3D Wooden Map of France, Multicolor

France by region, then by département

The map is cut so that each of the thirteen metropolitan regions is a separate wooden shape in its own shade: Bretagne in rust, Pays de la Loire in pale cream, Nouvelle-Aquitaine in dark walnut, Occitanie in burnt orange. Corsica is the thirteenth, sitting apart to the lower right, as it does on the ground.

Inside each region the départements are engraved rather than cut, with their boundaries drawn as fine lines and their names set within them. The region names run in larger lettering across each shape.

The level of detail this actually carries

Every département is named. So are the towns – not only Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Strasbourg, but Alençon, Cholet, Rodez and Carcassonne. Rivers are engraved as thin lines running across the regions rather than stopping at boundaries.

The practical effect is that this reads as a real reference map from close up, in a way that a world map at this size cannot. On a world map France is one shape; here it is a hundred named places, and the first thing every French visitor does is lean in and look for theirs.

Who this is for, and it is a narrower group

A world map is bought for what it looks like as often as for where the buyer has been. This one is bought about France specifically: by someone who lives there, comes from there, has moved away from there, or spends their holidays in one particular corner of it.

It also works differently as a gift. With a world map you cannot get it wrong. With this one, the person receiving it either has a relationship with France or does not, and the level of engraved detail matters mainly to the first group.

What the layers do at this size

The regions are cut from stacked plies, so each sits proud of the wall and casts its own shadow, and the boundaries between regions are physical steps rather than printed lines. At 50 × 51 cm the whole map is roughly the size of a large framed photograph, so those shadows are fine rather than dramatic.

It is the smallest of our relief maps. That has a practical consequence: unlike our world maps it does not need to dominate a wall, and it can sit beside other things – in a hallway, between windows, above a desk – without needing clear space around it.

One thing to check before you order

The engraving is in French. Region names, département names and towns all use their French forms, which is correct for the subject but worth knowing if the map is going to somebody who reads no French. Unlike our world maps, this one is not offered in an English version.

Living with it

The same care as the larger maps, with one difference that comes from the scale. The engraved département lines are fine, and dust settles into them more readily than it does on a plain surface. A soft dry brush clears them; a damp cloth will smear rather than lift.

Keep it out of direct sunlight, which lightens the pale regions faster than the dark ones and gradually flattens the distinction between them.

France three ways

We make the country in three forms. This relief map is the wall piece. The 2D version is flatter, lighter and quieter on the wall. And the France Discovery puzzle is the same shape as an evening's work: an illustrated tour you assemble yourself before it becomes decor. The stains here match our Multicolor world map – hung in the same home, they read as a set.

One honest limitation

This is a decorative object rather than a cartographic instrument. The engraving reaches an astonishing number of towns, but not all of them – the smallest communes are left out, and boundaries are simplified at this scale. If yours is missing, write to us and we will commiserate; the wood is only so wide.