2008 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. 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.

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

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

Coastline

total: 4,668 km metropolitan France: 3,427 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m

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

French Guiana

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

4 00 N, 53 00 W

South America

tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation

low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains

gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay

French Guiana - total

1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 33.16 cu km/yr (16%/74%/10%) per capita: 548 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E

Geography - note

largest West European nation

Guadeloupe

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico

16 15 N, 61 35 W

Central America and the Caribbean

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

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

Irrigated land

total: 26,190 sq km; metropolitan France: 26,000 sq km (2003)

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

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)

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

Map references

metropolitan France: Europe

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

Martinique

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

14 40 N, 61 00 W

Central America and the Caribbean

mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano

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)

Natural resources

metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, fish

Reunion

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

21 06 S, 55 36 E

World

tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)

mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

189 cu km (2005)

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.)

Birth rate

12.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

8.48 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditures

5.7% of GDP (2005)

Ethnic groups

Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities overseas departments: black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

120,000 (2003 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.)

Languages

French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) overseas departments: French, Creole patois

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 80.87 years male: 77.68 years female: 84.23 years (2008 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 39.2 years male: 37.7 years female: 40.7 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French

Net migration rate

1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Population

total: 64,057,792 note: 62,150,775 in metropolitan France (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate

0.574% (2008 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4% overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2006)

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.)

Total fertility rate

1.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

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)

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

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

Country name

conventional long form: French Republic conventional short form: France local long form: Republique francaise local short form: France

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

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Pierre VIMONT chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000

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%;

FAX

[1] (202) 944-6166 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC

[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

French Guiana

conservationists; gold mining pressure groups; hunting pressure groups

Government type

republic

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

Independence

486 (Frankish tribes unified); 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire)

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

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

Legal system

civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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

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

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)

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)

Reunion

NA

Second Round

SARKOZY 53.1% and ROYAL 46.9%

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $1.287 trillion expenditures: $1.356 trillion (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate

7.28% (31 December 2007)

Currency (code)

euro (EUR)

Currency code

EUR

Current account balance

-$31.25 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$4.396 trillion (30 June 2007)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

28 (2005)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $10.6 billion (2006)

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.

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

537.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 8.2% hydro: 14% nuclear: 77.1% other: 0.7% (2001)

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

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)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 2.2% industry: 20.6% services: 77.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$32,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.1% (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.56 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.075 trillion (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 24.8% (2004)

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)

Industrial production growth rate

1.8% (2007 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.5% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force

27.91 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 4.1% industry: 24.4% services: 71.5% (1999)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$1.71 trillion (2005)

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 - production

953 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

7.277 billion cu m (1 January 2008 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 - production

69,680 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

119.8 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Population below poverty line

6.2% (2004)

Public debt

63.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$115.7 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$1.307 trillion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$942.3 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$4.105 trillion (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

Unemployment rate

7.9% (2007 est.)

Internet country code

metropolitan France - .fr; French Guiana - .gf; Guadeloupe - .gp; Martinique - .mq; Reunion - .re

Internet hosts

14.256 million; 14,256,000 (metropolitan France) (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

62 (2000)

Internet users

31.295 million; 30.838 million (metropolitan France) (2007)

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

general assessment: highly developed domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system international: country code - 33; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US; satellite earth stations - more than 3 (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 overseas departments: country codes: French Guiana - 594; Guadeloupe - 590; Martinique - 596; Reunion - 262

Telephones - main lines in use

35.533 million; 34.8 million (metropolitan France) (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular

56.719 million; 55.358 million (metropolitan France) (2007)

Television broadcast stations

584 (plus 9,676 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

34.8 million (1997)

Airports

476 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 292 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 97 914 to 1,523 m: 80 under 914 m: 74 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 184 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 108 (2007)

French Guiana

3,760 km (460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft) (2006)

Heliports

3 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 138 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, chemical tanker 32, container 25, liquefied gas 12, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 33, petroleum tanker 23, roll on/roll off 7 foreign-owned: 38 (Belgium 6, China 5, Denmark 2, Germany 1, Italy 2, Japan 1, NZ 1, Norway 5, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 2, Sweden 9, Switzerland 1, Switzerland 2) registered in other countries: 127 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Australia 1, Bahamas 30, Belgium 2, Bermuda 1, Hong Kong 1, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 1, Italy 2, Liberia 5, Luxembourg 17, Malta 5, Morocco 14, Netherlands 1, Norway 3, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 1, Taiwan 1, UK 23, Wallis and Futuna 6) (2008)

Pipelines

gas 14,665 km; oil 3,032 km; refined products 4,947 km (2007)

Ports and terminals

Bordeaux, Calais, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Paris, Rouen, Strasbourg

Railways

total: 29,370 km standard gauge: 29,203 km 1.435-m gauge (14,778 km electrified) narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total: 951,500 km paved: 951,500 km (metropolitan France; includes 10,950 km of expressways) note: there are another 5,100 km of roadways in overseas departments (2006)

Waterways

metropolitan France: 8,500 km (1,686 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 14,646,427 females age 16-49: 14,379,630 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 12,110,718 females age 16-49: 11,849,988 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 401,379 female: 382,409 (2008 est.)

Military branches

Army (Armee de Terre; includes Marines, Foreign Legion, Army Light Aviation), Navy (Marine Nationale, includes Naval Air), Air Force (Armee de l'Air, includes Air Defense), National Gendarmerie (2008)

Military expenditures

2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

17-40 years of age for male or female voluntary military service); no conscription; 12-month service obligation; women serve in noncombat military posts (2005)

Disputes - international

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

French Guiana

small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe

Illicit drugs

metropolitan France: transshipment point for South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics

Martinique

transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008