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France
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 hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy.
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 Center :
46 00 N, 2 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -5.14 |
| North | 51.09 |
| East | 9.56 |
| South | 41.37 |
Map references :
Europe
Area :
| total | 551 500 | square km |
| land | 549 970 | square km |
| water | 1 530 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| France - total | 2 889 | km |
| Andorra (ad) | 56 | km |
| Belgium (be) | 620 | km |
| Germany (de) | 451 | km |
| Italy (it) | 488 | km |
| Luxembourg (lu) | 73 | km |
| Monaco (mc) | 4 | km |
| Spain (es) | 623 | km |
| Switzerland (ch) | 573 | km |
| French Guiana - total | 1 183 | km |
| Brazil (br) | 673 | km |
| Suriname (sr) | 510 | km |
Coastline :
4668.00 km
Climate :
|metropolitan France:|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||French Guiana:|tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation||Guadeloupe and Martinique:|subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average||Reunion:|tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)
Terrain :
|metropolitan France:|mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east||French Guiana:|low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains||Guadeloupe:|Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin||Martinique:|mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano||Reunion:|mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 2 | metres |
| highest point | 4 807 | metres |
Natural resources :
| antimony | arsenic |
| bauxite | coal |
| feldspar | fish |
| fluorspar | gypsum |
| iron ore | metropolitan france: |
| potash | timber |
| uranium | zinc |
Land use :
| arable land | 33.46 | % |
| permanent crops | 2.03 | % |
| other | 64.51 | % |
Total renewable water resources :
189 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| avalanches | flooding |
| windstorms |
current issues :
some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff
international agreements :
| Air Pollution | Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides |
| Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants | Air Pollution-Sulfur 85 |
| Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 | Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds |
| Antarctic Seals | Antarctic Treaty |
| Antarctic-Environmental Protocol | Antarctic-Marine Living Resources |
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | 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 |
Population :
62 150 775
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 0.55 | % |
| Birth rate | 12.57 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 1.98 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 8.56 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | 1.48 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 18.60 | % |
| 15-64 years | 65.00 | % |
| 65 years and over | 16.40 | % |
Median age :
| total | 39.40 | years |
| male | 38.00 | years |
| female | 40.90 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.72 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.96 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 3.33 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 80.98 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 77.79 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 84.33 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.40 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 140 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 1 600 |
Religions :
| Roman Catholic | 83.00 | % |
| Protestant | 2.00 | % |
| Jewish | 1.00 | % |
| Muslim | 5.00 | % |
| unaffiliated | 4.00 | % |
Languages :
| French | 100.00 | % |
Literacy :
| total population | 99.00 | % |
| male | 99.00 | % |
| female | 99.00 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | French Republic |
| conventional short form | France |
| local long form | Republique francaise |
| local short form | France |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | FR |
| ISO Numeric | 250 |
| ISO3 | FRA |
| FIPS | FR |
| ccTLD | fr |
| English | France |
Administrative divisions :
26 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy), Bourgogne (Burgundy), Bretagne (Brittany), Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse (Corsica), Franche-Comte, Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy), Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Martinique, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Reunion, Rhone-Alpes|
Capital :
| name | Paris |
| geographic coordinates | 48 52 N, 2 20 E |
| time difference | 1.00 |
| daylight saving time | 1 |
International organization participation :
| ADB (nonregional member) | AfDB (nonregional member) |
| Arctic Council (observer) | Australia Group |
| BDEAC | BIS |
| BSEC (observer) | CBSS (observer) |
| CE | CERN |
| EAPC | EBRD |
| EIB | EMU |
| ESA | EU |
| FAO | FATF |
| FZ | G-10 |
| G-20 | G-5 |
| G-7 | G-8 |
| IADB | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICC | ICCt |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IEA | IFAD |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| IHO | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IMSO | IOC |
| IOM | IPU |
| ISO | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| InOC | Interpol |
| MIGA | MINURCAT |
| MINURSO | MINUSTAH |
| MONUC | NATO |
| NEA | NSG |
| OAS (observer) | OECD |
| OIF | OPCW |
| OSCE | PCA |
| PIF (partner) | Paris Club |
| SECI (observer) | SPC |
| Schengen Convention | UN |
| UN Security Council | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNHCR |
| UNIDO | UNIFIL |
| UNITAR | UNMIL |
| UNOCI | UNRWA |
| UNTSO | UNWTO |
| UPU | Union Latina |
| WADB (nonregional) | WCO |
| WEU | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
| ZC |
National holiday :
Fete de la Federation
1790-07-14
Executive branch :
| President Nicolas SARKOZY | Prime Minister Francois FILLON |
Legislative branch :
| UMP | 46.37 | % |
| PS | 42.25 | % |
| PCF | 2.28 | % |
| NC | 2.12 | % |
| PRG | 1.65 | % |
| other | 1.24 | % |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 2 113 000 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 2 635 000 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -2.10 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 32 800 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 2.10 | % |
| industry | 19.00 | % |
| services | 78.90 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 3.80 | % |
| industry | 24.30 | % |
| services | 71.80 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 27 990 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 9.70 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 6.20 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 32.70 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0.10 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 20.80 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 43 670 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 102 900 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 5 021 000 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 1 759 000 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 1 202 000 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 2 771 000 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 2.60 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 79.70 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 3.00 | % |
| highest 10% | 24.80 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 1 229 000 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 1 445 000 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| beef | cereals |
| dairy | fish |
| potatoes | sugar beets |
| wheat | wine grapes |
Industries :
| aircraft | automobiles |
| chemicals | electronics |
| food processing | machinery |
| metallurgy | textiles |
| tourism |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 535 700 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 447 200 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Exports | 58 690 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 10 680 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 70 800 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 1 986 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 554 100 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 2 346 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 103 300 000 | bbl |
| Natural gas Production | 920 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 49 270 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Exports | 1 000 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Imports | 49 350 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 6 937 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
456 800 000 000 $
Partners :
| Germany (de) | 14.40 | % |
| Italy (it) | 8.70 | % |
| Spain (es) | 8.30 | % |
| United Kingdom (gb) | 7.80 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 7.60 | % |
| United States (us) | 5.80 | % |
| Netherlands (nl) | 4.10 | % |
Commodities :
| aircraft | beverages |
| chemicals | iron and steel |
| machinery and transportation equipment | pharmaceutical products |
| plastics |
Value :
532 200 000 000 $
Partners :
| Germany (de) | 17.80 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 11.70 | % |
| Italy (it) | 8.20 | % |
| Spain (es) | 6.80 | % |
| Netherlands (nl) | 6.80 | % |
| United Kingdom (gb) | 5.10 | % |
| United States (us) | 4.30 | % |
Commodities :
| aircraft | chemicals |
| machinery and equipment | petroleum |
| plastics | vehicles |
Currency-code :
EUR
Currency-name :
euro
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 35 909 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 59 259 000 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 584 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | fr | |
| Internet Hosts | 14 327 000 | |
| Internet Users | 42 912 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 297 | |
| Heliports | 1 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 14 688 | km |
| Pipelines - oil | 2 943 | km |
| Pipelines - refined products | 5 080 | km |
| Roadways - total | 951 500 | km |
| Roadways - expressways | 10 950 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 951 500 | km |
| Railways | 29 213 | km |
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