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BASIC FACTS
Official
name
French
Republic
Capital
Paris
Area
543,965
sq km
210,026 sq mi
Largest
cities (population)
Paris
2,153,600 (2005 estimate)
Marseille 820,900 (2005 estimate)
Lyon 466,400 (2005 estimate)
Toulouse 435,000 (2005 estimate)
Nice 347,900 (2005 estimate)
Nantes 281,800 (2005 estimate)
Strasbourg 272,700 (2005 estimate)
Montpellier 244,300 (2005 estimate)
Bordeaux 230,600 (2005 estimate)
Lille 225,100 (2005 estimate)
Population
64,094,658
(2008 estimate)
Population
growth rate
0.58
per cent (2008 estimate)
Population
density
100
persons per sq km (2008 estimate)
259 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urbanisation
Per
cent urban 77 per cent (2005 estimate)
Per cent rural 23 per cent (2005 estimate)
Life
expectancy
Total
80.9 years (2008 estimate)
Female 84.2 years (2008 estimate)
Male 77.7 years (2008 estimate)
Infant
mortality rate
3
deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)
Literacy
rate
Total
99 per cent (1995)
Female Not available
Male Not available
Ethnic
divisions
Celtic
and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, and Nordic; North and West
African, Caribbean, Indochinese, Basque minorities
Languages
French
(official), Alemannisch, Auvergnat, Italian, Portuguese, Breton,
Corsican, Gascon, Provençal, Catalan, Franco-Provençal, Basque,
Dutch, Luxembourgeois, Caló, Limousin, Flemish,
Languedocien
Religions
Roman
Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim
Type
of government
Presidential
republic
Independence
486
(unified by Clovis)
Constitution
September
28, 1958
NOTE: The constitution was amended in 1962 regarding presidential
election, in 1992 to comply with the provisions of the European
Union (EU) Maastricht Treaty, and in 1993 to tighten immigration
laws.
Voting
rights
Universal
at age 18
Economy
Gross
domestic product (GDP) (US$)2,248,091 million (2006)
GDP per capita (US$) 36,699.60 (2006)
GDP by economic sector
GDP, agriculture 2 per cent (2006)
GDP, industry 20.8 per cent (2006)
GDP, services 77.2 per cent (2006)
National
budget (US$)
Total
revenue 967,221 million (2006)
Total expenditure 1,026,155 million (2006)
Monetary
unit
1
euro (EUR), consisting of 100 cents
Euro
(€) notes and coins replaced the French franc as the national
currency on January 1, 2002.
Exports
Machinery
and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural
products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing
Imports
Crude
oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals,
iron and steel products
Major
trading partners for exports
Germany,
Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, United States,
Netherlands, Japan, Russia
Major
trading partners for imports
Germany,
Italy, United States, Belgium, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Spain,
Netherlands, Japan, China
Industries
Steel,
machinery, chemicals, cars, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics,
mining, textiles, food processing, tourism
Agriculture
Wheat,
beef, dairy products, grains, sugar beet, potatoes, corn, barley,
oilseeds, wine grapes, fish
Natural
resources
Iron
ore, bauxite, fish, timber, coal, zinc, petroleum, potash,
antimony, magnesium, pyrite, tungsten, salt, lead
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