France's Maritime Neighbors
France shares a maritime border with 37 States and territories — 30 sovereign States and 7 territories with their own Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). No other country in the world has as many maritime neighbors.
| # | French zone | Neighboring State or territory | Status |
| 1 | Metropolitan France | United Kingdom | State |
| 2 | Metropolitan France | Belgium | State |
| 3 | Metropolitan France | Spain | State |
| 4 | Metropolitan France | Italy | State |
| 5 | Metropolitan France | Monaco | State |
| 6 | Metropolitan France | Guernsey | British Crown Dependency |
| 7 | Metropolitan France | Jersey | British Crown Dependency |
| 8 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | Canada | State |
| 9 | French Guiana | Brazil | State |
| 10 | French Guiana | Suriname | State |
| 11 | Guadeloupe / Saint Barthélemy | Antigua and Barbuda | State |
| 12 | Guadeloupe / Martinique | Dominica | State |
| 13 | Saint Barthélemy | Saint Kitts and Nevis | State |
| 14 | Guadeloupe | Venezuela | State |
| 15 | Saint Martin / Saint Barthélemy | Netherlands | State |
| 16 | Guadeloupe | Montserrat | UK Overseas Territory |
| 17 | Saint Martin | Anguilla | UK Overseas Territory |
| 18 | Martinique | Saint Lucia | State |
| 19 | Martinique | Barbados | State |
| 20 | Réunion | Mauritius | State |
| 21 | Mayotte / Scattered Islands | Comoros | State |
| 22 | Mayotte / Réunion / Scattered Islands | Madagascar | State |
| 23 | Scattered Islands | Mozambique | State |
| 24 | TAAF (Crozet) | South Africa | State |
| 25 | TAAF (Kerguelen) / New Caledonia | Australia | State |
| 26 | New Caledonia | Vanuatu | State |
| 27 | New Caledonia / Wallis and Futuna | Fiji | State |
| 28 | New Caledonia | Solomon Islands | State |
| 29 | Wallis and Futuna / French Polynesia | Tonga | State |
| 30 | Wallis and Futuna | Samoa | State |
| 31 | Wallis and Futuna | Tuvalu | State |
| 32 | Wallis and Futuna | Tokelau | New Zealand Territory |
| 33 | French Polynesia | Cook Islands | Free Association with New Zealand |
| 34 | French Polynesia | Niue | Free Association with New Zealand |
| 35 | French Polynesia | Kiribati | State |
| 36 | French Polynesia | Pitcairn | UK Overseas Territory |
| 37 | Clipperton | Mexico | State |
Sources: Limites maritimes (SHOM), Marine Regions (VLIZ), Wikipedia, Eurodefense (2024)
French Maritime Space
| Indicator | Figure | Source |
| Total Exclusive Economic Zone | ~11 million km² (2nd largest worldwide) | SHOM / Marine Regions |
| Oceanic presence | 4 oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern) | Geography |
| Continental presence | 5 continents | Geography (see detail below) |
| Distinct EEZ zones | 18 | VLIZ / eez.json |
| Maritime borders (States and territories) | 37 | Compilation (see table above) |
| Maritime borders (sovereign States) | 30 | SHOM / WorldAtlas |
Presence by Ocean
| Ocean | French territories |
| Atlantic | Metropolitan France, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, French Guiana, Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
| Pacific | French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Clipperton |
| Indian | Réunion, Mayotte, Scattered Islands, TAAF (Kerguelen, Amsterdam, Saint-Paul, Crozet) |
| Southern | Adélie Land (TAAF) |
Presence by Continent
France is present on 5 continents, the only country in the world in this situation.
| Continent | French territories |
| Europe | Metropolitan France |
| Americas | Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Clipperton |
| Africa | Réunion, Mayotte, Scattered Islands (Europa, Juan de Nova, Glorioso, Bassas da India, Tromelin) |
| Oceania | French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna |
| Antarctica | Adélie Land, Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Islands, Amsterdam and Saint-Paul Islands (TAAF) |
Maritime Economy
| Indicator | Figure | Source |
| French goods exports (2022) | €595 bn | French Customs |
| French goods imports (2022) | €758 bn | French Customs |
| Port transit (metropolitan + overseas) | 330 Mt/year | French Customs |
| Maritime sector revenue | €50 bn | Cluster Maritime Français |
| Direct maritime jobs | 150,000 | Cluster Maritime Français |
Submarine Telecommunications
| Indicator | Figure | Source |
| Intercontinental telecoms via submarine cables | 98-99% | ITU / TeleGeography |
| Cables linking Asia to Europe via Marseille | 15 | TeleGeography |
| Cable ships under French flag | 13/60 (>20% of world fleet) | Industry analysis |
| Alcatel Submarine Networks (State ownership) | 80% | Public data |
Submarine Cables Landing in France
France is the most connected country in Europe for submarine cables, with over 50 cables linking its shores to the rest of the world. Marseille is the main Mediterranean hub, landing point for 15 cables connecting Asia to Europe.
| Cable | Landing Point | Connections |
| SEA-ME-WE 3 | Marseille, Penmarc'h | Asia — Europe (39 countries) |
| SEA-ME-WE 4 | Marseille | Singapore — Marseille |
| SEA-ME-WE 5 | Marseille, Toulon | Singapore — France |
| SEA-ME-WE 6 | Marseille | Singapore — France (2025) |
| IMEWE | Marseille | India — Middle East — Europe |
| AAE-1 | Marseille | Asia — Africa — Europe |
| 2Africa / PEACE | Marseille | Around Africa — Europe |
| Med Cable | Marseille | Algeria — France |
| ORVAL / ALVAL | Marseille | Algeria — Spain — France |
| FLAG Europe-Asia (FEA) | Marseille | Japan — UK via Mediterranean |
| TGN-Eurasia / TGN-WEA | Marseille | Mumbai — Marseille |
| EllaLink | Marseille | Brazil — Portugal — France |
| Dunant | Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez | USA (Virginia Beach) — France |
| Amitié | Le Porge (Gironde) | USA (Boston) — UK — France |
| AEC-2 / Olisipo | Bordeaux | USA — Portugal — France |
| Apollo | Lannion | USA — UK — France |
| TAT-14 | Saint-Valery-en-Caux | USA — UK — France — Netherlands — Germany — Denmark |
| ACE | Penmarc'h | West Africa — Europe (23 countries) |
| HUGO | Penmarc'h | Ireland — France |
| Celtic Norse | Penmarc'h | Iceland — Ireland — France |
| Anjana / Kanawa | Kourou, Fort-de-France, Pointe-à-Pitre | French Guiana — Caribbean — Brazil |
| SAFE / LION / METISS | Réunion, Mayotte | South Africa — Indian Ocean — Mauritius |
| Gondwana / Picot | Nouméa (New Caledonia) | Australia — New Caledonia — Fiji |
| Honotua / Manatua | Papeete (French Polynesia) | Hawaii — Samoa — French Polynesia |
| Natitua | Papeete, Marquesas, Tuamotu | Inter-island French Polynesia |
Sources: TeleGeography — Submarine Cable Map, ITU. Non-exhaustive list — over 50 cables total including inter-island and regional cables.
Marine Renewable Energy
| Indicator | Figure | Source |
| French offshore wind potential | 1st or 2nd in Europe | France Renouvelables |
| Offshore wind target 2035 | 15 GW | PPE3 (February 2026) |
| Offshore wind target 2050 | 40-45 GW (~30% of electricity) | PPE3 / Belfort speech (2022) |
| European offshore wind target 2050 | 300 GW | European Union |
| Installed capacity (2026) | ~5 GW | La Belle Énergie |
| 1st tidal energy call for tenders | 250 MW (Raz Blanchard) | PPE3 |
| MRE jobs target 2035 | 20,000 | Offshore Wind Pact |
| Planned investments (15 years) | >€40 bn | MRE industry |
Sources: France Renouvelables, OEM Report 2025, Mer et Marine (PPE3)
Research & Science
| Indicator | Figure | Source |
| French oceanographic fleet | 17 vessels, 6 submarines | Ifremer / French Oceanographic Fleet |
| Marine molecules described | 25,000 | Un Océan de Promesses, scientific literature |
| Marine scientific discoveries | 13 Nobel Prizes | Mer et Marine |
Supplementary Sources
Key figures used on the homepage and their sources.
3D Globe Data
| Data | Source | License |
| Satellite texture | NASA Blue Marble | Public domain |
| Exclusive Economic Zones | Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Submarine cables | TeleGeography | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
| Shipping lanes | Aggregated AIS data | — |