majority retaining close economic and military ties with Franceball.

Franceball retains its centuries-long status as a global centre of art, science and philosophy. It hosts the fifth-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is the world's leading tourist destination, receiving over 89 million foreign visitors in 2018. Franceball is a developed country with the world's seventh-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by PPP; in terms of aggregate household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. Franceball performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy and human development. It remains a great power in global affairs, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nationsball Security Council and an official nuclear-weapon state. France is a founding and leading member of the European Unionball and the Eurozone, as well as a key member of the Group of Seven, North Atlantic Treaty Organizationball (NATOball), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and La Francophonie.