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

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

metropolitan France - total:

2751

French Guiana - total:

1205

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

mean elevation:

375 m

elevation extremes:

-2 m lowest point: Rhone River delta;

• 4810 highest point: Mont Blanc note: to assess the possible effects of climate change on the ice and snow cap of Mont Blanc, its surface and peak have been extensively measured in recent years;
• these new peak measurements have exceeded the traditional height of 4,807 m and have varied between 4,808 m and 4,811 m;
• the actual rock summit is 4,792 m and is 40 m away from the ice-covered summit

• 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;
• volcanism: Montagne Pelee (1,394 m) on the island of Martinique in the Caribbean is the most active volcano of the Lesser Antilles arc, it last erupted in 1932;
• a catastrophic eruption in May 1902 destroyed the city of St. Pierre, killing an estimated 30,000 people;;
• La Soufriere (1,467 m) on the island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean last erupted from July 1976 to March 1977;;
• these volcanoes are part of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from Saba in the north to Grenada in the south

• 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

0-14 years:

18.48% (male 6,366,789 /female 6,082,729)

15-24 years:

11.8% (male 4,065,780 /female 3,884,488)

25-54 years:

37.48% (male 12,731,825 /female 12,515,501)

55-64 years:

12.42% (male 4,035,073 /female 4,331,751)

65 years and over:

19.82% (male 5,781,410 /female 7,569,011) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

59.2 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

29.1 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

30.2 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

3.3 (2015 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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.93 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.75 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2017 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; for its overseas regions the time difference is UTC-4 for Guadeloupe and Martinique, UTC-3 for French Guiana, UTC+3 for Mayotte, and UTC+4 for Reunion

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)

history:

many previous; latest effective 4 October 1958 (2018)

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic (upon recommendation of the prime minister and Parliament) or by Parliament;
• proposals submitted by Parliament members require passage by both houses followed by approval in a referendum;
• passage of proposals submitted by the government can bypass a referendum if submitted by the president to Parliament and passed by at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament’s National Assembly;
• amended many times, last in 2008;
• note - in May 2018, the prime minister submitted a bill to the National Assembly to amend several provisions of the constitution (2018)

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

highest courts:

• 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 over by the Court of Cassation and 15 appointed members;
• judges appointed for life;
• Constitutional Council members - 3 appointed 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;
• administrative courts

note: in April 2018, the French Government announced its intention to reform the country's judicial system

chief of state:

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017)

head of government:

Prime Minister Edouard PHILIPPE (since 15 May 2017)

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 23 April with a runoff on 7 May 2017 (next to be held in April 2022);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

• Emmanuel MACRON elected president in second round;
• percent of vote in first round - Emmanuel MACRON (EM) 24.%, Marine LE PEN (FN) 21.3%, Francois FILLON (LR) 20.%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (FI) 19.6%, Benoit HAMON (PS) 6.4%, other 8.7%;
• percent of vote in second round - MACRON 66.1%, LE PEN 33.9%

chief of mission:

Ambassador Gerard Roger 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 Jamie D. McCOURT (since 18 December 2017); 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

consulate(s):

Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes, Toulouse

• 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:

2.8% (2016 est.)

industry:

20% (2016 est.)

services:

77.2% (2016 est.)

lowest 10%:

25.4% (2013)

highest 10%:

25.4% (2013)

general assessment:

• extensive cable and microwave radio relay;
• extensive use of fiber-optic cable;
• domestic satellite system;
• highly developed;
• 3rd largest in Europe;
• broadband subscriber rate remains strong at 4% (2017)

domestic:

58 per 100 persons for fixed-line and 103 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2017)

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 (2015)

overseas departments:

• country codes: French Guiana - 594;
• Guadeloupe - 590;
• Martinique - 596;
• Mayotte - 262;
• Reunion - 262;
• ACE submarine cable connecting France with African markets extended (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 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 485 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

65,039,503 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

4,098,310,000 mt-km (2015)

total:

29,640 km (2014)

standard gauge:

29,473 km 1.435-m gauge (15,561 km electrified) (2014)

narrow gauge:

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

total:

1,028,446 km (metropolitan France) (2010)

paved:

1,028,446 km (includes 11,416 km of expressways) (2010)

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

total:

555 (2017)

by type:

container ship 24, general cargo 72, oil tanker 28, other 431 (2017)

note: includes Monaco

major seaport(s):

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

container port(s) (TEUs):

Le Havre (2,510,000) (2016)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Fos Cavaou, Fos Tonkin, Montoir de Bretagne

river port(s):

Paris, Rouen (Seine)

cruise/ferry port(s):

Calais, Cherbourg, Le Havre; Strasbourg (Rhine) Bordeaux (Garronne)

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

Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA):

aim(s): establish an independent Basque homeland based on Marxist principles in what is now southwestern France and northern Spain

area(s) of operation:

maintains a presence in the southwest (April 2018)

refugees (country of origin):

24,110 (Sri Lanka), 15,697 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 15,634 (Russia), 13,425 (Afghanistan), 13,376 (Serbia and Kosovo), 12,520 (Syria), 11,361 (Cambodia), 11,337 (Sudan), 10,727 (Turkey), 7,911 (Vietnam), 7,788 (Guinea), 7,245 (Iraq), 6,271 (Laos), 5,320 (Mauritania) (2017)

stateless persons:

1,425 (2017)

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