This book makes available to the English-speaking world the most authoritative single survey of the geography of France yet published. A translation from the fully revised French edition of 1981, updated by additional material provided by the authors, Pinchemel's work embraces every aspect of the relationship between the social and the spatial in contemporary France and provides the reader with a vast quantity of detailed information on specific geographical questions. The work is divided into eight parts and within that overall structure each section is further subdivided for ease of reference. The author's concern for clarity of exposition is reflected in the numerous tables, maps, charts and diagrams that supplement the text.