French schoolchildren learn to draw their country as l'Hexagone, which is a lovely head start and a terrible excuse. Brittany still has to punch out into the Atlantic, the Mediterranean corner has to hook down, and Corsica is sitting off the coast being forgotten by everyone.
The shape at a glance
France is a big, satisfyingly balanced hexagon, roughly as wide as it is tall, dominating western Europe. The northwest corner throws out the Brittany peninsula like a fist toward Britain, the south borders the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean in two different moods, and the northeast angles toward Germany and Belgium. Corsica floats in the Mediterranean as a separate mountainous island southeast of the mainland.
Step by step
- Start with the hexagon: six rough sides making a balanced mass about as wide as it is tall.
- Punch Brittany out of the northwest corner — a bold squared-off peninsula jutting west into the Atlantic.
- Draw the top edge facing Belgium and the Channel, sloping down toward the northeast corner at the German border.
- Cut the southeast corner diagonally along the Mediterranean, ending at the Italian border.
- Run the southern edge along the Pyrenees with Spain — a fairly straight, slightly sagging line.
- Float Corsica in the Mediterranean southeast of the mainland: a vertical, knobbly island pointing its north tip at Italy.
Mistakes that cost you points
- Drawing Brittany as a small bump when it's one of Europe's most emphatic peninsulas.
- Forgetting Corsica, which costs you the whole Mediterranean island component.
- Making the country circular; the hexagon's flat-ish sides and corners are the whole point.
- Oversizing the Mediterranean coast, which is short and diagonal compared to the Atlantic side.
Place it on the map
France sits between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, touching Spain across the Pyrenees, Italy at the Alps' end, and Belgium and Germany to the northeast. Britain lies just across the Channel from its north coast.
Pro tip: Think in ratios: Brittany should stick out about a quarter of the country's width. Players draw it timid, but the scoring shape is bold — give the peninsula its full reach and the whole hexagon snaps into place around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do you draw France from memory?
- Start with the overall box — is France wider than tall or the reverse — then place its signature feature first and build the rest of the outline around it. Finish with the coastline details, then compare against the real border in a free practice round to get a 0-100 score.
- How hard is it to draw France?
- France rates as medium difficulty. The famous hexagon gives you a mental template, but Brittany, Corsica, and the Mediterranean corner all demand extra work.