France has several defining physical characteristics, including the Rhine River forming its eastern border with Germany, the Pyrenees Mountains separating it from Spain in the south, and the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. Culturally and historically, France is known for the Palace of Versailles, the former royal capital; influential Enlightenment thinkers like Montesquieu and Voltaire; and iconic landmarks such as the Louvre museum, Eiffel Tower, and Arc de Triomphe in Paris. France also has a rich artistic heritage as the birthplace of many famous painters from the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist eras like Monet, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec,