France General Information

Official Name: Known as the French Republic, or more commonly known as France.

Capital: The capital city of France is Paris, which is situated in the central northern region of the country, along the banks of the river Seine.

Location: Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe, as well as several overseas islands and territories located in other continents worldwide. It is bordered by the Mediterranean and the North Sea, and is found between Belgium and Spain.

Size: The total land area of France is 643,427 square kilometers, and this ranks 49th worldwide. The country is comparatively slight smaller than the size to the U.S. state of Texas. It is important to note, however, that France is the largest country in the European Union, and the second largest in all of Europe behind the Ukraine.

Climate: The climate of France varies greatly, given the number of territories on various continents that constitute the lands of France. Metropolitan France’s climate consists of generally cool winters and mild summers, while summers on the Mediterranean can be much hotter. There is an occasional north to northwesterly wind which is known in France as mistral that brings cold and dry conditions to the country.

Population: The population of France is 64.1 million and this ranks 22nd in the world. It is important to note that of this number, 62.1 million live in metropolitan France, while the remaining population resides in territories that are a part of the French Republic.

Life expectancy at birth: The average life expectancy at birth in France is 80.93 years, and is in the top ten for the highest life expectancies in the world. There is a significant gap of close to seven years between the averages of males to females, with males averaging 77.79 years, versus females at 84.33 years.

Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in France is 0.4%, and this ranks 83rd globally. The means the number of people living with the disease is around 140,000 people, with around 1,600 deaths from the illness each year.

Major illnesses: The risk of major infectious diseases in France is low. There were a few reported cases of avian flu in ducks in eastern France.

Ethnic Groups: Given its location in Europe and its long history, France is host to a number of ethnic groups that together constitute the country’s ethnicities. The majority of the population is a mixture of Celtic and Latin. There are minority ethnicities that include Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese and Basque.

Languages: The official language in France is French, and this is spoken universally by the entire population. It is important to note that there are other dialects and languages in the country, as well in overseas territories such as Creole patois, yet these are steadily declining in usage and include Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque and Flemish.

Religion:France is predominantly Roman Catholic, with 83 to 88 percent of people practicing the religion. While this majority has existed since the founding of the nation, other religions are becoming more visible and these include Protestantism (2%), Jewish (1%), Muslim (5-10%) and unaffiliated (4%). It is important to note that the overseas departments of France have different religions other than Catholicism represented, and these include Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and pagan.

Government: The French Republic is a unitary semi-presidential republic. Its strong democratic values can be traced back to the French Revolution when France became the first modern nation to eradicate it’s monarchy in the favor of a new democratic system. Modern France now finds itself in its fifth republic, which places more power in the hands of the president than the parliament. The president appoints a prime minister and his cabinet, and the prime minister acts as the head of government, while the president is the head of state.

Head of State: The Head of State in France is currently President Nicolas Sarkozy. The president is directly elected by universal suffrage for a five year term in office.

Head of Government: The Head of Government in France is currently Prime Minister Francois Fillon. The prime minister is appointed by the President to serve as the leader of his cabinet.

Military: Frances military forces are broken down into a number of branches. These branches include the Army (Armee de Terre; includes Marines, Army Light Aviation and Foreign Legion), Navy (Marine Nationale which includes Naval Air, Maritime Gendarmerie (Coast Guard)), Air Force (Armee de l’Air which includes Air Defense) and the National Gendarmarie. The service age is 17 to 40 years of age for male and females for voluntary military service, while women are only allowed to serve in non-combat posts. There is no conscription. The service obligation lasts 12 for months. France spends about 2.6% of its gross domestic product on military expenditures, ranking 61st worldwide.

Economy: France is currently moving from an economy that has had mostly government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on free markets and liberalization. The government has worked to privatize large corporations such as banks, and insurers, as well as ending its partial ownership in Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales to name a few. While still dominant in the power, public transport, and defense industry sectors, the telecommunications sector is slowly but surely being left to privatization. That being said, the government still hopes to strike a balance between free market capitalism and social welfare by way of tax laws, policies and social spending that reduce the income gap and the effects of liberalization on the greater public good. With close to 82 million foreign visitors per year, France is the most popular tourist destination in the world and has the third largest revenue in the world from tourism.