France is the largest country in terms of Exclusive Economic Sea Zone

• France including Corsica, 57 million inhabitants, 571,283 km2.
• Terre Adélie, 432,000 km2.
• Iles Crozet, 336 km2, 20 islands; Kerguelen, 7215 km2, 300 islands; Iles St Paul, 7 km2; Nouvelle Amsterdam, 54 km2.
• Guadeloupe, 1,780 km2, 9 islands, 25,000 inhabitants.
• Guyane, 90,000 km2, 114,678 inhabitants.
• Martinique, 1,102 km2, 359,572 inhabitants; North part of St Martin Island and St Barthélémy.
• Nouvelle-Calédonie, 18,575 km2, 12 islands, 164,173 inhabitants.
• Polynésie Française, 4,200 km2, 130 islands, 200,000 inhabitants; made of 5 Archipelagos and 1 dependency: (Iles du Vent, Iles Sous le Vent, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Australes, Archipel des Marquises, Atoll de Clipperton).
• Mayotte, 399 km2, 18 islands, 80,735 inhabitants.
• Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, 242 km2, 8 islands, 6,392 inhabitants.
• Wallis et Futuna, 274 km2, 3 main islands, 13,705 inhabitants.
• La Réunion, 2,512 km2, 6 islands, 597,823 inhabitants.

With 9,956,400 square kilometers, France is ahead of the US (7,621,300 sq.kms.), Australia (7,008,300 sq.kms.), Indonesia (5,410,000 sq.kms.), New Zealand (4,834,400 sq.kms.), Canada (4,699,000 sq.kms.) and the Soviet Federation (4,491,500 sq.kms.).

Indeed, a state has an exclusive right to the resources of the seas up to 200 miles away from the coasts. Remember that the sea surface is twice that of the land. Though harvesting the resources lying in the deep is not yet economically sound, one day it will. Hence, France's (i.e. Europe's) economic future is bright, though the covetousness of some may lead to diplomatic confrontations! Ever heard of those not so genuine calls for independence?

Sources: Quid (Paris, France), 1995