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Communications

Airports [time series]

total: 471 usable: 461 with permanent-surface runways: 256 with runways over 3,659 m: 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 37 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 136

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

1,551,400 km total; 33,400 km national highway; 347,000 km departmental highway; 421,000 km community roads; 750,000 km rural roads; 5,401 km of controlled-access divided autoroutes; about 803,000 km paved

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

14,932 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled

Merchant marine [time series]

130 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,224,945 GRT/5,067,252 DWT; includes 7 short-sea passenger, 10 cargo, 20 container, 1 multifunction large-load carrier, 27 roll-on/roll-off, 36 oil tanker, 11 chemical tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 2 specialized tanker, 10 bulk; note - France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) and French Polynesia

Pipelines [time series]

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

Ports [time series]

coastal - Bordeaux, Boulogne, Brest, Cherbourg, Dunkerque, Fos-Sur-Mer, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Sete, Toulon; inland - Rouen

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

French National Railways (SNCF) operates 34,322 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 12,434 km electrified, 15,132 km double or multiple track; 99 km of various gauges (1.000-meter), privately owned and operated

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

highly developed; extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks; large-scale introduction of optical-fiber systems; satellite systems for domestic traffic; 39,200,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 41 AM, 800 (mostly repeaters) FM, 846 (mostly repeaters) TV; 24 submarine coaxial cables; 2 INTELSAT earth stations (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for the Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 3 for the Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT); HF radio communications with more than 20 countries; INMARSAT service; EUTELSAT TV service

Defense Forces

Affiliation [time series]

(overseas department of France)

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Navy (including Naval Air), Air Force, National Gendarmerie

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $36.6 billion, 3.1% of GDP (1993 est.)

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 14,662,761; fit for military service 12,247,950; reach military age (18) annually 386,504 (1993 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 4% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); one of the world's top five wheat producers; other principal products - beef, dairy products, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; self-sufficient for most temperate-zone foods; shortages include fats and oils and tropical produce, but overall net exporter of farm products; fish catch of 850,000 metric tons ranks among world's top 20 countries and is all used domestically

Budget [time series]

revenues $220.5 billion; expenditures $249.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $47 billion (1993 budget)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Economic aid [time series]

donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.1 billion

Electricity [time series]

110,000,000 kW capacity; 426,000 million kWh produced, 7,430 kWh per capita (1992)

Exchange rates [time series]

French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.4812 (January 1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988)

Exports [time series]

$212.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing partners: Germany 18.6%, Italy 11.0%, Spain 11.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 9.1%, UK 8.8%, Netherlands 7.9%, US 6.4%, Japan 2.0%, former USSR 0.7% (1991 est.)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$270 billion (December 1992)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Imports [time series]

$230.3 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, iron and steel products partners: Germany 17.8%, Italy 10.9%, US 9.5%, Netherlands 8.9%, Spain 8.8%, Belgium-Luxembourg 8.5%, UK 7.5%, Japan 4.1%, former USSR 1.3% (1991 est.)

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 0.2% (1992 est.)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

2.1% (1992 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $1.08 trillion (1992)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$18,900 (1992)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

1.1% (1992)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

One of the world's most developed economies, France has substantial agricultural resources and a highly diversified modern industrial sector. Large tracts of fertile land, the application of modern technology, and subsidies have combined to make it the leading agricultural producer in Western Europe. France is largely self-sufficient in agricultural products and is a major exporter of wheat and dairy products. The industrial sector generates about one-quarter of GDP, and the growing services sector has become crucial to the economy. The French economy is entering its fourth consecutive year of sluggish growth after a strong expansion in the late 1980s. Growth averaged only 1.3% in 1990-92 and is expected to drop to between zero and -0.5% in 1993. The government budget deficit rose to 3.2% of GDP in 1992 and is expected to be far larger than planned in the 1993 budget. Paris remains committed to maintaining the franc-deutsch mark parity, which has kept French interest rates high despite France's low inflation. Although the pace of economic integration within the European Community has slowed down, integration presumably will remain a major force shaping the fortunes of the various economic sectors.

Unemployment rate [time series]

10.5% (end 1992)

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 547,030 km2 land area: 545,630 km2 comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Colorado note: includes Corsica and the rest of metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas administrative divisions

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

3,427 km (mainland 2,783 km, Corsica 644 km)

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

most of large urban areas and industrial centers in Rhone, Garonne, Seine, or Loire River basins; occasional warm tropical wind known as mistral

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; Seychelles claims Tromelin Island; Suriname claims part of French Guiana; Mexico claims Clipperton Island; territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); Saint Pierre and Miquelon is focus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and France

Irrigated land [time series]

11,600 km2 (1989 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total 2,892.4 km, Andorra 60 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 [time series]

arable land: 32% permanent crops: 2% meadows and pastures: 23% forest and woodland: 27% other: 16%

Location [time series]

Western Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Spain and Germany

Map references [time series]

Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 12-24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

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

Note [time series]

largest West European nation

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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: the 22 regions are subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon)

Capital [time series]

Paris

Constitution [time series]

28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962, ammended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty in 1992

Dependent areas [time series]

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

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Jacques ANDREANI chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: (202) 944-6000 consulates general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

President: last held 8 May 1988 (next to be held by May 1995); results - Second Ballot Francois MITTERRAND 54%, Jacques CHIRAC 46% Senate: last held NA September 1992 (next to be held September 1995 - nine-year term, elected by thirds every three years); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (321 total; 296 metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad) RPR 91, UDF 142 (UREI 51, UC 68, RDE 23), PS 66, PCF 16, independents 2, other 4 National Assembly: last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (577 total) RPR 247, UDF 213, PS 67, PCF 24, independents 26

Executive branch [time series]

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

486 (unified by Clovis)

Judicial branch [time series]

Constitutional Court (Cour Constitutionnelle)

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

Chief of State: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981) Head of Government: Prime Minister Edouard BALLADUR (since 29 March 1993)

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, FZ, GATT, G-5, G-7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UN Security Council, UNTAC, UN Trusteeship Council, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Country name (Names) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

National Day, Taking of theBastille, 14 July (1789)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

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

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Rally for the Republic (RPR), Jacques CHIRAC; Union for French Democracy (UDF, federation of UREI, UC, RDE), Valery Giscard d'ESTAING; Republican Party (PR), Gerard LONGUET; Center for Social Democrats (CDS), Pierre MEHAIGNERIE; Radical (RAD), Yves GALLAND; Socialist Party (PS), Michel ROCARD; Left Radical Movement (MRG), Emile ZUCCARELLI; Communist Party (PCF), Georges MARCHAIS; National Front (FN), Jean-Marie LE PEN; Union of Republican and Independents (UREI); Centrist Union (UC); (RDE)

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela HARRIMAN embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08, Unit 21551 mailing address: APO AE 09777 telephone: [33] (1) 4296-12-02 or 4261-80-75 FAX: [33] (1) 4266-9783 consulates general: Bordeaux, Marseille, Strasbourg

People

Birth rate [time series]

13.24 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate [time series]

9.3 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force [time series]

24.17 million by occupation: services 61.5%, industry 31.3%, agriculture 7.2% (1987)

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 78 years male: 74.04 years female: 82.16 years (1993 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1980) total population: 99% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality [time series]

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

Net migration rate [time series]

0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population [time series]

57,566,091 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.48% (1993 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.8 children born/woman (1993 est.)