Why the term Metropolitan France carries a heavy colonial legacy
In short: Metropolitan France is the official name for the European territory of the French Republic, yet the term is increasingly contested. Rooted in the colonial era, it once defined the motherland against its overseas empire. Today, many argue it creates an artificial divide between the mainland and its overseas departments.
The term Metropolitan France, or la Métropole, originates from the Ancient Greek word for a city-state that established colonies. During France's colonial period from the 16th to the 20th centuries, it served to distinguish the European center from its overseas territories. While it remains a common descriptor in daily life, it holds no specific administrative weight; overseas regions share the same legal status as those in Europe. However, the distinction persists in practical ways, such as the fact that only Metropolitan France is part of the Schengen Area.
Tensions surrounding the label have led to significant shifts in how the French state measures itself. Historically, the national statistics agency, INSEE, analyzed Metropolitan France separately from overseas departments. Following objections from residents in overseas regions who argued they were fully integrated parts of the nation, INSEE began including these departments in its national figures during the late 1990s. This practice of defining la France entière, or the whole of France, has since influenced international institutions like the World Bank, which now reports GDP for the entire republic under the name France.
Efforts to modernize language have also emerged. In 2023, legislators moved to promote the term l'Hexagone, or the Hexagon, to describe the continental territory, aiming to distance the country from its colonial past. This geometric nickname, which traces back to geography texts from the 1850s, highlights the mainland's shape defined by six specific communes. Despite these shifts, the terminology remains fluid; different government branches, such as the Ministry of the Interior, sometimes use broader definitions of the republic than those employed by statistical agencies, reflecting the ongoing complexity of defining a nation that spans both Europe and the globe.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Metropolitan France
- Also: Wikidata — metropolitan France · CC0
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