France

French RepublicRepublique Francaise

republicIndependence 486 (unified by Clovis)

France as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 91 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalParis
Position46 00 N, 2 00 E
Area547,030 sq km
LocationWestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English
1996

Every edition of France

Populationas each edition published it
58.32 million July 1996 est. · 56.36m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.34% 1996 est. · 0.48% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 38.3 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
77.93 years 1996 est. · 78 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.49 children per woman 1996 est. · 1.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
5.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 6 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$20,200 1995 est. · $18,900 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
2.4% 1995 est. · 1.1% in 1993

Geography

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

15 fields

Land useshare of 547,030 sq km

arable land 32%permanent crops 2%meadows and pastures 23%forest and woodland 27%other 16%irrigated 14,850 sq km (1993 est.); note - includes Corsicanote: includes Corsica
Area
547,030sq km
land area: 545,630 sq kmcomparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Coloradonote: includes only metropolitan France (which includes Corsica), but excludes the overseas administrative divisions
Coastline
3,427km
(mainland 2,783 km, Corsica 644 km)contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Land boundaries
2,892.4km
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

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

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

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

15 fields
Population
58,317,450
(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 0.34% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth
10.82Death
9.27Net migration
1.88

Religions

Roman Catholic 90%Protestant 2%Jewish 1%Muslim (North African workers) 1%unaffiliated 6%
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1980 est.)total population: 99%male: NA%female: NA%

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.)

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

Languages

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

Government

Republic; President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995) was elected for a seven-year term by direct universal suffrage; Prime Minister Alain JUPPE (since 18 May 1995) was appointed by the president

23 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

52.64%
Second Ballot Jacques CHIRAC 52.64%Lionel JOSPIN 47.36%

Legislature, 577 seatsseats by party

RPR 247UDF 213PS 67PCF 24independents 26

Name of country

conventional long form:
French Republic
conventional short form:
France
local long form:
Republique Francaise
local short form:
France

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

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

One of the four West European trillion-dollar | economies, the French economy features considerable - albeit | diminishing - state control over its capitalistic market system.

21 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$20,200
(1995 est.)
Real growth rate
2.4%
(1995 est.)industrial production growth: 2.6% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate
11.7%
(yearend 1995)

GDP composition by sector(1994)

agriculture 2.4%industry 26.5%services 71.1% (1994)

Budget

Revenues
$220.5 billionExpenditures
$249.1 billion
expenditures including capital expenditures of $47 billion (1993 budget)

Installed generating capacity, 105,250,000 kW

Electricity production
447 billionElectricity consumption per capita
6,149 (1993)

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.)

Labor force

24.17 million; by occupation: services 61.5%, industry 31.3%, agriculture 7.2% (1987) note: includes Corsica

Industries

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

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

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 460 in all

13
over 3 047 m
26
2 438 to 3 047 m
91
1 524 to 2 437 m
3
73
914 to 1 523 m
75
179
under 914 m
PavedUnpavednote: includes Corsica

Networkskm

Highways
1,511,200Railways
33,891Waterways
14,932
Highways: paved: 811,200 km (including 7,700 km of expressways) · unpaved: 700,000 km (1992 est.) note: includes Corsica · Railways: 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) · Waterways: ; 6,969 km heavily traveled

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.)

Heliports

3 (1995 est.)

Communications

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

9 fields
Fixed lines
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)

Central Intelligence Agency. “France.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/france/1996.

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