France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-8, the G-20, the EU and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing de Gaulle's 1966 decision to take French forces out of NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion - became French regions and were made part of France proper.

slightly less than the size of Texas

189 cu km (2005)

some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff

largest West European nation

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

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

Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%

65,630,692 (July 2012 est.)

0.497% (2012 est.)

12.72 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

8.85 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

PARIS (capital) 10.41 million; Marseille-Aix-en-Provence 1.457 million; Lyon 1.456 million; Lille 1.028 million; Nice-Cannes 977,000 (2009)

8 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

2.08 children born/woman (2012 est.)

3.5% of GDP (2009)

3.497 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

7.11 beds/1,000 population (2008)

0.4% (2009 est.)

150,000 (2009 est.)

1,700 (2009 est.)

16.9% (2007)

5.6% of GDP (2007)

republic

27 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy), Bourgogne (Burgundy), Bretagne (Brittany), Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse (Corsica), Franche-Comte, Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy), Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Martinique, Mayotte, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Reunion, Rhone-Alpes

Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna

no official date of independence: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 August 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14 July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 September 1792 (First French Republic founded); 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established)

Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July)

adopted by referendum 28 September 1958; effective 4 October 1958; amended many times

civil law; review of administrative but not legislative acts

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (348 seats; 328 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for French Polynesia, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 1 for Wallis and Futuna, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms; one third elected every three years); and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; 555 for metropolitan France, 15 for overseas departments, 7 for overseas dependencies; members elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to serve five-year terms)

Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (judges are appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of the Judiciary); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (three members appointed by the president, three appointed by the president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the president of the Senate); Council of State or Conseil d'Etat

Centrist Union or UDF [Nicolas ABOUT]; Democratic Movement or MoDem [Francois BAYROU] (previously Union for French Democracy or UDF); French Communist Party or PCF [Pierre LAURENT]; Greens [Cecile DUFLOT]; Left Front or FDG [Jean-Luc MELENCHON]; Left Party or PG [Jean-Luc MELENCHON]; Left Radical Party or PRG [Jean-Michel BAYLET] (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG); Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS]; National Front or FN [Marine LE PEN]; New Anticapitalist Party or NPA [Myriam MARTIN and Christine POUPIN]; New Center or NC [Herve MORIN]; Radical Party [Jean-Louis BORLOO]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA]; Republican and Citizen Movement or MRC [Jean-Luc LAURENT]; Socialist Party or PS [Martine AUBRY]; United Republic or RS [Dominique DE VILLEPIN]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [vacant]; Worker's Struggle or LO [Nathalie ARTHAUD]

Confederation francaise democratique du travail or CFDT, left-leaning labor union with approximately 803,000 members; Confederation francaise de l'encadrement - Confederation generale des cadres or CFE-CGC, independent white-collar union with 196,000 members; Confederation francaise des travailleurs chretiens of CFTC, independent labor union founded by Catholic workers that claims 132,000 members; Confederation generale du travail or CGT, historically communist labor union with approximately 700,000 members; Confederation generale du travail - Force ouvriere or FO, independent labor union with an estimated 300,000 members; Mouvement des entreprises de France or MEDEF, employers' union with 750,000 companies as members (claimed)

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, FZ, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNRWA, UNSC (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the "Le drapeau tricolore" (French Tricolor), the origin of the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution when the "ancient French color" of white was combined with the blue and red colors of the Parisian militia; the official flag for all French dependent areas

Gallic rooster

France was transitioning from an economy that has featured extensive government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms but is in the midst of a euro-zone crisis. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, banks, and insurers, and has ceded stakes in such leading firms as Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales. It maintains a strong presence in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries. With at least 75 million foreign tourists per year, France is the most visited country in the world and maintains the third largest income in the world from tourism. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and welfare. France's real GDP contracted 2.6% in 2009, but recovered somewhat in 2010 and 2011. The unemployment rate increased from 7.4% in 2008 to 9.3% in 2010 and 9.1% in 2011. Lower-than-expected growth and increased unemployment have cut government revenues and increased borrowing costs, contributing to a deterioration of France's public finances. The government budget deficit rose sharply from 3.4% of GDP in 2008 to 7.5% of GDP in 2009 before improving to 5.8% of GDP in 2011, while France's public debt rose from 68% of GDP to 86% over the same period. Under President SARKOZY, Paris implemented austerity measures that eliminated tax credits and froze most government spending in an effort to bring the budget deficit under the 3% euro-zone ceiling by 2013 and to highlight France's commitment to fiscal discipline at a time of intense financial market scrutiny of euro-zone debt levels. Socialist Francois HOLLANDE won the May 2012 presidential election, after advocating pro-growth economic policies, as well as measures such as forcing banks to separate their traditional deposit taking and lending activities from more speculative businesses, increasing taxes on bank profits, introducing a new top bracket on income taxes for people earning over €1 million ($1.3 million) a year, and hiring an additional 60,000 civil servants during his five-year term of office.

$2.246 trillion (2011 est.)

$2.208 trillion (2010 est.)

$2.178 trillion (2009 est.)

$2.776 trillion (2011 est.)

1.7% (2011 est.)

1.4% (2010 est.)

-2.6% (2009 est.)

$35,600 (2011 est.)

$35,200 (2010 est.)

$34,800 (2009 est.)

29.61 million (2011 est.)

9.3% (2011 est.)

9.3% (2010 est.)

6.2% (2004)

32.7 (2008)

32.7 (1995)

19.8% of GDP (2011 est.)

49.9% of GDP (2011 est.)

-5.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

84.7% of GDP (2011 est.)

82.4% of GDP (2010 est.)

2.3% (2011 est.)

1.7% (2010 est.)

1.75% (31 December 2011)

1.75% (31 December 2010)

3.6% (31 December 2011 est.)

3.373% (31 December 2010 est.)

$901.6 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$887.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.57 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)

$2.335 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)

$4.319 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)

$4.121 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)

$1.569 trillion (31 December 2011)

$1.926 trillion (31 December 2010)

$1.972 trillion (31 December 2009)

wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish

machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism

2.4% (2011 est.)

-$65.6 billion (2011 est.)

-$44.5 billion (2010 est.)

$587.1 billion (2011 est.)

$517.2 billion (2010 est.)

machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages

Germany 16.7%, Italy 8.3%, Spain 7.4%, Belgium 7.4%, UK 6.7%, US 5%, Netherlands 4.3% (2011)

$688.5 billion (2011 est.)

$588.4 billion (2010 est.)

machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals

Germany 19.1%, Belgium 11.3%, Italy 7.7%, Netherlands 7.5%, Spain 6.6%, UK 5.1%, China 4.8% (2011)

$171.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$166.2 billion

$5.633 trillion (30 June 2011)

$4.698 trillion (30 June 2010)

$1.202 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.161 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)

$1.86 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.746 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

0.7194 (2011 est.)

0.755 (2010 est.)

0.7198 (2009 est.)

0.6827 (2008 est.)

0.7345 (2007 est.)

calendar year

539 billion kWh (2010 est.)

451.4 billion kWh (2009 est.)

66.6 billion kWh (2010 est.)

37.1 billion kWh (2010 est.)

119.1 million kW (2009 est.)

20.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

53% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

17.6% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

5.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

49,530 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

1.428 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

90.01 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

1.694 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

1.792 million bbl/day (2011 est.)

487,200 bbl/day (2009 est.)

778,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)

587 million cu m (2011 est.)

41.52 billion cu m (2011 est.)

5.378 billion cu m (2011 est.)

47.04 billion cu m (2011 est.)

5.522 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

395.2 million Mt (2010 est.)

35.3 million (2011)

65.631 million (2011)

a mix of both publicly-operated and privately-owned TV stations; state-owned France Televisions operates 4 networks, one of which is a network of regional stations, and has part-interest in several thematic cable/satellite channels and international channels; a large number of privately-owned regional and local TV stations; multi-channel satellite and cable services provide a large number of channels; public broadcaster Radio France operates 7 national networks, a series of regional networks, and operates services for overseas territories and foreign audiences; Radio France Internationale (RFI), under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a leading international broadcaster; a large number of commercial FM stations, with many of them consolidating into commercial networks (2008)

metropolitan France - .fr; French Guiana - .gf; Guadeloupe - .gp; Martinique - .mq; Mayotte - .yt; Reunion - .re

16,872,880; 16.840 million (metropolitan France) (2010)

45.262 million; 44.625 million (metropolitan France) (2009)

473 (2012)

1 (2012)

gas 15,276 km; oil 2,939 km; refined products 5,084 km (2010)

Calais, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Paris, Rouen

Army (Armee de Terre; includes Marines, Foreign Legion, Army Light Aviation), Navy (Marine Nationale), Air Force (Armee de l'Air (AdlA); includes Air Defense) (2011)

17-40 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription; 1 year service obligation; women serve in noncombat posts (2012)

2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of New Caledonia