France is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as L'Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. The nation is the largest country in the European Union by area and the third largest in Europe, after Russia and Ukraine (including its territories extraeuropeus, such as French Guyana, the country becomes greater than the Ukraine).