France

republic

France as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 75 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalParis

Area547,030 km2

Populationas each edition published it

56.36 million July 1990 · 68.51m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.48% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 38.3 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 78 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.8 children per woman 1990 · 1.9 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 3.1 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $18,900 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.1% in 1993

Geography

14 fields

Land useshare of 547,030 km2

arable land 32%permanent crops 2%meadows and pastures 23%forest and woodland 27%other 16%includes 2% irrigated

Total area

547,030km2

land area: 545,630 km2; includes Corsica and the rest of metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas administrative divisionsComparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Colorado

Coastline

3,427km

(includes Corsica, 644 km)Territorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

2,892.4km total

Andorra 60 km, Belgium 620 km, FRG 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km

Disputes

maritime boundary dispute with Canada (St. Pierre and Miquelon);
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;
territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land)

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

Natural resources

coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash

Environment

most of large urban areas and industrial centers in Rhone, Garonne, Seine, or Loire River basins; occasional warm tropical wind known as mistral

People

14 fields

Population

56,358,331

(July 1990), growth rate 0.4% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

14Death

9Net migration

Religion

Roman Catholic 90%Protestant 2%Jewish 1%Muslim (North African workers) 1%unaffiliated 6%

Literacy

99%

Nationality

noun--Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women); adjective--French

Ethnic divisions

Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities

Language

French (100% of population); rapidly declining regional dialects (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)

Labor force

24,170,000; 61.5% services, 31.3% industry, 7.3% agriculture (1987)

Government

Republic

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

54%

Second Ballot Francois Mitterrand 54%Jacques Chirac 46%8 May 1988 (next to be held May 1995)

Administrative divisions

metropolitan France--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, St. 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

Independence

unified by Clovis in 486, First Republic proclaimed in 1792

Constitution

28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962

Legal system

civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Judicial branch

Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation) Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Michel ROCARD (since 10 March 1988)

Political parties and leaders

Rally for the Republic (RPR, formerly UDR), Jacques Chirac;
Union for French Democracy (UDF, federation of PR, CDS, and RAD), Valery Giscard d'Estaing;
Republicans (PR), Francois Leotard;
Center for Social Democrats (CDS), Pierre Mehaignerie;
Radical (RAD), Yves Gallard;
Socialist Party (PS), Pierre Mauroy;
Left Radical Movement (MRG), Yves Collin;
Communist Party (PCF), Georges Marchais;
National Front (FN), Jean-Marie Le Pen

Suffrage

universal at age 18 President--last held 8 May 1988 (next to be held May 1995);
results--Second Ballot Francois Mitterrand 54%, Jacques Chirac 46%;
Senate--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992);
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 93, UDF 143 (PR 53, CDS 65, RAD 25), PS 64, PCF 16, independents 2, unknown 3;
National Assembly--last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993);
results--Second Ballot PS-MRG 48.7%, RPR 23.1%, UDF 21%, PCF 3.4%, other 3.8%;
seats--(577 total) PS 275, RPR 132, UDF 90, UDC 40, PCF 25, independents 15

Communists

700,000 claimed but probably closer to 150,000; Communist voters, 2.8 million in 1988 election

Other political or pressure groups

Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail) nearly 2.4 million members (claimed);
Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail or CFDT) about 800,000 members est.;
independent labor union (Force Ouvriere) about 1,000,000 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)

ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, EIB, EMS, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, NATO (signatory), OAS (observer), OECD, SPC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Jacques ANDREANI;
Chancery at 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington DC 20007;
telephone (202) 944-6000;
there are French Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
US--Ambassador Walter J. P. CURLEY;
Embassy at 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08 (mailing address is APO New York 09777);
telephone [33] (1) 42-96-12-02 or 42-61-80-75;
there are US Consulates General in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, and Strasbourg

Flag

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red;
known as the French Tricouleur (Tricolor);
the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Ivory Coast, and Luxembourg;
the official flag for all French dependent areas

Economy

One of the world's most developed economies, France has substantial agricultural resources and a highly diversified modern industrial sector.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$819.6billion

per capita $14,600; real growth rate 3.4% (1989 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

3.5%

(1989 est.)

Unemployment rate

9.7%

(1989 est.)

External debt

$59.3billion

(December 1987)

Budget

Revenues

$197.0 billionExpenditures

$213.4 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)

Overview

One of the world's most developed economies, France has substantial agricultural resources and a highly 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.

France is largely self-sufficient in agricultural products and is a major exporter of wheat and dairy products. The industrial sector generates about one-third of GDP and employs about one-third of the work force. During the period 1982-86 economic growth was sluggish, averaging only 1.4% annually.

This trend was reversed by late 1987, however, with a strong expansion of consumer demand, followed by a surge in investment. The economy has had difficulty generating enough jobs for new entrants into the labor force, resulting in a high unemployment rate, but the upward trend in growth recently pushed the jobless rate below 10%. The steadily advancing economic integration within the European Community is a major force affecting the fortunes of the various economic sectors.

Exports

$183.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing;
partners--FRG 15.8%, Italy 12.2%, UK 9.8%, Belgium-Luxembourg 8.9%, Netherlands 8.7%, US 6.7%, Spain 5.6%, Japan 1.8%, USSR 1.3% (1989 est.)

Imports

$194.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
commodities--crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, iron and steel products;
partners--FRG 19.4%, Italy 11.5%, Belgium-Luxembourg 9.2%, US 7.7%, UK 7.2%, Netherlands 5.2%, Spain 4.4%, Japan 4.1%, USSR 2.1% (1989 est.)

Industrial production

growth rate 4.4% (1989 est.)

Electricity

109,972,000 kW capacity; 403,570 million kWh produced, 7,210 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

steel, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, mining, textiles, food processing, and tourism

Agriculture

accounts for 4% of GNP (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

Aid

donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $59.8 billion

Currency

French franc (plural--francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

French francs (F) per US$1--5.7598 (January 1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 153 ships by type

short-sea passenger 10cargo 19container 19multifunction large-load carrier 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 30petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 37chemical tanker 9liquefied gas 6specialized tanker 4bulk 17combination bulk; note--France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) and French Polynesia 1153 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,671,645 GRT/5,950,785 DWT

Airports, 470 total, 460 usable

permanent-surface runways

204runways over 3,659 m

3runways 2,440-3,659 m

34runways 1,220-2,439 m

133

Railroads

French National Railways (SNCF) operates 34,568 km 1.435-meter standard gauge;
11,674 km electrified, 15,132 km double or multiple track;
2,138 km of various gauges (1.000-meter to 1.440-meter), privately owned and operated

Highways

1,551,400 km total;
33,400 km national highway;
347,000 km departmental highway;
421,000 km community roads;
750,000 km rural roads;
5,401 km of controlled-access divided autoroutes;
about 803,000 km paved

Inland waterways

14,932 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled

Pipelines

crude oil, 3,059 km;
refined products, 4,487 km;
natural gas, 24,746 km

highly developed system provides satisfactory telephone, telegraph, radio and TV broadcast services;
39,110,000 telephones;
stations--42 AM, 138 (777 relays) FM, 215 TV (8,900 relays);
25 submarine coaxial cables;
communication satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT, 3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, EUTELSAT, MARISAT, and domestic systems

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49

14,285,904fit for military service

12,042,731reach military age (18) annually

409,544

Defense expenditures

3.8%of GDP

or $31.1 billion (1989 est.)

Branches