OFFICIAL NAME: French Republic
FRENCH CAPITAL: Paris
NATIONAL FLAG: Tricolour
NATIONAL ANTHEM: La Marseillaise
GOVERNMENT: Multiparty Republic
AREA: 549,183 Sq Km (212,041 Sq Mi)
POPULATION (est. 2000): 59,047,000
LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY:
France is located in West Europe and the territory includes the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea as well as various other overseas departments and territories. It is bound by Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the north and northeast, Switzerland, Italy and Monaco to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast, Spain and Andorra to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. France is distinguished topographically by the four Hercynian Massifs.
1) The Ardennes in the western tip.
2) The Vosges to the south.
3) The Armorican which protects the Paris Basin to the west
4) Te Central Massif which separates the north and south of France.
All of these massifs are composed of granite, sandstone or shale. Between the massifs lie undulating floors of lowland corridors which include the Paris Basin, the Poiteau Gate, the Basin of Aquitaine, the Garonne Basin and the coastal plain. Beyond these lowland corridors rise the walls of the Jura Mountains, the Alps and the Pyrenees which form the frontiers of France.
The drainage system of France is based on its five major rivers
The Loire
The Garonne
The Rhone
The Rhine
The Seine.
Major Cities (pop. est.)
Paris (metropolitan area) 9,060,000,
Marseille 1,231,100, Lyon 1.262,200,
Toulouse 608,400, Nice 475,500,
Strasbourg 338,500,
Nantes 492,300 (1990).
Land Use (1993)
forested 27%
pastures 20%
agricultural-cultivated 35%
other 18%
FRENCH CLIMATE
France's climate ranges from a Mediterranean in the south with warm humid winters and hot dry summers to a maritime in the northwest with mild winters and cool summers as well as frequent fine rain or drizzle. In the east a continental climate is dominant, characterized by cold winters with frost, long periods of snow cover and warm summers with thunderstorms. France receives an average of 450 billion cubic metres of precipitation per annum as either rain or snow and no part of the country receives less than 508 mm (20 inches) annually. Average temperature ranges in Paris are from 1 to 6 degrees Celsius (34 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 14 to 25 degrees Celsius (57 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit) in July.
FRENCH PEOPLE
The French are largely of Celtic or Latin origin and account for around 91% of the population. Other ethnic minorities include people of Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indo-Chinese and Basque origins.
FRENCH DEMOGRAPHIC/VITAL STATISTICS (1990)
Density; 104.7 persons per sq km (271.1 persons per sq mi)
Urban-Rural; 74.3% urban, 25.7% rural
Sex Distribution; 48.7% male, 51.3% female
Life Expectancy at Birth; 72.7 years male, 80.9 years female
Age Breakdown
19% under 15
22% 15 to 29
23% 30 to 44
16% 45 to 59
13% 60 to 74
7% 75 and over
Birth Rate; 13.5 per 1,000
Death Rate; 9.3 per 1,000
Increase Rate; 4.2 per 1,000
Infant Mortality Rate; 7.4 per 1,000 live births
RELIGIONS:
Mostly Christians with around 76% of the population Roman Catholic while other Christian denominations account for 4% and Muslims account for 3% of the population.
FRENCH LANGUAGES:
The official language is French. Other languages and/or dialects spoken are Provencal, Breton, Corsican, German, Dutch and Basque.
EDUCATION: Employed adult population having attained:
Primary 60.2%
Lower secondary 22.9%
Upper secondary 9.2%
Higher 7.7% (1982).
Literacy; literate population aged 15 or over 41,112,000 or 98.8% (1980).
CURRENCY:
Until 01 January 2002 the official currency was the Franc but on the 02 January 2002 France adopted the Euro as it's national currency. The Euro isdivided into 100 cents.
ECONOMY:
Gross National Product; USD $1,317,950,000,000 (1992/4)
Public Debt; F 2,246,000,000,000 (1994)
Imports; F 1,279,663,000,000 (1994)
Exports; F 1,311,798,000,000 (1994)
Tourism Receipts; USD $23,410,000,000 (1993)
Balance of Trade; F 87,800,000,000 (1994)
Economically Active Population; 25,485,500 or 44.0% of total population (1994)Unemployed; 12.4% (1994)
MAIN TRADING PARTNERS:
Its main trading partners are the USA, Japan, the former USSR, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the UK and the Netherlands.
MAIN PRIMARY PRODUCTS:
Barley, Bauxite, Cattle, Coal, Fruit and Vegetables, Grapes, Iron Ore, Maize, Oats, Oil and Natural Gas, Pigs, Potash, Potatoes, Poultry, Salt, Sheep, Sugar Beets, Timber, Uranium, Wine, Wheat.
MAJOR INDUSTRIES:
Aircraft, Agriculture, Aluminum, Cars, Cement, Chemicals, Electrical Goods, Electronics, Engineering, Fishing, Food Processing, Forestry, Iron and Steel, Oil and Gas Refining, Perfume, Textiles.
MAIN EXPORTS:
Cars, Cereals, Chemicals, Clothing, Electrical Equipment, Iron and Steel, Leather Goods, Petroleum Products, Processed Foods, Textiles, Wine.
TRANSPORT:
Railroads; route length 34,421 km (21,388 mi) (1989), passenger-km 63,588,000,000 (39,512,000,000 passenger-mi) (1990), cargo ton-km 51,528,000,000 (35,292,000,000 short ton-mi) (1990). Roads; length 804,450 km (499,862 mi) (1989). Vehicles; cars 23,010,000 (1989), trucks and buses 5,175,000 (1989). Merchant Marine; vessels 900 (1990), deadweight tonnage 5,573,925 (1990). Air Transport; passenger-km 49,452,000,000 (30,728,000,000 passenger-mi) (1989), cargo ton-km 3,939,000,000 (2,698,000,000 short ton-mi) (1989).
COMMUNICATIONS:
Daily Newspapers; total of 116 with a circulation for 90 newspapers of 10,096,000 (1993). Radio; receivers 49,000,000 (1993). Television; receivers 29,300,000 (1993). Telephones; units 31,600,000 (1994).
MILITARY:
409,000 (1995) total active duty personnel with 59.0% army, 15.7% navy and 21.8% air force while military expenditure accounts for 3.4% (1993) of the Gross National Product (GNP).
