Environment

France is the third-largest country in Europe after Russia and the Ukraine. The country is surrounded on three sides by the sea; the English Channel to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the sparkling Mediterranean to the south. Spain broils across the Pyrenees to the southwest, and Switzerland and Italy lie to the east over the jagged eastern Alps and Jura ranges. France's relatively flat northeastern borders abut Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. The country's longest river, the Loire, runs 1020km (630mi) from the Massif Central to the Atlantic. The Seine, Rhône, Garonne and Rhine are France's other major waterways, draining the plains and funnelling huge mountain run-offs.

Forests - mostly beech, oak and pine - cover roughly one-fifth of the country. These wooded areas, as well as vast wetlands, support the bulk of the country's mammals and birds.

France's mix of climates and terrains endowed it with a rich variety of fauna. Unfortunately, due to agricultural overkill, pollution and encroaching urbanisation, many fragile species such as the Pyrenees ibex, Corsican deer, brown bear, wolf and otter now face extinction. Some animals and birds - the chamois (a mountain antelope), the larger bouquetin (a type of ibex), beaver, stork and vulture - still live in the wild thanks to re-introduction programs based in national parks.