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France Fact Sheet

Last update : September 2009

Demography

  • Population: 64.1 million (Metropolitan : 61.5 million)
  • Population Density (inhabitant/km2): 93.5 (national average), 113 (Metropolitan average), 20 605 (Paris - highest), 2 (Guyane - lowest)
  • Largest Cities (pop. in million): Paris (11m), Lyon (1.65m), Marseille (1.51m), Lille (1.14m), Toulouse (1.1m)
  • Home Ownership: 55%
  • Urban Population: 76.7%
  • Life Expectancy: 80.98 (average), 77.79 years (men), 84.33 years (women) (2009 est.)
  • Birth Rate: 11.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
  • Death Rate: 9.14 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
  • Ethnic Composition: Caucasians (95%), Arabs (4%), Black Africans
  • Registered foreigners: 4.9 million (2006), among which 880,000 Portuguese, 700,000 Algerians, 600,000 Moroccans, and 350,000 Italians
  • Official Language: French (+ 77 non-official regional languages)
  • Major Religions: Roman Catholicism, Agnosticism, Atheism
  • Geography

  • Area: 674,843 km² (Metropolitan : 551,695 km²)
  • Coastline (Metropolitan) : 3,427 km
  • Highest Peak: Mont Blanc : (4,808m)
  • Lowest Elevation: Rhone River delta (-2m)
  • Modern regions and departments of France

    Regions and Departments of France

    Traditional provinces of France (until 1790)

    Old Provinces of France

    Economy

  • Monetary unit: Euro (€, EUR)
  • Fiscal Year: 1 January - 31 December
  • GDP (nominal - IMF): US$2.86 trillion (2008)
  • GNI per capita (Atlas methodology): US$42,250 (2008)
  • GDP per capita at PPP: US$46,016 (2008 - IMF)
  • GDP - real growth rate: 0.9 % (2009)
  • Inflation (consumer prices): 1 % (2008)
  • Unemployment: 9.4% (2009)
  • Public Debt (% of GDP) : 67 (2008 - CIA)
  • Main Industries: machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism
  • Main Exports: machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages
  • Main Imports: machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals
  • Main Trading Partners: Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, UK, USA
  • Government

  • Type of Government: Republic
  • Parliamentary System : bicameral Parliament (National Assembly and Senate)
  • Administrative Division : 26 regions, regions, 100 departments, 36,682 municipalities
  • Capital: Paris (since 500 C.E.)
  • Head of State: President Nicolas Sarkozy (since 2007)
  • Prime Minister: François Fillon (since 2007)
  • Foreign Minister: Bernard Kouchner (since 2007)
  • Finance & Economy Minister: Christine Lagarde (since 2007)
  • Justice Minister: Rachida Dati (since 2007)
  • Interior Minister: Michelle Alliot-Marie (since 2007)
  • Miscellaneous

  • Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1
  • Electricity: 230V AC, 50Hz
  • Weights & measures: Metric
  • Internet domain: .fr
  • International dialling code: +33
  •  

    French Cities (North)
    Paris
    Amiens
    Arras
    Bavay
    Beauvais
    Béthune
    Boulogne
    Calais
    Cambrai
    Charleville-Mézières
    Colmar
    Douai
    Dunkirk
    Epinal
    Laon
    Lille
    Maubeuge
    Metz
    Nancy
    Noyon
    Reims
    Rethel
    Sedan
    Senlis
    Soissons
    Strasbourg
    Valenciennes
    Verdun

    Useful links
    Restaurant Finder
    Route planner
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    France Directory
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    Bath, England

    Liege, Belgium

    Aachen, Germany

    Villa Primavera, Brussels

    Aachen, Germany



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