France

metropolitan France:

• 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

French Guiana:

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

Guadeloupe:

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico

Martinique:

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Mayotte:

Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about half way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique

Reunion:

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

metropolitan France:

46 00 N, 2 00 E

French Guiana:

4 00 N, 53 00 W

Guadeloupe:

16 15 N, 61 35 W

Martinique:

14 40 N, 61 00 W

Mayotte:

12 50 S, 45 10 E

Reunion:

21 06 S, 55 36 E

metropolitan France:

Europe

French Guiana:

South America

Guadeloupe:

Central America and the Caribbean

Martinique:

Central America and the Caribbean

Mayotte:

Africa

Reunion:

World

metropolitan France - 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

French Guiana - total:

1,183 km

border countries:

Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km

metropolitan France:

• 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

French Guiana:

• tropical;
• hot, humid;
• little seasonal temperature variation

Guadeloupe and Martinique:

• subtropical tempered by trade winds;
• moderately high humidity;
• rainy season (June to October);
• vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average

Mayotte:

• tropical;
• marine;
• hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May);
• dry season is cooler (May to November)

Reunion:

tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)

metropolitan France:

mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east

French Guiana:

low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains

Guadeloupe:

• Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains;
• Grande-Terre is low limestone formation;
• most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin

Martinique:

mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano

Mayotte:

generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks

Reunion:

mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

metropolitan France:

coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, fish

French Guiana:

gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay

total:

33.16 cu km/yr (16%/74%/10%)

per capita:

548 cu m/yr (2000)

metropolitan France:

• flooding;
• avalanches;
• midwinter windstorms;
• drought;
• forest fires in south near the Mediterranean

overseas departments:

• hurricanes (cyclones);
• flooding;
• volcanic activity (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion)

• some forest damage from acid rain;
• air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions;
• water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff

noun:

Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)

adjective:

French

at birth:

1.051 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.72 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

conventional long form:

French Republic

conventional short form:

France

local long form:

Republique francaise

local short form:

France

name:

Paris

geographic coordinates:

48 52 N, 2 20 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

note: applies to metropolitan France only, not to its overseas departments, collectivities, or territories

no official date of independence:

• 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship);
• 10 August 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire);
• 14 July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown);
• 22 September 1792 (First French Republic founded);
• 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established)

• Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790);
• note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy;
• other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July)

chief of state:

President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007)

head of government:

Prime Minister Francois FILLON (since 17 May 2007)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 22 April and 6 May 2007 (next to be held in the spring of 2012);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

• Nicolas SARKOZY elected;
• first round: percent of vote - Nicolas SARKOZY 31.2%, Segolene ROYAL 25.9%, Francois BAYROU 18.6%, Jean-Marie LE PEN 10.4%, others 13.9%;
• second round: SARKOZY 53.1%, ROYAL 46.9%

• bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (348 seats; 328 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for French Polynesia, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 1 for Wallis and Futuna, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms; one third elected every three years);
• note - between 2006 and 2011, 15 new seats will be added to the Senate for a total of 348 seats - 328 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for French Polynesia, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 1 for Wallis and Futuna, and 12 for French nationals abroad;
• Mayotte's previously held 2 seats as an overseas collectivity are now included in the total as an overseas department;
• starting in 2008, members will be indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms with one-half elected every three years;
• and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; 555 for metropolitan France, 15 for overseas departments, 7 for overseas dependencies; members elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to serve five-year terms)

elections:

• Senate - last held on 25 September 2011 (next to be held in September 2014);
• National Assembly - last held on 10 and 17 June 2007 (next to be held in June 2012)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - PS/Greens 140, UMP 132, PCF/MRC 21, PRG 17, other 7;
• National Assembly - percent of vote by party - UMP 46.4%, PS 42.2%, miscellaneous left wing parties 2.5%, PCF 2.3%, NC 2.1%, PRG 1.6%, miscellaneous right wing parties 1.2%, the Greens 0.4%, other 1.2%;
• seats by party - UMP 313, PS 186, NC 22, miscellaneous left wing parties 15, PCF 16, miscellaneous right wing parties 9, PRG 7, the Greens 3, other 6

• 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

• Centrist Union or UDF [Nicolas ABOUT];
• Democratic Movement or MoDem [Francois BAYROU] (previously Union for French Democracy or UDF);
• French Communist Party or PCF [Pierre LAURENT];
• Greens [Cecile DUFLOT];
• Left Party or PG [Jean-Luc MELENCHON];
• Left Radical Party or PRG [Jean-Michel BAYLET] (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG);
• Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS];
• National Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN];
• New Anticapitalist Party or NPA [Olivier BESANCENOT];
• New Center or NC [Herve MORIN];
• Radical Party [Yvon COLLIN];
• Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA];
• Republican and Citizen Movement or MRC [Jean-Luc LAURENT];
• Socialist Party or PS [Martine AUBRY];
• Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Nicolas SARKOZY];
• Worker's Struggle or LO [Nathalie ARTHAUD]

• Confederation francaise democratique du travail or CFDT, left-leaning labor union with approximately 803,000 members;
• Confederation francaise de l'encadrement - Confederation generale des cadres or CFE-CGC, independent white-collar union with 196,000 members;
• Confederation francaise des travailleurs chretiens of CFTC, independent labor union founded by Catholic workers that claims 132,000 members;
• Confederation generale du travail or CGT, historically communist labor union with approximately 700,000 members;
• Confederation generale du travail - Force ouvriere or FO, independent labor union with an estimated 300,000 members;
• Mouvement des entreprises de France or MEDEF, employers' union with 750,000 companies as members (claimed)

French Guiana:

• conservationists;
• gold mining pressure groups;
• hunting pressure groups

Guadeloupe:

• Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG;
• General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G;
• General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG;
• Movement for an Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI;
• The Socialist Renewal Movement

Martinique:

• Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC;
• Central Union for Martinique Workers or CSTM;
• Frantz Fanon Circle;
• League of Workers and Peasants;
• Proletarian Action Group or GAP

Reunion:

NA

chief of mission:

Ambassador Francois M. DELATTRE

chancery:

4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 944-6000

FAX:

[1] (202) 944-6166

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador Charles H. RIVKIN

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

• 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 when the "ancient French color" of white was combined with the blue and red colors of the Parisian militia;
• the official flag for all French dependent areas

note: the design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Netherlands

name:

"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)

lyrics/music:

Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle

note: adopted 1795, restored 1870; originally known as "Chant de Guerre pour l'Armee du Rhin" (War Song for the Army of the Rhine), the National Guard of Marseille made the song famous by singing it while marching into Paris in 1792 during the French Revolutionary Wars

agriculture:

3.8%

industry:

24.3%

services:

71.8% (2005)

lowest 10%:

3%

highest 10%:

24.8% (2004)

• wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes;
• beef, dairy products;
• fish

• machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics;
• textiles, food processing;
• tourism

general assessment:

highly developed

domestic:

• extensive cable and microwave radio relay;
• extensive use of fiber-optic cable;
• domestic satellite system

international:

• country code - 33;
• numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US;
• satellite earth stations - more than 3 (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

overseas departments:

country codes:

• French Guiana - 594;
• Guadeloupe - 590;
• Martinique - 596;
• Mayotte - 262;
• Reunion - 262

• a mix of both publicly-operated and privately-owned TV stations;
• state-owned France Televisions operates 4 networks, one of which is a network of regional stations, and has part-interest in several thematic cable/satellite channels and international channels;
• a large number of privately-owned regional and local TV stations;
• multi-channel satellite and cable services provide a large number of channels;
• public broadcaster Radio France operates 7 national networks, a series of regional networks, and operates services for overseas territories and foreign audiences;
• Radio France Internationale (RFI), under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a leading international broadcaster;
• a large number of commercial FM stations, with many of them consolidating into commercial networks (2008)

total:

29,640 km

country comparison to the world: 9

standard gauge:

29,473 km 1.435-m gauge (15,361 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

167 km 1.000-m gauge (63 km electrified) (2009)

• 17-40 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (with parental consent);
• no conscription;
• 12-month service obligation;
• women serve in noncombat posts (2010)

males age 16-49:

14,563,662

females age 16-49:

14,238,434 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

12,025,341

females age 16-49:

11,721,827 (2010 est.)

male:

396,050

female:

377,839 (2010 est.)

• 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

metropolitan France:

transshipment point for South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics

French Guiana:

small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe

Martinique:

transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe