Short Name: France

Long 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





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Graphics and statistics are public domain courtesy of The CIA World Factbook.
Outline map courtesy of WorldAtlas.com.

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