what is france's f
The chÃ¢teau of Villandry, built in 1532, and its formal gardens in the Loire valley just east of Tours, France. Â© Rob Palmer from TSWâCLICK/Chicago; France is among the globeâs oldest nations, the product of an alliance of duchies and principalities under a single ruler in the Middle Ages. Today, as in that era, central authority is vested in the state, even though a measure of autonomy has been granted to the countryâs rÃ©gions in recent decades.