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Map

Location: 46 00 N, 2 00 E -- 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

Flag

Description: 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

Geography

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 area: 547,030 sq km
land area: 545,630 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Colorado
note: includes only metropolitan France (which includes Corsica), but excludes the overseas administrative divisions
Land boundaries:
total: 2,892.4 km
border countries: 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:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
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; claims Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia
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: coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash
Land use:
arable land: 32%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 23%
forest and woodland: 27%
other: 16%
note: includes Corsica
Irrigated land: 14,850 sq km (1993 est.); note - includes Corsica
Environment:
current issues: some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff
natural hazards: flooding
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Desertification, Law of the Sea
Geographic note: largest West European nation; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral

People

Population: 58,317,450 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.04% (male 5,688,505; female 5,417,355)
15-64 years: 65.62% (male 19,147,369; female 19,120,935)
65 years and over: 15.34% (male 3,589,100; female 5,354,186) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.34% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 10.82 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 9.27 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 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.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.93 years
male: 73.98 years
female: 82.11 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French
Ethnic divisions: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim (North African workers) 1%, unaffiliated 6%
Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population: 99%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

Name of country:
conventional long form: French Republic
conventional short form: France
local long form: Republique Francaise
local short form: France
Data code: FR
Type of government: 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 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 US 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 EC 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:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995) was elected for a seven-year term by direct universal suffrage; election last held 17 May 1995 (next to be held by May 2002); results - Second Ballot Jacques CHIRAC 52.64%, Lionel JOSPIN 47.36%
head of government: Prime Minister Alain JUPPE (since 18 May 1995) was appointed by the president
cabinet: the Council of Ministers was appointed by the president on the suggestion of the prime minister
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: Supreme Court of Appeals (Cour de Cassation), judges are appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of the Judiciary
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)
International organization participation: 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
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Francois BUJON DE L'ESTANG
chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela C. HARRIMAN
embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08
mailing address: PSC 116, APO AE 09777
telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22
FAX: [33] (1) 42 66 97 83
consulate(s) general: Marseille, Strasbourg
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

Economic 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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.173 trillion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 2.4% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $20,200 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.4%
industry: 26.5%
services: 71.1% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (1995)
Labor force: 24.17 million
by occupation: services 61.5%, industry 31.3%, agriculture 7.2% (1987)
note: includes Corsica
Unemployment rate: 11.7% (yearend 1995)
Budget:
revenues: $220.5 billion
expenditures: $249.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $47 billion (1993 budget)
Industries: steel, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, mining, textiles, food processing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 2.6% (1994 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 105,250,000 kW
production: 447 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 6,149 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish catch of 850,000 metric tons ranks among world's top 20 countries and is all used domestically
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin
Exports: $235.5 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing
partners: Germany 17.1%, Italy 9.3%, Spain 7.1%, Belgium-Luxembourg 8.7%, UK 9.9%, Netherlands 4.6%, US 7.0%, Japan 2.0%, Russia 0.5%
Imports: $229.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
commodities: crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, iron and steel products
partners: Germany 17.8%, Italy 10.1%, US 8.5%, Netherlands 4.9%, Spain 8.8%, Belgium-Luxembourg 9.1%, UK 7.9%, Japan 3.7%, Russia 1.2%
External debt: $300 billion (1993 est.)
Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $7.915 billion (1993)
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)
Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation

Railways:
total: 33,891 km
standard gauge: 33,524 km 1.435-m gauge; 32,275 km are operated by French National Railways (SNCF); 13,741 km of SNCF routes are electrified and 12,132 km are double- or multiple-tracked
narrow gauge: 367 km 1.000-m gauge
note: includes Corsica; does not include 33 tourist railroads, totalling 469 km, many being of very narrow gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 1,511,200 km
paved: 811,200 km (including 7,700 km of expressways)
unpaved: 700,000 km (1992 est.)
note: includes Corsica
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:
total: 55 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,203,086 GRT/1,779,263 DWT
ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 5, chemical tanker 5, container 7, liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 16, passenger 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 5, specialized tanker 1
note: France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 460
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 13
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 26
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 91
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 73
with paved runways under 914 m: 179
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 3
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 75 (1995 est.)
note: includes Corsica
Heliports: 3 (1995 est.)

Communications

Telephones: 35 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system: highly developed
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean Region); HF radiotelephone communications with more than 20 countries
Radio broadcast stations: AM 41, FM 800 (mostly repeaters), shortwave 0
Radios: 49 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 846 (mostly repeaters)
note: Eutelsat receive-only TV service
Televisions: 29.3 million (1993 est.)

Defense

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)

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