French Foreign Legion

The French Foreign Legion (F. Légion Etrangère) is a military unit of the French armed forces. While its officers are French, the rest of the Legion is made up of men from a wide variety of nationalities. After serving in the Legion for a specified number of years, the legionnaire is given French citizenship and a new name.

In the past, the legion had a reputation for attracting criminals on the run. In recent years, however, admission has been restricted much more severely and background checks are done on all applicants.

French legislation prohibits the Legion from French mainland soil, and it is therefore based on Corsica.