Climate
Metropolitan France has four broad climate zones:
An oceanic climate in the west and northwest: warm (but not hot) summers and cool (but not cold) winters
A semi-continental climate in the northeast: hot summers and cold winters
A Mediterranean climate in the south and southeast: hot summers and mild winters
A mountain (or alpine) climate in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the Jura and the Vosges: mild summers and cold winters
Except in the south which has generally dry summers, rain is evenly dispersed throughout the year in the rest of the country.
In the overseas regions, there are three broad types of climate:
A tropical climate in most overseas regions: high constant temperature throughout the year with a dry and a wet season
An equatorial climate in French Guiana: high constant temperature throughout the year with even precipitation throughout the year
A subpolar climate in Saint Pierre and Miquelon and in most of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands: short mild summers and long very cold winters