France

The French Republic (French: République française), commonly known as France, is a country in Western Europe with several overseas regions and territories. The capital and largest city is Paris.

Statistics
The land area of France is 640,427 km2. As of 2020, the population is estimated to be 67,848,156, making it the 21st most populous country in the world.

Apple in France
In 1981, Jean-Louis Gassée joined Apple Computer and established its European operations in France, which became the company's largest business unit outside of the United States.

Retail stores
The first Apple retail store in France was opened on November 7, 2009 at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. The store was moved to the Champs-Élysées in November 2018.

In early 2020, all 20 stores in France were temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All locations re-opened by June 9, 2020. However, all stores in France re-closed on April 3, 2021 as COVID-19 lockdowns were reinstated due to a resurgence of cases.

Incidents
On December 8, 2018, looters broke into the Apple Store on rue Sainte-Catherine in Bordeaux during the Yellow vest protests across France. By December 9, Apple stores in Paris on the Champs-Élysées and next to the Théâtre National de l'Opéra were boarded up and fortified after being damaged during ensuing riots.