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:

• 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 the 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

• 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

noun:

Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)

adjective:

French

• French (official) 100%, declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish, Occitan, Picard);
• note - overseas departments:
  • French,
  • Creole patois,
  • Mahorian (a Swahili dialect)

major-language sample(s):

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

• 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:

1.02 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.77 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

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

particulate matter emissions:

11.64 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

55.99 megatons (2020 est.)

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 the 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)

urban population:

81.2% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

0.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

33.399 million tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

7,434,617 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

22.3% (2015 est.)

municipal:

5.175 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

18.15 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

3.113 billion cubic meters (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

time zone 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

etymology:

• name derives from the Parisii, a Celtic tribe that inhabited the area from the 3rd century B.C., but who were conquered by the Romans in the 1st century B.C.;
• the Celtic settlement became the Roman town of Lutetia Parisiorum (Lutetia of the Parisii);
• over subsequent centuries it became Parisium and then just Paris

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

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

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 Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017)

head of government:

Prime Minister Jean CASTEX (since 3 July 2020)

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 on 10 April 2022);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

• 2017: 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%

;

• 2012: 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%

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 2021, the French Government submitted a bill on judicial reform to Parliament

• Citizen and Republican Movement or MRC [Jean-Luc LAURENT]
• Debout la France or DLF [Nicolas DUPONT-AIGNAN]
• Democratic Movement or MoDem [Francois BAYROU]
• Europe Ecology - the Greens or EELV [Julien BAYOU]
• French Communist Party or PCF [Fabien ROUSSEL]
• Horizons [Edouard PHILIPPE]
• La France Insoumise or FI [Jean-Luc MELENCHON]
• La Republique en Marche! or LREM [Stanislas GUERINI]
• Movement of Progressives or MDP Robert HUE]
• National Rally or RN [Marine LE PEN] (formerly National Front or FN)
• New Democrats [Aurelien TACHE, Emilie CARIOU] (formerly Ecology Democracy Solidarity or EDS)
• Radical Party of the Left or PRG [Guillaume LACROIX]
• Socialist Party or PS [Olivier FAURE]
• The Patriots or LP [Florian PHILIPPOT]
• The Republicans or LR [Christian JACOB]
• Union of Democrats and Independents or UDI [Jean-Christophe LAGARDE]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Philippe Noel Marie Marc ETIENNE (since 8 July 2019)

chancery:

4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 944-6000

FAX:

[1] (202) 944-6166

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://franceintheus.org/

consulate(s) general:

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

chief of mission:

• Ambassador (vacant);
• Charge d'Affaires Brian AGGELER (since 20 January 2021);
• note - also accredited to Monaco

embassy:

2 avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris

mailing address:

9200 Paris Place, Washington DC 20521-9200

telephone:

[33] (1) 43-12-22-22, [33] (1) 42-66-97-83

FAX:

[33] (1) 42-66-97-83

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://fr.usembassy.gov/

consulate(s) general:

Marseille, Strasbourg

consulate(s):

Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes

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

Fitch rating:

AA (2014)

Moody's rating:

Aa2 (2015)

Standard & Poors rating: AA (2013)

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

agriculture:

2.8% (2016 est.)

industry:

20% (2016 est.)

services:

77.2% (2016 est.)

total:

20.2%

male:

20.3%

female:

19.9% (2020 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.6%

highest 10%:

25.4% (2013)

• 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

number of registered air carriers:

19 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 553

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

70,188,028 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

4,443,790,000 mt-km (2018)

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:

1,053,215 km (2011)

urban:

654,201 km (2011)

non-urban:

399,014 km (2011)