and nonmilitary service; service obligation 6-12 months (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,169,910
females age 16-49: 1,121,187 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 965,131
females age 16-49: 923,224 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 34,152
female: 32,870 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
2% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
Finland
Disputes - international:
various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other
areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts
no territorial demands
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@France
Introduction
France
Background:
Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered
extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a
dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most
modern countries in the world and is a leader among European
nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid
presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the
instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary
administrations. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation
with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of
Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency,
the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of
efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement
progress toward an EU foreign policy.
Geography
France
Location:
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
Reunion: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of
Madagascar
Geographic coordinates:
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
Reunion: 21 06 S, 55 36 E
Map references:
metropolitan France: Europe
French Guiana: South America
Guadeloupe: Central America and the Caribbean
Martinique: Central America and the Caribbean
Reunion: World
Area:
total: 643,427 sq km; 547,030 sq km (metropolitan France)
land: 640,053 sq km; 545,630 sq km (metropolitan France)
water: 3,374 sq km; 1,400 sq km (metropolitan France)
note: the first numbers include the overseas regions of French
Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion
Area - comparative:
slightly less than the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
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
Coastline:
total: 4,668 km
metropolitan France: 3,427 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean)
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
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
Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool
and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)
Terrain:
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
Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m
Natural resources:
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
Land use:
arable land: 33.46%
permanent crops: 2.03%
other: 64.51%
note: French Guiana - arable land 0.13%, permanent crops 0.04%,
other 99.83% (90% forest, 10% other); Guadeloupe - arable land
11.70%, permanent crops 2.92%, other 85.38%; Martinique - arable
land 9.09%, permanent crops 10.0%, other 80.91%; Reunion - arable
land 13.94%, permanent crops 1.59%, other 84.47% (2005)
Irrigated land:
total: 26,190 sq km;
metropolitan France: 26,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
189 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 33.16 cu km/yr (16%/74%/10%)
per capita: 548 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
metropolitan France: flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms;
drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean
overseas departments: hurricanes (cyclones), flooding, volcanic
activity (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion)
Environment - current issues:
some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and
vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural
runoff
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
largest West European nation
People
France
Population:
total: 64,057,792
note: 62,150,775 in metropolitan France (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,091,571/female 5,803,127)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 20,884,919/female 20,849,988)
65 years and over: 16.3% (male 4,335,996/female 6,092,189) (2008
est.)
Median age:
total: 39.2 years
male: 37.7 years
female: 40.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.574% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
12.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
8.48 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 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: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 3.36 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.87 years
male: 77.68 years
female: 84.23 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
120,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French
Ethnic groups:
Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese,
Basque minorities
overseas departments: black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese,
Amerindian
Religions:
Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%,
unaffiliated 4%
overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim,
Buddhist, pagan
Languages:
French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages
(Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
overseas departments: French, Creole patois
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.7% of GDP (2005)
Government
France
Country name:
conventional long form: French Republic
conventional short form: France
local long form: Republique francaise
local short form: France
Government type:
republic
Capital:
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
Administrative divisions:
26 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine,
Auvergne, Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy), Bourgogne (Burgundy),
Bretagne (Brittany), Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse (Corsica),
Franche-Comte, Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Haute-Normandie
(Upper Normandy), Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin,
Lorraine, Martinique, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la
Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur,
Reunion, Rhone-Alpes
note: France is divided into 22 metropolitan regions (including the
"territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and 4 overseas
regions (including French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and
Reunion) and is subdivided into 96 metropolitan departments and 4
overseas departments (which are the same as the overseas regions)
Dependent areas:
Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic
Lands, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin,
Wallis and Futuna
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica; New Caledonia
has been considered a "sui generis" collectivity of France since
1999, a unique status falling between that of an independent country
and a French overseas department
Independence:
486 (Frankish tribes unified); 843 (Western Francia established from
the division of the Carolingian Empire)
National holiday:
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)
Constitution:
adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October 1958
note: amended concerning election of president in 1962; amended to
comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1997 Amsterdam
Treaty, 2003 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration laws in
1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to
a five-year term; amended in 2005 to make the EU constitutional
treaty compatible with the Constitution of France and to ensure that
the decision to ratify EU accession treaties would be made by
referendum
Legal system:
civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative
but not legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
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
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(changed from seven-year term in October 2000); election last held
22 April and 6 May 2007 (next to be held spring 2012); prime
minister nominated by the National Assembly majority and appointed
by the president
election results: Nicolas SARKOZY wins the election; First Round:
percent of vote - Nicolas SARKOZY 31.18%, Segolene ROYAL 25.87%,
Francois BAYROU 18.57%, Jean-Marie LE PEN 10.44%, others 13.94%;
Second Round: SARKOZY 53.1% and ROYAL 46.9%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat
(331 seats, 305 for metropolitan France, 9 for overseas departments,
5 for dependencies, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members are
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 -
326 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New
Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for
Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 3 for overseas territories,
and 12 for French nationals abroad; 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 dependencies; members are
elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to
serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held in
September 2008); National Assembly - last held 10 and 17 June 2007
(next to be held in June 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - UMP 156, PS 97, UDF (now MoDem) 33, PCF 23, RDSE 15, other
7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - UMP 46.37%, PS
42.25%, miscellaneous left wing parties 2.47%, PCF 2.28%, NC 2.12%,
PRG 1.65%, miscellaneous right wing parties 1.17%, the Greens 0.45,
other 1.24%; seats by party - UMP 313, PS 186, NC 22, miscellaneous
left wing parties 15, PCF 15, miscellaneous right wing parties 9,
PRG 7, the Greens 4, other 6
Judicial branch:
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
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Movement or MoDem [Francois BAYROU] (previously Union for
French Democracy or UDF); Democratic and Social European Rally or
RDSE [Pierre LAFFITTE] (mainly Radical Republican and Socialist
Parties, and PRG); French Communist Party or PCF [Marie-George
BUFFET]; Greens [Cecile DUFLOT]; 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 Center or NC [Herve MORIN]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles
PASQUA]; Republican and Citizen Movement or MRC [Jean Pierre
CHEVENEMENT and Georges SARRE]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois
HOLLANDE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Patrick DEVEDJIAN,
Jean-Claude GAUDIN, Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN, Pierre MEHAIGNERIE];
Radical Party [Jean-Louis BORLOO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail or CFDT,
left-leaning labor union with approximately 803,000 members;
Confederation Generale des Cadres or CGC, independent white-collar
union with 196,000 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
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic
Council (observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer),
CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FZ,
G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO,
MINUSTAH, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW,
OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SECI
(observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNOMIG,
UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pierre VIMONT
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
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Craig R. STAPLETON
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 description:
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; the design and/or
colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of
Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, Luxembourg, and Netherlands;
the official flag for all French dependent areas
Economy
France
Economy - overview:
France is in the midst of transition from a well-to-do modern
economy that has featured extensive government ownership and
intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms. The
government has partially or fully privatized many large companies,
banks, and insurers, and has ceded stakes in such leading firms as
Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales. It maintains a
strong presence in some sectors, particularly power, public
transport, and defense industries. The telecommunications sector is
gradually being opened to competition. France's leaders remain
committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by
means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income
disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and
welfare. Widespread opposition to labor reform has in recent years
hampered the government's ability to revitalize the economy. In
2007, the government launched divisive labor reform efforts that
will continue into 2008. France's tax burden remains one of the
highest in Europe (nearly 50% of GDP in 2005). France brought the
budget deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP limit for the first
time in 2007 and has reduced unemployment to roughly 8%. With at
least 75 million foreign tourists per year, France is the most
visited country in the world and maintains the third largest income
in the world from tourism.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.075 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.56 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.1% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$32,600 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.2%
industry: 20.6%
services: 77.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
27.91 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 4.1%
industry: 24.4%
services: 71.5% (1999)
Unemployment rate:
7.9% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
6.2% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 24.8% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
28 (2005)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.287 trillion
expenditures: $1.356 trillion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
63.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
7.28% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
NA
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro
Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for
the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual
members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi
money circulating within their own borders
Stock of quasi money:
NA
Stock of domestic credit:
$4.105 trillion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy
products; fish
Industries:
machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft,
electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
1.8% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
537.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
447.3 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
67.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
10.78 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 8.2%
hydro: 14%
nuclear: 77.1%
other: 0.7% (2001)
Oil - production:
69,680 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1.95 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
584,700 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
2.465 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
119.8 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
953 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
42.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
966 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
42.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
7.277 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$31.25 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$546 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics,
chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages
Exports - partners:
Germany 14.9%, Spain 9.3%, Italy 8.9%, UK 8.1%, Belgium 7.3%, US
6.1%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007)
Imports:
$600.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics,
chemicals
Imports - partners:
Germany 18.9%, Belgium 11.4%, Italy 8.4%, Spain 7.1%, Netherlands
7%, UK 5.6%, US 4.4%, China 4% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $10.6 billion (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$115.7 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:
$4.396 trillion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$942.3 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.307 trillion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$1.71 trillion (2005)
Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
Currency code:
EUR