France

France 


 
Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain southeast of the U.K.; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain

Area

Note: Includes Corsica and the rest of metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas administrative divisions

Land Boundaries

Total 2,892.4 km, Andorra 60 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 (mainland 2,783 km, Corsica 644 km)

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; Seychelles claims Tromelin Island; Suriname claims part of French Guiana; Mexico claims Clipperton Island; territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); Saint Pierre and Miquelon is focus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and France

Climate

Generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean

Terrain

Mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

11,600 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Note: Largest West European nation; occasional warm tropical wind known as mistral

PEOPLE

Population

58,317,450 (July 1996 est.)
58,109,160 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

19.04% (male 5,688,505; female 5,417,355) (July 1996 est.)
19% (male 5,700,143; female 5,438,447) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

65.62% (male 19,147,369; female 19,120,935) (July 1996 est.)
65% (male 19,001,536; female 18,889,771) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

15.34% (male 3,589,100; female 5,354,186) (July 1996 est.)
16% (male 3,645,987; female 5,433,276) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.34% (1996 est.)
0.46% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

10.82 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
13 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

9.27 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
9.29 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

1.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

5.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

1.49 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.8 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1991 est.)

Labor Force

24.17 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

FR

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: The 22 regions are subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the 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 U.S. does not recognize claims to Antarctica

Independence

486 (unified by Clovis)

National Holiday

National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Constitution

28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EU Maastricht Treaty in 1992; 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

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Parliament (Parlement)

Senate (Senat)

Elections last held 24 September 1995 (next to be held September 1998; nine-year term, elected by thirds every three years); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (321 total; 296 metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad) RPR 91, UDF 132, PS 75, PCF 16, other 7

National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (577 total) RPR 247, UDF 213, PS 67, PCF 24, independents 26; note - seating as of 24 September 1995: RPR 247, UDF 208, PS 71, PCF 24, independents 27

Judicial Branch

Constitutional Court (Cour Constitutionnelle)

Political Parties and Leaders

Rally for the Republic (RPR), Alain JUPPE, president; Union for French Democracy (UDF - coalition of PR, FD, RAD, PSD), Francois LEOTARD; Republican Party (PR), Francois LEOTARD; Democratic Force (FD), Francois BAYROU; Radical (RAD), Andre ROSSINOT; Socialist Party (PS), Lionel JOSPIN; Left Radical Movement (MRG); Communist Party (PCF), Robert HUE; National Front (FN), Jean-Marie LE PEN; The Greens, Dominique VOYNET; Generation Ecology (GE), Brice LALONDE; Citizens Movement (MDC), Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail - CGT) nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail - CFDT) about 800,000 members (est.); independent labor union (Force Ouvriere) 1 million members (est.); independent white-collar union (Confederation Generale des Cadres) 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais - CNPF or Patronat)

Member of

ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAVEM III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIH, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Anthem

Flag

Three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the French Tricouleur (Tricolor); the design and colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, and Luxembourg; the official flag for all French dependent areas

ECONOMY

Overview

One of the four West European trillion-dollar economies, the French economy features considerable - albeit diminishing - state control over its capitalistic market system. In running important industrial segments (railways, airlines, electricity, telecommunications), administrating an exceptionally generous social welfare system, and staffing an enormous bureaucracy, the state spends about 55% of GDP. France has substantial agricultural resources and a diversified modern industrial sector. Large tracts of fertile land, the application of modern technology, and subsidies have combined to make it the leading agricultural producer in Western Europe. Largely self-sufficient in agricultural products, France is a major exporter of wheat and dairy products. The industrial sector generates about one-quarter of GDP, and the growing services sector has become crucial to the economy. Following stagnation and recession in 1991-93, French GDP expanded 2.4% in 1994 and in 1995. Persistently high unemployment still poses a major problem for the government, as will the need to cut back on welfare benefits and bureaucratic budgets. Paris remains committed to maintaining the franc-deutsche mark parity, which has kept French interest rates high at the expense of jobs. Although the pace of economic and financial integration within the European Union has slowed down, integration will remain a major force in France, shaping the fortunes of the various economic sectors over the next few years.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.173 trillion (1995 est.), $1.0801 trillion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

2.4% (1995 est.)
2.4% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$20,200 (1995 est.)
$18,670 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

1.7% (1995)
1.6% (1994)

Unemployment Rate

11.7% (yearend 1995)
12.6% (yearend 1994)

Budget

Exports

$235.5 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$229.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$300 billion (1993 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 2.6% (1994 est.)

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 4% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); one of the world's top five wheat producers; other principal products - beef, dairy products, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; self-sufficient for most temperate-zone foods; shortages include fats and oils and tropical produce, but overall net exporter of farm products; fish catch of 850,000 metric tons ranks among world's top 20 countries and is all used domestically

Economic Aid

Currency

1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Exchange Rates

French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.0056 (January 1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland 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

Bordeaux, Boulogne, Cherbourg, Dijon, Dunkerque, La Pallice, Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Mullhouse, Nantes, Paris, Rouen, Saint Nazaire, Saint Malo, Strasbourg

Merchant Marine

Note: France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) (1995 est.)

Airports

Heliports:

3 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

35 million telephones (1987 est.); highly developed; extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks; large-scale introduction of optical-fiber systems; satellite systems for domestic traffic

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy (includes Naval Air), Air Force and Air Defense, National Gendarmerie

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 14,782,577; males fit for military service 12,299,651; males reach military age (18) annually 383,252 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $47.7 billion, 2.5% of GDP (1995), $47.1 billion, 3.1% of GDP (1995)

History
World Atlas