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 halfway 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:

2,751 km

border countries (8):

Andorra 55 km, Belgium 556 km, Germany 418 km, Italy 476 km, Luxembourg 69 km, Monaco 6 km, Spain 646 km, Switzerland 525 km

French Guiana - total:

1,205 km

border countries (2):

Brazil 649 km, Suriname 556 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, arable land, fish

French Guiana:

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

agricultural land:

52.7%;

• arable land 33.4%;
• permanent crops 1.8%;
• permanent pasture 17.5%

forest:

29.2%

other:

18.1% (2011 est.)

• much of the population is concentrated in the north and southeast;
• although there are many urban agglomerations throughout the country, Paris is by far the largest city, with Lyon ranked a distant second

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

• much of the population is concentrated in the north and southeast;
• although there are many urban agglomerations throughout the country, Paris is by far the largest city, with Lyon ranked a distant second

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.75 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

French Republic

conventional short form:

France

local long form:

Republique francaise

local short form:

France

etymology:

• name derives from the Latin "Francia" meaning "Land of the Franks";
• the Franks were a group of Germanic tribes located along the middle and lower Rhine River in the 3rd century A.D. who merged with Gallic-Roman populations in succeeding centuries and to whom they passed on their name

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)

• many previous;
• latest effective 4 October 1958;
• amended many times, last in 2008 (2016)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of France

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012)

head of government:

Prime Minister Manuel VALLS (since 31 March 2014)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 22 April and 6 May 2012 (next to be held in the spring of 2017);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

• Francois HOLLANDE elected president;
• percent of vote in first round - Francois HOLLANDE (PS) 28.6%, Nicolas SARKOZY (UMP) 27.2%, Marine LE PEN (FN) 17.9%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (PG) 11.1%, Francois BAYROU (moDem) 9.1%, other 6.1%;
• percent of vote in second round - HOLLANDE 51.6%, SARKOZY 48.4%

description:

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (348 seats - 328 for metropolitan France and overseas departments and regions of Guadeloupe, Martinque, French Guiana, Reunion, and Mayotte, 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 departmental electoral colleges using absolute majority vote in two rounds if needed for departments with 1-3 members and proportional representation vote in departments with 4 or more members; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats - 556 for metropolitan France, 10 for overseas departments, and 11 for citizens abroad; members directly elected by absolute majority vote in two rounds if needed to serve 5-year terms)

elections:

• Senate - last held on 28 September 2014 (next to be held in September 2017);
• National Assembly - last held on 10 and 17 June 2012 (next to be held in June 2017)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - UMP 187, PS 152, other 9;
• National Assembly - percent of vote by party - PS 48.5%, UMP 33.6%, miscellaneous left wing parties 3.8%, Greens 3.0%, miscellaneous right wing parties 2.6%, NC 2.1%, PRG 2.1%, FDG 1.7%, other 2.6%;
• seats by party - PS 280, UMP 194, miscellaneous left wing parties 22, Greens 17, miscellaneous right wing parties 15, NC 12, PRG 12, FDG 10, other 15

highest court(s):

• Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (consists of the court president, 6 divisional presiding judges, 120 trial judges, and 70 deputy judges organized into 6 divisions - 3 civil, 1 commercial, 1 labor, and 1 criminal);
• Constitutional Council (consists of 9 members)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Cassation judges appointed by the president of the republic from nominations from the High Council of the Judiciary, presided by the Court of Cassation and 15 appointed members;
• judges appointed for life;
• Constitutional Council members appointed - 3 by the president of the republic and 3 each by the National Assembly and Senate presidents;
• members serve 9-year, non-renewable terms with one third of the membership renewed every 3 years

subordinate courts:

• appellate courts or Cour d'Appel;
• regional courts or Tribunal de Grande Instance;
• first instance courts or Tribunal d'instance

• Europe Ecology - The Greens or EELV [Emmanuelle COSSE]
• French Communist Party or PCF [Pierre LAURENT]
• Left Front Coalition or FDG [Jean-Luc MELENCHON]
• Left Party or PG [Jean-Luc MELENCHON and Martine BILLARD]
• 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 [Marine LE PEN]
• New Anticapitalist Party or NPA [collective leadership; main spokesperson Christine POUPIN]
• New Center or NC [Herve MORIN]
• Radical Party [Jean-Louis BORLOO]
• Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA]
• Republican and Citizen Movement or MRC [Jean-Luc LAURENT]
• Socialist Party or PS [Haerlem DESIR]
• The Republicans (formerly Union for a Popular Movement or UMP) [Nicolas SARKOZY]
• Union des Democrates et Independants or UDI [Jean-Louis BORLOO] and Democratic Movement or MoDem [Francois BAYROU] (previously Union for French Democracy or UDF); together known as UDI-Modem
• United Republic or RS [Dominique DE VILLEPIN]
• Worker's Struggle (Lutte Ouvriere) or LO [collective leadership; spokespersons Nathalie ARTHAUD and Arlette LAQUILLER]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Gerard ARAUD (since 18 September 2014)

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, Washington DC

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jane D. HARTLEY (since 5 November 2014); note - also accredited to Monaco

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

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

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

agriculture:

3%

industry:

21.3%

services:

75.7% (2013 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.6%

highest 10%:

25.4% (2013)

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 (2015)

• a mix of both publicly operated and privately owned TV stations;
• state-owned France television stations operate 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, 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)

number of registered air carriers:

30; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 485

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

65,039,503

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

4,098.31 million mt-km (2015)

total:

29,640 km

standard gauge:

29,473 km 1.435-m gauge (15,561 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

167 km 1.000-m gauge (63 km electrified) (2014)

country comparison to the world: 10

total:

1,028,446 km (metropolitan France)

paved:

1,028,446 km (includes 11,416 km of expressways)

note: not included are 5,100 km of roadways in overseas departments (2010)

country comparison to the world: 8

major seaport(s):

Brest, Calais, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes,

river port(s):

• Paris, Rouen (Seine);
• Strasbourg (Rhine);
• Bordeaux (Garronne)

container port(s):

Le Havre (2,215,262)(2011)

cruise/ferry port(s):

Calais, Cherbourg, Le Havre

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Fos Cavaou, Fos Tonkin, Montoir de Bretagne

• 18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service;
• no conscription;
• 1-year service obligation;
• women serve in noncombat posts (2013)

• 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

refugees (country of origin):

• 24,220 (Sri Lanka);
• 14,195 (Russia);
• 14,182 (Democratic Republic of the Congo);
• 12,500 (Serbia and Kosovo);
• 11,824 (Cambodia);
• 10,652 (Turkey);
• 8,132 (Vietnam);
• 6,944 (Laos);
• 6,005 (Guinea);
• 5,179 (Syria);
• 5,006 (Mauritania) (2015)

stateless persons:

1,326 (2015)

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