1987 Edition

Boundary disputes

none; maritime dispute with Canada; Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; Seychelles claims Tromelin Island; Suriname claims part of French Guiana; territorial claim in Antarctica (Adélie Land)

Climate

generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean

desert; cold, dry, continental; sharp seasonal variation

Coastline

3,427 km (includes Corsica, 644 km)

Comparative area

four-fifths the size of Texas

more than twice the size of Texas

Contiguous zone

12 nm

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

most of large urban areas and industrial centers in Rhéne, Garonne, Seine, or Loire river basins; occasional warm tropical wind known as mistral Special] notes: largest West European nation

harsh and rugged

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Land boundaries

2,888 km total

8,000 km total

Land use

32% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 23% meadows and pastures; 27% forest and woodland; 16% other; includes 2% irrigated

1% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 79% meadows and pastures; 10% forest and woodland; 10% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Monetary conversion rate

6.62 French francs=US$1 (November 1986)

Special notes

landlocked; strategic location between China and Soviet Union

Terrain

mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills; rest is mountainous

vast semidesert and desert plains; mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in southeast

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

547,030 km?; land area: 545,630 km?

1,565,000 km?; land area: 1,565,000 km?

Ethnic divisions

Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities

90% Mongol, 4% Kazakh, 2% Chinese, 2% Russian, 2% other

Infant mortality rate

9/1,000 (1984)

Labor force

23.98 million; 60.8% services, 24.0% industry, 7.6% agriculture, 7.6% other; 10.6% unemployed (1986)

Language

French (100% of population); rapidly declining regional dialects (Proveneal, Breton, Germanic, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)

Khalkha Mongol used by over 90% of population; minor languages include Turkic, Russian, and Chinese

Life expectancy

75

63

Literacy

99%

Nationality

noun—Frenchman(men); adjective—French

noun—Mongolian(s); adjective—Mongolian

Organized labor

about 20% of labor force

Population

55,596,030 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.38%

2,011,066 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.79%

Religion

90% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant, 1% Jewish, 1% Muslim (North African workers), 6% unaffiliated

predominantly Tibetan Buddhist, about 4% Muslim, limited religious activity because of Communist regime

Administrative divisions

22 regions with 96 metropolitan departments

Branches

presidentially appointed Prime Minister heads Council of Ministers, which is formally responsible to National Assembly; bicameral legislature—National Assembly (577 members), Senate (317 members)—restricted by a delaying action; judiciary independent in principle

Capital

Paris

Communists

700,000 claimed but probably closer to 150,000; Communist voters, 2.7 million in 1986 elections

Dependent areas

Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Guadeloupe, Juan de Nova Island, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna Island France (continued)

Elections

National Assembly—every five years, last election March 1986, two-round majority system enacted in October 1986; Senate—indirect collegiate system for nine years, renewable by one-third every three years, last election September 1986; President, direct, universal suffrage every seven years, two ballots, last election May 1981 Political parties and leaders: majority coalition—Rally for the Republic (RPR, formerly UDR), Jacques Chirac; Union for French Democracy (UDF, federation of PR, CDS, and RAD), Jean Lecanuet; Republicans (PR), Francois Léotard; Center for Social Democrats (CDS), Pierre Méhaignerie; Radical (RAD), André Rossinot; left opposition—Socialist Party (PS), Lionel Jospin; Left Radical Movement (MRG), Francois Doubin; Communist Party (PCF), Georges Marchais; extreme right party National Front (FN), JeanMarie Le Pen

Government leaders

Francois MITTERRAND, President (since May 1981); Jacques CHIRAC, Prime Minister (since March 1986)

Legal system

civil law system with indigenous concepts; new constitution adopted 1958, amended concerning election of President in 1962; judicial review of administrative but not legislative acts

Member of

ADB, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, EIB, ELDO, EMA, EMS, ESCAP, ESRO, FAO, GATT, JAEA, [ATP, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, 1FC, [HO, 1LO, International Lead and Zine Study Group, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU, [WC—International Whaling Commission, NATO (signatory), OAS (observer), OECD, South Pacific Commission, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

National holiday

National Day, 14 July

Official name

French Republic

Other political or pressure groups

Communist-controlled labor union (Conféd- ération Générale du Travail) nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); Socialistleaning labor union (Confédération Francaise Démocratique du Travail—CFDT) about 800,000 members est.; independent labor union (Force Ouvriére) about 1,000,000 members est.; independent white collar union (Confédération Générale des Cadres) 840,000 members (claimed); National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Fran¢éais—CNPF or Patronat)

Suffrage

universal over age 18; not compulsory

Type

republic, with President whose previously wide powers have been somewhat curtailed by current power-sharing arrangement with Prime Minister

Voting strength

(1986 election) UDF/RPR/CNIP, 44.9%; PS/MRG 31.6%; Communist, 9.8%; National Front, 9.7%; diverse left, 1.0%; extreme left, 1.5%; extreme right, 0.2%; other 1.2%

Agriculture

Western Europe's foremost producer; beef, dairy products, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; selfsufficient for most temperate zone foodstuffs; agricultural shortages include fats and oils, tropical produce

Aid

donor—ODA and OOF economic aid commitments (1970-84), $37.8 billion

Budget

revenues, $144.8 billion; expenditures, $164.9 billion; deficit, $20.1 billion, 2.5% of GDP (1987 proposed)

Crude steel

23.0 million metric tons capacity, 18.6 million metric tons produced (1985); 837 kg per capita

Electric power

94,577,000 kW capacity; 348,620 million kWh produced, 6,310 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$100.9 billion (f.0.b., 1985); machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 721,809 metric tons; exports of fish and fish products $363 million, imports $1,014 million (1985)

GNP

$510.3 billion (1985), $9,280 per capita; 65% private consumption, 18.9% investment (including government), 16.5% government consumption; -0.4% net foreign balance; 1985 real growth rate, 1.2%; average annual growth rate (1975-84), 2.1%

Imports

$107.3 billion (c.i.f., 1985); crude petroleum, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, iron and steel products

Major industries

steel, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, chemicals, automobiles, food processing, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics

Major trade partners

(1985) imports— 51.8% EC, 9.7% petroleum exporting countries, 11.2% other West European countries, 7.6% US, 2.8% Japan, 2.3% USSR, 2.0% other Communist countries; exports—49.6% EC, 7.4% petroleum exporting countries, 12.1% other West European countries, 8.6% US, 1.9% USSR, 2.5% other Communist countries, 1.2% Japan

Monetary conversion rate

6.39 French francs=US$1 (6 January 1987)

Natural resources

coal, iron cre, bauxite, fish, forests

Shortages

crude oil, natural gas, textile fibers, most nonferrous ores, coking coal, fats and oils

Airfields

474 total, 461 usable; 258 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m, 34 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 1382 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

1 usable airfield with permanent-surface runways

Civil air

355 major transport aircraft (1982)

no major transport aircraft

Highways

1,551,400 km total; 33,400 km national highway; 347,000 km departmental highway; 421,000 km community roads; 750,000 km rural roads; 5,401 km of controlled-access divided autoroutes; about 803,000 km paved

none; city streets

Inland waterways

14,932 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled

Pipelines

crude oil, 3,059 km; refined products, 4,487 km; natural gas, 24,746 km

Ports

14 major, 12 secondary, 6 minor

1 minor

Railroads

French National Railways (SNCF) operates 34,577 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 11,358 km electrified, 15,132 km double or multiple track; 2,138 km of various gauges (1.000-meter to 1.440-meter), privately owned and operated

1.6 km 1.435-meter gauge

Telecommunications

highly developed system provides satisfactory telephone, telegraph, radio and TV broadcast services; 85.0 million telephones (60 per 100 popl.); 41 AM, 797 FM, 8,500 TV stations (including repeaters); 24 submarine coaxial cables; 8 communication satellite ground stations with total of 11 antennas for international service

served by the French communications system; automatic telephone system with about 34,600 telephones (123.6 per 100 popl.); 3 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV stations

Branches

Army of the Ground, Navy, Army of the Air, National Gendarmerie

Military budget

proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, $28.4 billion; about 19.3% of proposed central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 18,995,000; fit for military service 11,864,000; 441,000 reach military age (18) annually