Legend:
Definition of Term
 Arranged
by Countries Field Listing
| Background: |
Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered
extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as
a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of
the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European
nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a presidential democracy
resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier parliamentary
democracies. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation
with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of
Europe, including the advent of the euro in January 1999. Presently,
France is at the forefront of European states seeking to exploit
the momentum of monetary union to advance the creation of a more
unified and capable European defense and security apparatus. |
| Location: |
Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel,
between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the
Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
46 00 N, 2 00 E |
| Map
references: |
Europe |
| Area: |
total: 547,030 sq km
land: 545,630 sq km
note: includes only metropolitan France; excludes the overseas
administrative divisions
water: 1,400 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly less than twice the size of Colorado |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 2,889 km
border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany
451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623
km, Switzerland 573 km |
| Coastline: |
3,427 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM (does not apply to the
Mediterranean) |
| Climate: |
generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and
hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold,
dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral |
| Terrain: |
mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west;
remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in
east |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m |
| Natural
resources: |
coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, potash, timber, fish |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 33.3%
permanent crops: 2.11%
other: 64.59% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
20,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires
in south near the Mediterranean |
| Environment
- current issues: |
some forest damage from acid rain (major forest damage occurred
as a result of severe December 1999 windstorm); air pollution
from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban
wastes, agricultural runoff |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine
Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Geography
- note: |
largest West European nation
|
| Population: |
59,765,983 (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 18.5% (male 5,675,269; female 5,401,661)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 19,503,556; female 19,479,646)
65 years and over: 16.3% (male 3,948,433; female 5,757,418)
(2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.35% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
11.94 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
9.04 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
4.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 79.05 years
female: 83.14 years (2002 est.)
male: 75.17 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.74 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.44% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
130,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
2,000 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese,
Basque minorities |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%,
unaffiliated 4% |
| Languages: |
French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages
(Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
|
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1980 est.)
|
| Country
name: |
conventional long form: French Republic
conventional short form: France
local long form: Republique Francaise
local short form: France |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| Capital: |
Paris |
| Administrative
divisions: |
22 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne,
Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne,
Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon,
Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de
la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur,
Rhone-Alpes
note: metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including
the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided
into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments
(French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the overseas
territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon)
|
| Dependent
areas: |
Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia,
French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Juan de
Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica |
| Independence: |
486 (unified by Clovis) |
| National
holiday: |
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
| Constitution: |
28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in
1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty
in 1992, Amsterdam Treaty in 1996, Treaty of Nice in 2000; amended
to tighten immigration laws 1993 |
| Legal
system: |
civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative
but not legislative acts |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17
May 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN
(since 7 May 2002)
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term (changed from seven-year term in 2001); election last held
21 April and 5 May 2002 (next to be held, first round NA April
2007, second round NA May 2007); prime minister nominated by the
National Assembly majority and appointed by the president
election results: Jacques CHIRAC reelected president; percent
of vote, second ballot - Jacques CHIRAC (RPR) 81.96%, Jean-Marie
LE PEN (FN) 18.04%
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
on the suggestion of the prime minister |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat
(321 seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments
and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members are
indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve nine-year
terms; elected by thirds every three years) and the National Assembly
or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are elected by popular
vote under a single-member majoritarian system to serve five-year
terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - RPR 83, PS 68, UDC 37, DL 35, RDES 16, PCF 16,
other 66; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - UMP 355, PS 140, UDF 29, PCF 21, Radical Party
7, The Greens 3, other 22
elections: Senate - last held 23 September 2001 (next to
be held NA September 2004); National Assembly - last held 8-16
June 2002 (next to be held NA June 2007) |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (judges are appointed
by the president from nominations of the High Council of the Judiciary);
Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (three members
appointed by the president, three appointed by the president of
the National Assembly, and three appointed by the president of
the Senate); Council of State or Conseil d'Etat |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Citizen adn Republican Movement or MCR [Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT];
Democratic and European Social Rally or RDES (mainly RAD and PRG)
[leader NA]; Forum of Social Republicans or FRS (offshoot from
UMP) [Christine BOUTIN]; French Communist Party or PCF [Marie-George
BUFFET]; Generation Ecology [France GAMERRE]; Hunting, Fishing,
Nature, and Tradition or CPNT [Jean SAINT-JOSSE]; Independent
Ecological Movement or MEI [Antoine WAECHTER]; Left Radical Party
or PRG (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left
Radical Movement or MRG) [Jean-Michel BAYLET]; Liberal-Christian
Right [Charles MILLON]; Liberal Democracy or DL (originally Republican
Party or PR) [Alain MADELIN]; Movement for France or MPF [Philippe
DE VILLIERS]; National Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; National
Republican Movement or MNR [Bruno MEGRET]; Radical Party or RP
[Francois LOOS]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA]; Rally
for the Republic or RPR [Michelle ALLIOT-MARIE]; Revolutionary
Communists' League or LCR [Alain KRIVINE]; Socialist Party or
PS [Francois HOLLANDE]; The Greens [Gilles LEMAIRE, national secretary];
Union for French Democracy or UDF (coalition of DL, CDS, UDF,
RP, and other parties) [Francois BAYROU]; Union for a Popular
Movement or UMP (including RPR, DL, and a part of UDF) [Alain
JUPPE]; Union of the Center or UDC [leader NA] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
historically-Communist labor union (Confederation Generale du
Travail) or CGT, approximately 700,000 members (claimed); left-leaning
labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail)
or CFDT, approximately 865,000 members (claimed, of which 810,000
are actively employed); independent labor union (Confederation
Generale du Travail - Force Ouvriere) or FO, 300,000 members (est.);
independent white-collar union (Confederation Generale des Cadres)
or CGC, 196,000 members (claimed); employers' union (Mouvement
des Entreprises de France) or MEDEF, 750,000 companies as members
(claimed) |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional),
CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA,
ESCAP, EU, FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH,
MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC,
UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WEU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-David LEVITTE
chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
FAX: [1] (202) 944-6166
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco
telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Howard H. LEACH
embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris
mailing address: PSC 116, B210 APO AE 09777
telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22
FAX: [33] (1) 42 66 97 83
consulate(s) general: Marseille, Strasbourg |
| Flag
description: |
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red;
known as the French Tricouleur (Tricolor); the design and/or colors
are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium,
Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, Luxembourg, and Netherlands; the
official flag for all French dependent areas
|
| Economy
- overview: |
France is in the midst of a gradual transition, from a well-to-do
modern economy that has featured extensive government ownership
and intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms.
The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies,
banks, and insurers, but still retains large stakes in several
leading firms, including Air France, France Telecom, and Renault,
and remains dominant in some sectors, particularly the power,
public transport, and defense industries. The telecommunications
sector is gradually being opened to competition. France's leaders
remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social
equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that
reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public
health and welfare. The government has lowered income taxes and
introduced measures to boost employment but has done little to
reform an overly expensive pension system, rigid labor market,
and restrictive bureaucracy which discourage hiring and make the
tax burden one of the highest in Europe. In addition to the tax
burden, the reduction of the workweek to 35 hours has drawn criticism
for lowering the competitiveness of French businesses. The current
economic slowdown has thrown the government's goal of balancing
the budget by 2004 off track. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $1.54 trillion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
1.1% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $25,700 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 3%
industry: 26%
services: 71% (2002 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 25% (1995) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
33 (1995) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1.8% (2002 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
26.6 million (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 71%, industry 25%, agriculture 4% (1997) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
9.1% (2002 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $210 billion
expenditures: $240 billion, including capital expenditures
of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics;
textiles, food processing; tourism |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
-0.3% (2002) |
| Electricity
- production: |
513.92 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 10%
hydro: 13%
other: 1% (2000)
nuclear: 77% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
408.51 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
73.172 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
3.737 billion kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy
products; fish |
| Exports: |
$307.8 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals,
pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages |
| Exports
- partners: |
EU 61.3% (Germany 14.7%, UK 9.8%, Spain 9.6%, Italy 8.8%), US
8.7% (2001) |
| Imports: |
$303.7 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics,
chemicals |
| Imports
- partners: |
EU 58.6% (Germany 16.7%, Benelux 7.0%, Italy 9.1%, UK 7.5%), US
8.9% (2001) |
| Debt
- external: |
$106 billion (1998) |
| Economic
aid - donor: |
ODA, $6.3 billion (1997) (1997) |
| Currency: |
euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced
the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions
of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole
currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
|
| Currency
code: |
EUR; FRF |
| Exchange
rates: |
euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.65 (January
1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
|
| Railways: |
total: 31,939 km (operated by French National Railways
(SNCF); 14,176 km of SNCF routes are electrified and 12,132 km
are double- or multiple-track)
standard gauge: 31,840 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 99 km 1.000-m gauge (2000 est.) |
| Highways: |
total: 892,900 km
paved: 892,900 km (including 9,900 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
| Waterways: |
14,932 km (6,969 km heavily traveled) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 3,059 km; petroleum products 4,487 km; natural gas 24,746
km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Bordeaux, Boulogne, Cherbourg, Dijon, Dunkerque, La Pallice, Le
Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Mullhouse, Nantes, Paris, Rouen, Saint
Nazaire, Saint Malo, Strasbourg |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,263,691
GRT/1,769,932 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 4, chemical tanker 9, combination
bulk 1, container 3, liquefied gas 3, passenger 3, petroleum tanker
15, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 4
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here
as a flag of convenience: French Polynesia 2, Greece 1, Japan
1, Norway 1, Sweden 9 (2002 est.) |
| Airports: |
477 (2001) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 273
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 28
914 to 1,523 m: 80
under 914 m: 57 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 95 |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 204
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 74
under 914 m: 128 (2002) |
| Heliports: |
3 (2002)
|
|
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