In the same manner than the rest of natural hazards, floods have been a recurring area of interest for French geography. However, and contrary to Anglo-Saxon geography, this interest arose mainly in physical geography. This article attempts to explain the reasons for the presence of physical geography in this subject of research. The relationships between the different moments of French geography with the analysis of the flood hazard are stressed through the study of flood-related research among the most representative schools and individuals in French geography.