Metropolitan France

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Metropolitan France (French: France métropolitaine or la Métropole), also known as European France (French: le territoire européen de la France), is the part of France geographically located in Europe. It consists of mainland France, popularly known as "the Hexagon" (French: France hexagonale or l'Hexagone), Corsica, and nearby French islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel, and the Mediterranean Sea. This term is an official one and is used in everyday life in France but has no administrative meaning, as the overseas regions have the same administrative status as the metropolitan regions. However, only Metropolitan France is part of the Schengen Area. Its borders, especially in the east, changed significantly over the centuries but have remained largely unchanged since the independence of Algeria in 1962, with only minor adjustments, mainly to the border with Switzerland. In contrast, overseas France (France d'outre-mer) is the collective name for the French departments and...

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