Collins English-English Dictionary

France [fr[~ɒ]s]

1. 1. n France, Anatole (anatɔl), real name Anatole François Thibault. 1844--1924, French novelist, short-story writer, and critic. His works include Le Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard (1881), L'Île des Pingouins (1908), and La Révolte des anges (1914): Nobel prize for literature 1921

France [frɒːns]

1. 1. n a republic in W Europe, between the English Channel, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic: the largest country wholly in Europe; became a republic in 1793 after the French Revolution and an empire in 1804 under Napoleon; reverted to a monarchy (1815--48), followed by the Second Republic (1848--52), the Second Empire (1852--70), the Third Republic (1870--1940), and the Fourth and Fifth Republics (1946 and 1958); a member of the European Union. It is generally flat or undulating in the north and west and mountainous in the south and east. Official language: French. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Paris. Pop: 60434000 (2004 est). Area: (including Corsica) 551600 sq km (212973 sq miles)