Short Name: FranceLong Name: French Republic
Long Name (local): Republique Francaise
Member of European Union: Yes, 1957
International Dialing Code: +33
Capital City: Paris
National Tourist Office: Tourist Office of France
Foreign Embassies in France: Australia | Canada | U.K. | U.S.
Embassies and Visa Information: In Australia | In Canada | In the U.K. | In the U.S.
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 (the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica)
Nationality: Noun - Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women), Adjective - French
Government Type: Republic
Ethnic Groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities
Religions: Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%
Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)Monetary Unit: 1 Euro = 100 cents
Area: 547,030 sq km - slightly less than twice the size of Colorado
Climate: 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
Population: 60,424,213 (July 2004 est.)
Sex Ratio: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Median Age: 38.6 years, male 37 years, female 40.1 years (2004 est.)
Life Expectancy: 79.44 years, male 75.8 years, female 83.27 years (2004 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 0.39% (2004 est.)
Net Migration Rate: 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Population Below Poverty Line: 6.5% (2000)
Unemployment Rate: 9.7% (2003 est.)
Gross National Income: US$24,770 (2003, World Bank)
Export Commodities: Machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages
Export Partners: Germany 14.9%, Spain 9.6%, UK 9.4%, Italy 9.3%, Belgium 7.2%, US 6.8% (2003 est.)
Import Commodities: Machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals
Import Partners: Germany 19.1%, Belgium 9.4%, Italy 9%, Spain 7.4%, Netherlands 7%, UK 7%, US 5.4% (2003 est.)
Natural Resources: Coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorospar, gypsum, timber, fish
Public Television: France 2, France 3, France 5
Public Radio: Radio France
Graphics and statistics are public domain courtesy of The CIA World Factbook.
Outline map courtesy of WorldAtlas.com.
