Demographics - France
| GENERAL: | |||
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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. |
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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 introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. |
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At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy. |
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| 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: | 547,030 sq km | |
| land: | 545,630 sq km | ||
| water: | 1,400 sq km | ||
| note: | includes only metropolitan France; excludes the overseas administrative divisions | ||
| 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: | territorial sea: | 12 nm | |
| contiguous zone: | 24 nm | ||
| exclusive economic zone: | 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean) | ||
| continental shelf: | 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation | ||
| 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, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorospar, gypsum, timber, fish | ||
| Land use: | arable land: | 33.46% | |
| permanent crops: | 2.03% | ||
| other: | 64.51% | ||
| Irrigated land: | 20,000 sq km | ||
| Natural hazards: |
flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean |
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| Environment - current issues: | some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff | ||
| Geography - note: | largest West European nation | ||
| PEOPLE: | |||
| Population: | 60,876,136 | ||
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: | 18.3% (male 5,704,152/female 5,427,213) | |
| 15-64 years: | 65.3% (male 19,886,228/female 19,860,506) | ||
| 65 years and over: | 16.4% (male 4,103,883/female 5,894,154) | ||
| Median age: | total: | 39.1 years | |
| male: | 37.6 years | ||
| female: | 40.7 years | ||
| Population growth rate: | 0.35% | ||
| Birth rate: | 11.99 births/1,000 population | ||
| Death rate: | 9.14 deaths/1,000 population | ||
| Net migration rate: | 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population | ||
| 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: | 0.7 male(s)/female | ||
| total population: | 0.95 male(s)/female | ||
| Infant mortality rate: | total: | 4.21 deaths/1,000 live births | |
| male: | 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births | ||
| female: | 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births | ||
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: | 79.73 years | |
| male: | 76.1 years | ||
| female: | 83.54 years | ||
| Total fertility rate: | 1.84 children born/woman | ||
| 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% |
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| 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% | ||
| GOVERNMENT: | |||
| Country name: | conventional long form: | French Republic | |
| conventional short form: | France | ||
| local long form: Republique | 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, 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: | adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October 1958; amended concerning election of president in 1962; amended to comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1996 Amsterdam Treaty, 2000 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration laws in 1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to a five-year term | ||
| Legal system: |
civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts |
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| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal | ||
| Executive branch: | |||
| chief of state: | President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995) | ||
| head of government: | Prime Minister Dominique DE VILLEPIN (since 31 May 2005) | ||
| cabinet: |
Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the suggestion of the prime minister |
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| elections: | president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (changed from seven-year term in October 2000); election last held 21 April and 5 May 2002 (next to be held, first round April 2007, second round 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% | ||
| 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); note - between 2004 and 2010, 25 new seats will be added to the Senate for a total of 346 seats - 326 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 3 for overseas territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; starting in 2008, members will be indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms, with one-half the seats being renewed every three years; and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to serve five-year terms) | ||
| elections: | Senate - last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held September 2008); National Assembly - last held 8-16 June 2002 (next to be held not later than June 2007) | ||
| election results: | Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 156, PS 97, UDF 33, PCF 23, RDSE 15, other 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 355, PS 140, UDF 29, PCF 21, Left Radical Party 7, Greens 3, other 22 | ||
| 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 and Republican Movement or MCR [Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT]; Democratic and European Social Rally or RDSE (mainly Radical Republican and Socialist Parties, and PRG) [Jacques PELLETIER]; French Communist Party or PCF [Marie-George BUFFET]; Greens [Yann WEHRLING, national secretary]; Left Radical Party or PRG (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG) [Jean-Michel BAYLET]; Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS]; National Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois HOLLANDE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Francois BAYROU]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Nicolas SARKOZY] | ||
| Flag description: | three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the "Le drapeau tricolore" (French Tricolor), the origin of the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution; 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: | |||
| Economy - overview: | France is in the midst of 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. It retains controlling stakes in several leading firms, including Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales, and is dominant in some sectors, particularly 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 and reform the pension system. In addition, it is focusing on the problems of the high cost of labor and labor market inflexibility resulting from the 35-hour workweek and restrictions on lay-offs. The tax burden remains one of the highest in Europe (nearly 50% of GDP in 2005). The lingering economic slowdown and inflexible budget items have pushed the budget deficit above the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP limit; unemployment stands at 10%. | ||
| GDP - real growth rate: | 1.60% | ||
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $30,000 | ||
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: | 2.50% | |
| industry: | 21.40% | ||
| services: | 76.10% | ||
| Labor force: | 27.72 million | ||
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 4.1%, industry 24.4%, services 71.5% | ||
| Unemployment rate: | 10% | ||
| Population below poverty line: | 6.50% | ||
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 1.90% | ||
| Agriculture - products: | wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish | ||
| Industries: | machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism | ||
| Industrial production growth rate: | 0.30% | ||
| Exports - commodities: | machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages | ||
| Exports - partners: | Germany 15%, Spain 9.5%, UK 9.3%, Italy 9%, Belgium 7.2%, US 6.7% | ||
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals | ||
| Imports - partners: |
Germany 19.2%, Belgium 9.9%, Italy 8.8%, Spain 7.4%, UK 7%, Netherlands 6.7%, US 5.1% |
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| Currency (code): | euro (EUR) | ||
| 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 | ||
| Fiscal year: | calendar year | ||
| TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES: | |||
| Disputes - international: | Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of New Caledonia | ||
| Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics | ||
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