2000 Edition

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. Since 1958, it has constructed a presidential democracy resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier parliamentary democracies. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the advent of the euro in January 1999. Today, France is at the forefront of European states seeking to exploit the momentum of monetary union to advance the creation of a more unified and capable European defense and security apparatus.

Area

land

545,630 sq km

note

includes only metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas administrative divisions

total

547,030 sq km

water

1,400 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Colorado

Climate

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

Coastline

3,427 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mont Blanc 4,807 m

lowest point

Rhone River delta -2 m

Environment - current issues

some forest damage from acid rain (major forest damage occurred as a result of severe December 1999 windstorm); 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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geographic coordinates

46 00 N, 2 00 E

Geography - note

largest West European nation; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral

Irrigated land

16,300 sq km (1995 est.)

Land boundaries

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

total

2,889 km

Land use

arable land

33%

forests and woodland

27%

other

18% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

2%

permanent pastures

20%

Location

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

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean)

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

flooding; avalanches

Natural resources

coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash

Terrain

mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east

Age structure

0-14 years: 19% (male 5,719,502; female 5,448,608) 15-64 years: 65% (male 19,345,269; female 19,322,902) 65 years and over: 16% (male 3,849,783; female 5,643,627) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

12.27 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

9.14 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

4.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)

Life expectancy at birth

female

82.89 years (2000 est.)

male

74.85 years

total population

78.76 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

99% (1980 est.)

male

99%

total population

99%

Nationality

adjective

French

noun

Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)

Net migration rate

0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

59,329,691 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

0.38% (2000 est.)

Religions

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

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: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.75 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

22 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes

note

metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the overseas territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon)

Capital

Paris

Constitution

28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty in 1992; amended to tighten immigration laws 1993

Country name

conventional long form

French Republic

conventional short form

France

local long form

Republique Francaise

local short form

France

Data code

FR

Dependent areas

Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna

note

the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Felix G. ROHATYN

embassy

2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08

mailing address

PSC 116, APO AE 09777

telephone

(1) 43-12-22-22

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Francois V. BUJON DE L'ESTANG

telephone

(202) 944-6000

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the suggestion of the prime minister

chief of state

President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995)

election results

Jacques CHIRAC elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Jacques CHIRAC (RPR) 52.64%, Lionel JOSPIN (PS) 47.36%

elections

president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 23 April and 7 May 1995 (next to be held by May 2002); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly majority and appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Lionel JOSPIN (since 3 June 1997)

FAX

(202) 944-6166

(1) 42 66 97 83

consulate(s) general

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

consulate(s) general

Marseille, Strasbourg

Flag description

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the French Tricouleur (Tricolor); the design and colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, and Luxembourg; the official flag for all French dependent areas

Government type

republic

Independence

486 (unified by Clovis)

International organization participation

ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, InOC, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

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 members appointed by the president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the president of the Senate; Council of State or Conseil d'Etat

Legal system

civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (321 seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve nine-year terms; elected by thirds every three years) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a single-member majoritarian system to serve five-year terms)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 99, UDC 52, DL 47, PS 78, PCF 16, other 29; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PS 245, RPR 140, UDF 109, PCF 37, PRS 13, MEI 8, MDC 7, LDI-MPF 1, FN 1, various left 9, various right 7

elections

Senate - last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2001); National Assembly - last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held NA May 2002)

National holiday

National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Political parties and leaders

Citizens Movement or MdC [Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT]; Democratic Force or FD ; Ecology Gereration or GE ; French Communist Party or PCF ; Independent Ecological Movement or MEI ; Left Radical Party or PRG (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG) ; Liberal Democracy or DL (originally Republican Party or PR) ; Movement for France or LDI-MPF ; National Center of Independents and Peasants or CNIP ; National Front or FN ; National Front-National Movement [Bruno MEGRET]; Popular Party for French Democracy or PPDF [Herve de CHARETTE]; Radical Party or RRRS ; Rally for the Republic or RPR ; Reformers' Movement or MR ; Socialist Party or PS ; The Greens (Les Verts) ; The Right (La Droite) ; Union for French Democracy or UDF (coalition of UDC, FD, RRRS, PPDF) ; Union of the Center or UDC [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail) or CGT, nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); independent labor union or Force Ouvriere, 1 million members (est.); independent white-collar union or Confederation Generale des Cadres, 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais) or CNPF or Patronat; Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail) or CFDT, about 800,000 members (est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish

Budget

expenditures

$360 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

revenues

$325 billion

Currency

1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$117.6 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $6.3 billion (1997)

Economy - overview

France's economy combines modern capitalistic methods with extensive, but declining, government intervention. The government retains considerable influence over key segments of each sector, with majority ownership of railway, electricity, aircraft, and telecommunication firms. It has been gradually relaxing its control over these sectors since the early 1990s. The government is slowly selling off holdings in France Telecom, in Air France, and in the insurance, banking, and defense industries. Meanwhile, large tracts of fertile land, the application of modern technology, and subsidies have combined to make France the leading agricultural producer in Western Europe. Persistently high unemployment will continue to pose a major problem for the government; a 35-hour work week is being introduced. France has shied away from cutting exceptionally generous social welfare benefits or the enormous state bureaucracy, preferring to pare defense spending and raise taxes to keep the deficit down. France joined 10 other EU members to launch the euro on 1 January 1999.

Electricity - consumption

389.254 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

62 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

3.95 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

480.972 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

10.77%

hydro

12.45%

nuclear

76.24%

other

0.54% (1998)

Exchange rates

euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995)

note

on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at a fixed rate of 6.55957 French francs per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Exports

$304.7 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities

machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, iron and steel products; agricultural products, textiles and clothing

Exports - partners

EU 63% (Germany 16%, UK 10%, Italy 9%, Spain 9%, Belgium-Luxembourg 8%), US 7% (1998)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.373 trillion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

3.3%

industry

26.1%

services

70.6% (1998)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $23,300 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.7% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 24.9% (1989)

Imports

$280.8 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities

crude oil, machinery and equipment, chemicals; agricultural products

Imports - partners

EU 62% (Germany 17%, Italy 10%, Belgium-Luxembourg 8%, UK 8%, Spain 7%), US 9% (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

2% (1999 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.5% (1999 est.)

Labor force

25.4 million (1994)

Labor force - by occupation

services 69%, industry 26%, agriculture 5% (1995)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

11% (1999 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

128 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 41, FM about 3,500 (this figure is an approximation and includes many repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios

55.3 million (1997)

Telephone system

highly developed

domestic

extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system

international

satellite earth stations - 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

Telephones - main lines in use

34.86 million (yearend 1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular

11.078 million (yearend 1998)

Television broadcast stations

574 (plus 9,634 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

34.8 million (1997)

Airports

474 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

267 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 92 914 to 1,523 m: 74 under 914 m: 57 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

207 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 76 under 914 m: 127 (1999 est.)

Heliports

3 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

893,300 km (including 10,300 km of expressways)

total

893,300 km

unpaved

0 km (1998 est.)

Merchant marine

note

France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in Iles Kerguelen (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) (1998 est.)

ships by type

bulk 3, cargo 5, chemical tanker 6, combination bulk 1, container 5, liquified gas 4, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 16, roll-on/roll-off 6, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 1 (1999 est.)

total

55 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,155,286 GRT/1,693,030 DWT

Pipelines

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

Ports and harbors

Bordeaux, Boulogne, Cherbourg, Dijon, Dunkerque, La Pallice, Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Mullhouse, Nantes, Paris, Rouen, Saint Nazaire, Saint Malo, Strasbourg

Railways

narrow gauge

99 km 1.000-m gauge (1998)

standard gauge

31,840 km 1.435-m gauge

total

31,939 km (31,940 km are operated by French National Railways (SNCF); 14,176 km of SNCF routes are electrified and 12,132 km are double- or multiple-tracked)

Waterways

14,932 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled

Military branches

Army (includes Marines), Navy (includes Naval Air), Air Force (includes Air Defense), National Gendarmerie

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$39.831 billion (FY97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.5% (FY97)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 14,619,317 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 12,167,421 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

402,987 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and French Guiana; territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin

FRENCH GUIANA