France
The French Republic or France (French République Française or France), is a country located in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra, and Spain. It is a founding member of the European Union, a member of NATO, a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
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| National motto: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood) | |||||
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| Official language | French | ||||
| Capital | Paris | ||||
| Largest City | Paris | ||||
| President | Jacques Chirac | ||||
| Prime Minister | Jean-Pierre Raffarin | ||||
| Area - Total 1 - Metropolitan France2 - % water | Ranked 47th 674,843 km² (260,558 sq. mi.) 551,695 km² 3 (213,011 sq. mi.) 543,965 km² 4 (210,026 sq. mi.) 0.26% | ||||
| Population (January 1, 2004) - Total 1 - Metropolitan France2 - Density2 | Ranked 20th 62,350,500 59,900,300 110/km² | ||||
| Currency | Euro(€)5, CFP Franc6, | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +1 (CET) (DST +2)2 | ||||
| National anthem | La Marseillaise | ||||
| Internet TLD | .fr 2 | ||||
| Calling Code | 33 2 | ||||
| (1) Whole territory of the French Republic, including all the overseas departments and territories, but excluding the French territory of Terre Adélie in Antarctica where sovereignty is suspended since the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 (2) Metropolitan (i.e. European) France only (3) French National Geographic Institute data (4) French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers (5) Whole of the French Republic except the overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean (6) French overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean only | |||||
History
Main article: History of France
The borders of modern France closely match those of the ancient territory of Gaul, inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. Gaul was conquered by the Romans in the first century BC, and the Gauls eventually adopted Romance speech and culture. Christianity also took root in the second and third centuries AD. Gaul's eastern frontiers along the Rhine were overrun by Germanic tribes in the fourth century AD, principally the Franks, from which the ancient name of "Francie" derived, modern name "France" derives from the name of the feudal domain of the Capetian Kings of France around Paris (see now Île-de-France).
Although the French monarchy is often dated to the 5th century, France's continuous existence as a separate entity begins with the 9th-century division of Charlemagne's Frankish empire into an eastern and a western part. The eastern part can be regarded the beginnings of what is now Germany, the western part that of France.
Charlemagne's descendants ruled France until 987, when Hugh Capet, Duke of France and Count of Paris, was crowned King of France. His descendants, starting with the Capetian dynasty, ruled France until 1792, when the French Revolution established a Republic, in a period of increasingly radical change that began in 1789.
Napoleon Bonaparte seized control of the republic in 1799, making himself Emperor. His armies engaged in several wars across Europe, conquered many countries and established new kingdoms with Napoleon's family members at the helm. Following his defeat in 1815, monarchial rule was restored to France, which was then legislatively abolished and followed by a Second Republic. The second republic ended when the late Emperor's nephew, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was elected President and proclaimed a Second Empire. Less ambitious than his uncle, the second Napoleon was also ultimately unseated, and republican rule returned for a third time.
Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Since 1958, it has constructed a presidential democracy (known as the Fifth Republic) that has not succumbed to the instabilities experienced in earlier more parliamentary regimes.
In recent decades, France's reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of the Euro in January 1999.
Today, France is at the forefront of European states seeking to exploit the momentum of monetary union to advance the creation of a more unified and capable European political, defense and security apparatus.
It is also one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and holds nuclear weapons.
Politics
Main article: Politics of France
The constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by public referendum on September 28 1958. It greatly strengthened the authority of the executive in relation to Parliament. Under the constitution, the president is elected directly for a 5-year (originally 7-year) term. Presidential arbitration assures regular functioning of the public powers and the continuity of the state. The president names the prime minister, presides over the cabinet, commands the armed forces, and concludes treaties.
The National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) is the principal legislative body. Its deputies are directly elected to 5-year terms, and all seats are voted on in each election. The Assembly has the power to dismiss the cabinet, and thus the majority in the Assembly determines the choice of government. Senators are chosen by an electoral college for 9-year terms, and one-third of the Senate is renewed every 3 years. The Senate's legislative powers are limited; the National Assembly has the last word in the event of a disagreement between the two houses, except for constitutional laws (amendements to the constitution & "lois organiques"). The government has a strong influence in shaping the agenda of Parliament.
See also:
- Constitution of France
- President of France
- List of Prime Ministers of France
- List of Foreign Ministers of France
Administrative divisions
Main articles: Administrative divisions of France, List of regions in France
France has 26 regions (French: région), which are further subdivided into 100 départements. The departments are numbered (mainly alphabetically) and this number is used in e.g. postal codes and vehicle number plates.
The departments are further subdivided into 342 arrondissements.
The overseas departments are former colonies outside France that now enjoy a status similar to European or metropolitan France. They are considered to be a part of France (and the EU) rather than dependent territories, and each of them is a region at the same time.
The overseas territories and countries form part of the French Republic, but do not form part of the Republic's European territory or the EU fiscal area. They continue to use the French Pacific Franc as their currency, which was unaffected by the French franc's replacement by the Euro in 2002.
The territorial collectivities have an intermediate status between overseas department and overseas territory.
France also maintains control over a number of other small islands in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, including Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Tromelin Island. See Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Geography
Main article: Geography of France
France possesses a large variety of landscapes, ranging from coastal plains in the north and west, where France borders the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, to the mountain ranges in the south (the Pyrenees) and the southeast (the Alps), of which the latter contains the highest point of Europe, the Mont Blanc at 4810 m.
In between are found other elevated regions such as the Massif Central or the Vosges mountains and extensive river basins such as those of the Loire River, the Rhone River, the Garonne and Seine.
Economy
Main article: Economy of France
France's economy combines extensive private enterprise with substantial, but declining, government intervention. Large tracts of fertile land, the application of modern technology, and subsidies have combined to make France the leading agricultural producer in Western Europe and, even after the loss of Algeria in the sixties, the French economy remains one of the most important and influential economies in the world. France also has a leading aerospace industry and is the only European power, after Russia, to have its own national space center.
The government retains considerable influence over key segments of infrastructure sectors, with majority ownership of railway, electricity, aircraft, and telecommunication firms. It has been gradually relaxing its control over these sectors since the early 1990s. The government is slowly selling off holdings in France Telecom, Air France, as well as the insurance, banking, and defense industries.
France joined 10 other EU members to launch the euro on January 1 1999, with euro coins and banknotes completely replacing the French franc in early 2002.
Since the end of WWII the government is making efforts to integrate more and more with Germany, both economically and politically, to form what is today called Franco German locomotive that pushes the entire European Union to be the most industrialized and rich economic power of all times. This alliance is the basis of what is called the "core" countries in favour of greater integration of the European Union.
See also: List of French companies
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of France
The official language is French, with several regional languages (including Basque, Breton, Catalan, Corsican, Dutch (Flemish), German (Alsatian), Occitan and Oïl languages), but the French government and school system discouraged the use of any of them until recently. The regional languages are now taught at some schools, though French remains the only official language in use by the government, local or national.
Historical population of metropolitan France
Note:
- figures are for metropolitan (i.e. European) France only, excluding overseas départments and territories, as well as former French colonies and protectorates. Algeria and its départements, although they were an integral part of metropolitan France until 1962, are not included in the figures
- to make comparisons easier, figures provided below are for the territory of metropolitan France within the borders of 2004. This was the real territory of France from 1861 to 1871, and again since 1919. Figures before 1861 have been adjusted to include Savoie and Nice, which only became part of France in 1861. Figures between 1795 and 1815 do not include the French départements in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, although they were an integral part of France during that period. Figures between 1871 and 1919 have been adjusted to include Alsace and part of Lorraine, which both were at the time part of the German Empire.
- figures before 1801 are modern estimates; figures from 1801 (included) onwards are based on the official French censuses.
Year Population Year Population Year Population
50 BC 6,700,000 1811 30,271,000 1896 40,158,000
0 8,000,000 1816 30,573,000 1901 40,681,000
400 12,200,000 1821 31,578,000 1906 41,067,000
850 7,000,000 1826 32,665,000 1911 41,415,000
1226 16,000,000 1831 33,595,000 1921 39,108,000
1345 20,200,000 1836 34,293,000 1926 40,581,000
1400 16,600,000 1841 34,911,000 1931 41,524,000
1457 19,700,000 1846 36,097,000 1936 41,502,000
1580 20,000,000 1851 36,472,000 1946 40,503,000
1594 18,500,000 1856 36,714,000 1954 42,777,000
1600 20,000,000 1861 37,386,000 1962 46,243,000
1670 18,000,000 1866 38,067,000 1968 49,778,000
1700 21,000,000 1872 37,653,000 1975 52,656,000
1715 19,200,000 1876 38,438,000 1982 54,335,000
1740 24,600,000 1881 39,239,000 1990 56,615,000
1801 29,361,000 1886 39,783,000 1999 58,519,000
1806 29,648,000 1891 39,947,000 2004 59,900,300
Starting around 1800, the historical evolution of the population in France has been extremely atypical in the Western World. Unlike the rest of Europe, France did not experience a strong population growth in the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. The birth rate in France diminished much earlier than in the rest of Europe. Consequently, population growth was quite slow in the 19th century, and the nadir was reached in the first half of the 20th century when France, surrounded by the rapidly growing populations of Germany and the United Kingdom, experienced virtually zero growth. This, and the bloody losses in France's population due to the First World War, may explain the sudden collapse of France in 1940 during the Second World War. France was often perceived as a country irremediably on the decline. At the time, theories based on races were quite popular, and the dramatic demographic decline of France was often attributed (particularly in Nazi Germany) to the genetic characteristics of the French "race", a race which, to many Germans, was destined to fail. However, the population of French descent living in French Canada was at the same time experiencing population growth that is among the fastest ever achieved by any Caucasian people around the world.
To better understand the demographic decline of France, it should be noted that France was historically the largest nation of Europe. During the 17th century one fifth of Europe’s population was French. Between 1815 and 2000, if the population of France had grown at the same rate as the population of Germany during the same time period, France's population would be 110 million today. If it had grown at the same rate as England and Wales, France's population would be 150 million today. And if we start the comparison at the time of King Louis XIV (the Sun King), then France would have the same population as the United States! This helps understand why France was so overwhelming in Europe at the time of Louis XIV or Napoleon, and it shows how much of a demographic decline the country experienced after 1800.
After 1945 however, France suddenly underwent a demographic recovery that no one could have foreseen. It is a fact that in the 1930's the French government, alarmed by the decline of France's population, had passed laws to boost the birth rate, giving state benefits to families with children. Nonetheless, no one can quite satisfactorily explain this sudden and unexpected recovery in the demography of France, which was often portrayed as a "miracle" inside France. This demographic recovery was again atypical in the Western World, in the sense that although the rest of the Western World experienced a baby-boom immediately after the war, the baby boom in France was much stronger, and above all it lasted longer than in the other countries of the Western World. In the 1950's and 1960's France enjoyed a population growth of 1% a year, which is the highest growth in the history of France, not even matched in the best periods of the 18th or 19th centuries!
After 1975, France's population growth has significantly diminished, being more in tune with the rest of Europe, but it still remains slightly faster than in the rest of Europe, and much faster than in the end of the 19th century or the first half of the 20th century. At the turn of the millennium, population growth in France is the fastest of Europe, matched only by Ireland and the Netherlands. However, it is significantly slower than in North America, where population trends have diverged from Europe after the 1970's.
The rankings below will help understand the past, present, and future weight of France's population in Europe and in the world.
Country ranking (historical populations are counted in the 2004 borders):
- until 1795 metropolitan France was the most populous country of Europe, above even Russia, and the third most populous country in the world, behind only China and India
- between 1795 and 1866, metropolitan France was the second most populous country of Europe, behind Russia, and the fourth most populous country in the world, behind China, India, and Russia
- between 1866 and 1911, metropolitan France was the third most populous country of Europe, behind Russia and Germany
- between 1911 and 1931, metropolitan France was the fourth most populous country of Europe, behind Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom
- between 1931 and 1991, metropolitan France was the fifth most populous country of Europe, behind Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy
- between 1991 and 1997, metropolitan France recovered its rank as the fourth most populous country of Europe, behind Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom
- since 1997, metropolitan France has recovered its rank as the third most populous country of Europe, behind Russia and Germany. Worldwide, France's ranking has fallen to twentieth most populous country.
- if current demographic trends continue (i.e. declining population in Germany, and slightly rising population in France), around 2050 metropolitan France could become again the second most populous country of Europe behind Russia
Religion
Following from the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, France guarantees freedom of religion as a constitutional right. A 1905 law instituted the separation of Church and State and prohibited the government from recognizing, salarying or subsidizing any religion. In the preceding situation, established 1801-1808 of the Concordat, the State used to support the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Calvinist Church and the Jewish religion and provided for public religious educations in those religions (for historical reasons, this situation is still current in Alsace-Moselle).
The French government does not keep statistics as to religion.
The 2003 CIA World Factbook lists the religion of France as: Roman Catholic 83-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim (North African workers) 5-10%, unaffiliated 4%. It is unclear where these numbers come from.
However, in a 2003 poll 41% said that the existence of God was "excluded" or "unlikely". 33% declared that "atheist" described them rather or very well, and 51% for "Christian". When questioned about their religion, 62% answered Roman Catholic, 6% Muslim, 2% Protestant, 1% Jewish, 2% "other religions" (except for Orthodox or Buddhist, which were negligible), 26% "no religion" and 1% declined to answer. The discrepancy between the number of "atheists" (41%) and the number of with "no religion" (26%) may be attributed to people who feel culturally close to a religion, follow its moral values and traditions, but hardly believe in God. In France, there is a strong gap between civilian life and religion. Religion is considered as private as possible. French people in general are opposed to clerical power and its influence in policy. Islamic fundamentalism is considered as a real threat for the cohesion of the French society where communitarism is not accepted.
See also: Islam in France, laïcité
Culture
Main article: Culture of France
- Académie française
- French literature
- Famous French People
- Cuisine of France
- Cinema of France
- Music of France
- Holidays in France
Miscellaneous topics
Description of the flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the drapeau tricolore (Tricolor Flag); the design and colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Côte d'Ivoire, and Luxembourg; the official flag for all French dependent areas
The foundation of France may be dated to 486 (unified by Clovis I).
France's motto "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" was first used as the rebels' motto during the French Revolution.
The national holiday is the Fête Nationale (National Day), celebrating the Fête de la Fédération, July 14 1790 and not the taking of the Bastille (July 14 1789) as is often mistakenly believed, even by a majority of the French, and is the reason why the holiday is referred to as Bastille Day in English.
The capital and most populous city, Paris, is home to the Eiffel Tower, a tower of girdered puddled iron constructed in 1889.
The Palace of Versailles is the number one tourist destination in France followed by the great châteaux of the Loire Valley.
Principal cities include:
- Aix-en-Provence, Ajaccio, Albi, Amiens, Angers, Angouleme, Bastia, Belfort, Besançon, Bordeaux, Brest, Caen, Calais, Cannes, Carcassonne, Charleville-Mézières, Clermont-Ferrand, Colmar, Dijon, Dunkerque, Evreux, Grenoble, La Rochelle, Le Havre, Le Mans, Lille, Limoges, Lyon, Marseille, Metz, Montpellier, Mulhouse, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Nîmes, Orléans, Paris, Perpignan, Poitiers, Quimper, Reims, Rennes, Roubaix, Rouen, Saint-Étienne, Saint-Nazaire, Strasbourg, Tarbes, Toulon, Toulouse, Tourcoing, Tours and Valence.
See also List of towns in France and List of fifteen largest French metropolitan areas by population
See also
- Communications in France
- Transportation in France
- Fifteen largest French metropolitan areas by population
- Military of France
- Education in France
- List of universities in France
- Foreign relations of France
- Tourism in France
- French colonial empire
- Marianne
- List of French birds
International rankings
- Total GDP in US dollars, 2002: 5th (out of 185)
- Total value of foreign trade (imports and exports) in US dollars, 2002: 4th (out of 185)
- Human Development Index, 2004: 16th (out of 177)
- Reporters without borders world-wide press freedom index 2003: Rank 26 out of 166 countries
External links
- France travel guide
- Official site of the Office of the French President - The Elysée Palace
- Official site of the Office of the French Prime Minister - Main governmental site
- Assemblée Nationale - The French National Assembly
- Sénat - The French Senate
- Official site of the French public service - Contains many links to various administrations and institutions
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