Did you know that almost 32% of the surface area of mainland France is unoccupied and uninhabited? Zoom in geographically with the map of uninhabited areas in the regions and territories.
France without inhabitants
With a population of more than 68 million over an area of around 550,000 km2 in mainland France, the average density is around 120 inhabitants per square kilometre (km2).
But this is only a mathematical average, a thousand miles from the geographical reality of a France with no inhabitants. Beyond the average, there are a variety of territories, depending on relief and space:
Mountains, forests, marshes, maritime moors, rocky coasts… places that are not conducive to daily life or impossible to live in.
- Map of uninhabited France
Each green square represents 1 km2 without any habitation, or the map of nobody living here in France:
The diagonal of emptiness
A geographical term, the quiet diagonal divides France into two countries, one hectic, the other calmer:
Black paths
Inspired by the fine black lines on IGN hiking maps, the black paths trace a journey across France, from the Mediterranean to the ocean. Here’s a story and a map of the black paths for a walking tour:
Travel link
- Visuals and maps of France, Matamix
- Less populated France or the diagonal of the void
- On the black paths, hiking in the least populated part of France
- Map of France and the Regions
- IGN maps of France