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Topic 04

French history, geography and culture in the civic exam

This is the broadest topic, and therefore the one that worries people most. The good news: the exam does not expect the level of a historian. It expects a handful of solid markers — a few pivotal dates, the physical map of the country, a dozen monuments — rather than encyclopaedic knowledge. Revising broadly but not deeply is the right strategy here.

Chapter 1 / 8≈ 1 min read

Chapter 1 : Atlas de la France

In FrenchThe study sheets stay in French: that is the language you will sit the exam in.

Sheet 1 / 8Open to all

Le territoire de la France

Dans cette fiche, vous allez découvrir le territoire de la France et son découpage administratif.

Goals

  • Connaître la situation géographique et le découpage de la France.
  • Se repérer dans l'espace.

Comment se compose le territoire français ?

Le territoire français est composé : d’un territoire situé en Europe (c’est la France hexagonale, aussi nommée “la métropole”) ; de plusieurs territoires d’outre-mer, localisés dans différents endroits du monde. Le territoire est divisé administrativement en régions, départements et communes. On les appelle les collectivités territoriales. La France est un État unitaire : l’ensemble des lois et règlements s’appliquent de la même manière sur tout le territoire, sauf exception (voir ci-dessous).

Quels sont les territoires d’outre-mer de la France ?

Les territoires ultramarins sont répartis dans plusieurs océans. On trouve : Les Départements et Régions d’Outre-Mer (DROM) : la Guadeloupe, la Guyane, la Martinique, la Réunion et Mayotte. Les lois françaises s’appliquent dans les DROM comme en France hexagonale, avec parfois quelques adaptations. Les Collectivités d’Outre-Mer (COM) : Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, la Polynésie française, la Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna, ainsi que les Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (TAAF). Les COM ont une autonomie administrative plus grande qu’en métropole et dans les DROM, et les lois sont adaptées selon les spécificités locales.

La France en quelques chiffres clés

Superficie : environ 543 000 km² pour la métropole, 120 000 km² pour les DROM et 4 600 km² pour les COM (667 000 km² au total). Nombre d’habitants : 68,6 millions (au 1er janvier 2025). Nombre de régions : 18 (13 en métropole et 5 en outre-mer). Nombre de départements : 101 (96 en métropole et 5 en outre-mer). Nombre de communes : environ 35 000 (France métropolitaine et DROM, au 1er janvier 2025).

Source: French Ministry of the Interior, formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.

Topic 04 · History, geography and culture

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In French CIVIC itself runs in French, like the exam.

The questions fall into three blocks: the major steps that built the Republic, the physical and administrative geography of the country, and its cultural heritage. Each block has its expected markers, and they come back from one session to the next.

What to remember

One idea per line. Figures stand out: dates, terms of office and phone numbers are learnt exactly as written.

The dates that keep coming up
  • 1789, the French Revolution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
  • 1905, the separation of church and State.
  • 1944, the right to vote granted to women.
  • 1958, the Constitution of the Fifth Republic.
  • These four dates are enough to answer a large share of the history questions.
Physical geography
  • Three sea fronts: the Channel to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south.
  • Four major rivers: the Seine, the Loire — the longest —, the Garonne and the Rhône.
  • The main mountain ranges: the Alps, on the Italian border, the Pyrenees, on the Spanish border, the Massif central, the Jura and the Vosges.
Overseas France
  • France is not limited to its European territory.
  • Guadeloupe and Martinique are in the Caribbean, French Guiana in South America, La Réunion and Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.
  • This point comes up regularly, often as a question about where a territory is.
Heritage
  • The Palace of Versailles and the power of Louis XIV, the Louvre museum and the Mona Lisa, Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, Mont-Saint-Michel.
  • Each region also brings its own landmarks and its own food, which makes this the most local topic of the syllabus.
Europe and France's place in it
  • France is a founding member of the European Union, born of the Treaty of Rome in 1957, and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
  • The European currency, the euro, replaced the franc in 2002.
  • The European flag — twelve golden stars on a blue background — flies alongside the French flag on public buildings, and the European Parliament sits in Strasbourg.
  • These markers come up regularly, often together with questions about European elections.

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In French CIVIC itself runs in French, like the exam.