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:
64,768,389
country comparison to the world: 21
note: the above figure is for metropolitan France and its four
overseas regions; the metropolitan France population is 62,814,233
(July 2010 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,129,729/female 5,838,925)
15-64 years: 65% (male 20,963,124/female 20,929,280)
65 years and over: 16.4% (male 4,403,248/female 6,155,767) (2010
est.)
Median age:
total: 39.7 years
male: 38.2 years
female: 41.2 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.525% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
Birth rate:
12.43 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
Death rate:
8.65 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
Net migration rate:
1.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
Urbanization:
urban population: 77% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
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 (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 3.31 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 215
male: 3.63 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.09 years
country comparison to the world: 12
male: 77.91 years
female: 84.44 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.97 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
140,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,600 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
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 (official) 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 (2008)
Education expenditures:
5.6% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 42
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
1998, a unique status falling between that of an independent country
and a French overseas department
Independence:
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)
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;
amended many times
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
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year 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%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat
(343 seats; 321 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; 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 - 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
elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to
serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 21 September 2008 (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 - UMP 151, PS 102, PCF 22, MoDem 11, NC 11, Greens 5, PG 2,
other 39; 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
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); 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 [Jean-Louis BORLOO]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA];
Republican and Citizen Movement or MRC [Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT];
Socialist Party or PS [Martine AUBRY]; Union for a Popular Movement
or UMP [Jean-Francois COPE]; Worker's Struggle or LO [Nathalie
ARTHAUD]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
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
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council
(observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS
(observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, FZ,
G-20, 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, MINURSO,
MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW,
OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SECI
(observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNRWA, UNTSO,
UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
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
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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
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 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
National anthem:
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
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. 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.
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. France has weathered the global
economic crisis better than most other big EU economies because of
the relative resilience of domestic consumer spending, a large
public sector, and less exposure to the downturn in global demand
than in some other countries. Nonetheless, France's real GDP
contracted 2.5% in 2009, but recovered somewhat in 2010, while the
unemployment rate increased from 7.4% in 2008 to 9.5% in 2010. The
government pursuit of aggressive stimulus and investment measures in
response to the economic crisis, however, are contributing to a
deterioration of France's public finances. The government budget
deficit rose sharply from 3.4% of GDP in 2008 to 7.8% of GDP in
2010, while France's public debt rose from 68% of GDP to 84% over
the same period. Paris is terminating stimulus measures, eliminating
tax credits, and freezing most government spending to bring the
budget deficit under the 3% euro-zone ceiling by 2013, and to
highlight France's commitment to fiscal discipline at a time of
intense financial market scrutiny of euro zone debt levels.
President SARKOZY - who secured passage of pension reform in 2010 -
is expected to seek passage of some tax reforms in 2011, but he may
delay additional, more costly, reforms until after the 2012 election.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.16 trillion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
$2.126 trillion (2009 est.)
$2.18 trillion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.555 trillion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
-2.5% (2009 est.)
0.1% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$33,300 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
$33,000 (2009 est.)
$34,000 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 19.2%
services: 79% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
28.21 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 24.3%
services: 71.8% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
9.5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
9.1% (2009 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:
32.7 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 98
32.7 (1995)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
Public debt:
83.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
77.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
0.1% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
1.75% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 116
3% (31 December 2008)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal
lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro
area
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
7.46% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
8.13% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$858.6 billion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 8
$862.3 billion (31 December 2009 est)
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro
area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for
the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual
members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating
within their own borders
Stock of broad money:
$2.292 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
$2.306 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$4.319 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
$4.121 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$1.972 trillion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 6
$1.492 trillion (31 December 2008)
$2.771 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:
3.5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
Electricity - production:
535.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Electricity - consumption:
447.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Electricity - exports:
58.69 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
10.68 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
70,820 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
Oil - consumption:
1.875 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
Oil - exports:
597,800 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
Oil - imports:
2.386 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Oil - proved reserves:
101.2 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
Natural gas - production:
877 million cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
Natural gas - consumption:
44.84 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
Natural gas - exports:
1.931 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
Natural gas - imports:
45.85 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
Natural gas - proved reserves:
7.079 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
Current account balance:
-$53.29 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
-$51.86 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$508.7 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
$473.9 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics,
chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages
Exports - partners:
Germany 15.88%, Italy 8.16%, Spain 7.8%, Belgium 7.44%, UK 7.04%, US
5.65%, Netherlands 3.99% (2009)
Imports:
$577.7 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
$535.8 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics,
chemicals
Imports - partners:
Germany 19.41%, Belgium 11.61%, Italy 7.97%, Netherlands 7.15%,
Spain 6.68%, UK 4.9%, US 4.72%, China 4.44% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$NA (31 December 2010 est.)
$133.1 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$4.698 trillion (30 June 2010)
country comparison to the world: 5
$4.935 trillion (31 December 2008)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$1.207 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
$1.151 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.837 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
$1.711 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7715 (2010), 0.7179 (2009), 0.6827
(2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006)
Communications ::France
Telephones - main lines in use:
36.431 million; 35.5 million (metropolitan France) (2009)
country comparison to the world: 7
Telephones - mobile cellular:
60.95 million; 59.543 million (metropolitan France) (2009)
country comparison to the world: 18
Telephone system:
general assessment: highly developed
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive use
of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system