| STAT | France | United States | HISTORY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area > Comparative | slightly less than the size of Texas | about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union |
|
| Area > Land |
545,630 sq km
Ranked 1st. |
9.16 million sq km
Ranked 4th. 17 times more than France |
|
| Area > Land > Per capita |
8.94 sq km
per 1,000 people
Ranked 4th. |
30.16 sq km
per 1,000 people
Ranked 60th. 3 times more than France |
|
| Area > Total |
643,801 sq km
Ranked 44th. |
9.83 million sq km
Ranked 4th. 15 times more than France |
|
| Average precipitation in depth > Mm per year |
867
Ranked 98th. 21% more than United States |
715
Ranked 110th. |
|
| Average rainfall in depth > Mm per year |
867
Ranked 93th. 21% more than United States |
715
Ranked 105th. |
|
| Climate | <strong>metropolitan France: </strong>generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral<br /><strong>French Guiana:</strong> tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation<br /><strong>Guadeloupe and Martinique:</strong> subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average<br /><strong>Mayotte:</strong> tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November)<br /><strong>Reunion:</strong> tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April) | mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains |
|
| Coastline |
4,853 km
Ranked 29th. |
19,924 km
Ranked 9th. 4 times more than France |
|
| Geographic coordinates | <strong>metropolitan France: </strong>46 00 N, 2 00 E<br /><strong>French Guiana:</strong> 4 00 N, 53 00 W<br /><strong>Guadeloupe:</strong> 16 15 N, 61 35 W<br /><strong>Martinique:</strong> 14 40 N, 61 00 W<br /><strong>Mayotte:</strong> 12 50 S, 45 10 E<br /><strong>Reunion:</strong> 21 06 S, 55 36 E | 38 00 N, 97 00 W |
|
| Land area > Sq. km |
547,660 sq km
Ranked 46th. |
9.16 million sq km
Ranked 3rd. 17 times more than France |
|
| Land area > Square miles |
210,026 square miles
Ranked 14th. |
3.8 million square miles
Ranked 2nd. 18 times more than France |
|
| Location | <strong>metropolitan France: </strong>Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain<br /><strong>French Guiana:</strong> Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname<br /><strong>Guadeloupe:</strong> Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico<br /><strong>Martinique:</strong> Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago<br /><strong>Mayotte:</strong> Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about half way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique<br /><strong>Reunion:</strong> Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar | North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico |
|
| Natural resources | <strong>metropolitan France: </strong>coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, fish<br /><strong>French Guiana:</strong> gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay | coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber |
|
| Surface area > Sq. km |
551,500 km²
Ranked 47th. |
9.63 million km²
Ranked 3rd. 17 times more than France |
|
| Terrain | <strong>metropolitan France: </strong>mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east<br /><strong>French Guiana:</strong> low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains<br /><strong>Guadeloupe:</strong> Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin<br /><strong>Martinique:</strong> mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano<br /><strong>Mayotte:</strong> generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks<br /><strong>Reunion:</strong> mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast | vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii |
|
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