There are many countries in the world, but none like France. France is one of the most interesting countries in the world because of its history, creative arts, and even transportation. One of the reasons why I think France is an exciting country is because France is an independent nation in Western Europe. It is also the center of a large but diminishing overseas administration. France is considered the largest Western European country. It is shaped roughly like a hexagon, and three of its six sides are bounded by water and the English Channel on the northwest, the Atlantic Ocean and Bay of Biscay on the west, and the Mediterranean Sea on the southeast (Turnpike, Pg.515). The remaining sides are mainly mountainous and are shared by seven European neighbors and Belgium and Luxembourg on the northeast: Germany, Switzerland, Italy on the east, Spain, and tiny Andorra on the south. A France's ally is Monaco, located on the Mediterranean coast near Nice and entirely surrounded by French territory. In ancient times France was part of the Celtic territory known as Gaul or Gallia. Its present name is derived from the Latin Francia, meaning "country of the Franks," a Germanic people who conquered the area during the 5th century, at the time of the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It became a separate country in the 9th century. Since the 17th century, France has played a major role in European and world events. In the 20th century, it has experienced numerous crises, including the devastation of two world wars, political and social upheavals, and the loss of a large empire in Indochina, Algeria, and West and Equatorial Africa. It has, however, survived and emerged from the ruins of World War II to become an important world supplier of agricultural and industrial products and a major partner in the European Union (EU) (Turnpike, Pg.528). Today, the term metropolitan France refers to the mainland departments and Corsica, a large island located ...