France

republic

France as the 1991 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 71 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

56.6 million July 1991 · 56.36m in 1990

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 1991 · 1.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1991 · 6 in 1990

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

11 fields

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) Contiguous zone: 12-24 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

2,892.4km total

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

Disputes

maritime boundary dispute with Canada (Saint 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;
Mexico claims Clipperton Island;
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

Land use

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

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

56,595,587

(July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)

Per 1,000 population(1991)

Birth

14Death

9Net migration

Religion

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

Literacy

99%

(male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)

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

Government

Republic

18 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, 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

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 Edith CRESSON (since 15 May 1991) Rally for the Republic (RPR, formerly UDR), Jacques CHIRAC;
Union for French Democracy (UDF, federation of PR, CDS, and RAD), Valery Giscard d'ESTAING;
Republican Party (PR), Gerard LONGUET;
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) 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)

ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, FZ, GATT, G-5, G-7, G-10, IABD, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNRWA, UN Security Council, UN Trusteeship Council, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, 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

$873.5billion

per capita $15,500; real growth rate 2.8% (1990)

Inflation, consumer prices

3.7%

(1990 est.)

Unemployment rate

(1990)

External debt

$59.3billion

(December 1987)

Budget

Revenues

$207.6 billionExpenditures

$224.2 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $34 billion (1990 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-quarter of GDP, and the growing services sector has become crucial to the economy. After sluggish growth during the period 1982-87, the economy expanded at a rapid 3.8% pace in 1988-89.

The economy slowed down in 1990, with growth of 2.0% expected in 1991. The economy has had difficulty generating enough jobs for new entrants into the labor force, resulting in a high unemployment rate, which probably will rise to around 10% during the slowdown. The steadily advancing economic integration within the European Community is a major force affecting the fortunes of the various economic sectors.

Exports

$181.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing;
partners--FRG 16%, Italy 12.1%, UK 9.5%, Spain 9.5%, Netherlands 9.2%, Belgium-Luxembourg 8.9%, US 6.6%, Japan 1.9%, USSR 1.0% (1989 est.)

Imports

$201.6 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, iron and steel products;
partners--FRG 19.4%, Italy 11.6%, Belgium-Luxembourg 9.2%, Netherlands 8.6%, US 7.6%, Spain 7.4%, UK 7.1%, Japan 4.1%, USSR 1.4% (1989 est.)

Industrial production

growth rate 3.7% (1989); accounts for 26% of GDP

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

Economic aid

donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.1 billion

Currency

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

Exchange rates

French francs (F) per US$1--5.8 (May 1991), 5.4453 (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, 133 ships by type

short-sea passenger 8cargo 15container 18multifunction large-load carrier 2roll-on/roll-off cargo 29petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 34chemical tanker 8liquefied gas 6specialized tanker 2bulk; note--France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) and French Polynesia 11133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,141,276 GRT/5,006,695 DWT

Airports, 470 total, 460 usable

permanent-surface runways

246runways over 3,659 m

3runways 2,440-3,659 m

34runways 1,220-2,439 m

136

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;
39,200,000 telephones;
stations--40 AM, 138 (777 relays) FM, 216 (8,902 relays) TV;
25 submarine coaxial cables;
communication satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT, 3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, EUTELSAT, MARISAT, and domestic systems