France

Location

• metropolitan France: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain; French Guiana: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname; Guadeloupe: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico; Martinique: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago; Mayotte: Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about halfway between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique; Reunion: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
• largest West European nation; most major French rivers -- the Meuse, Seine, Loire, Charente, Dordogne, and Garonne -- flow northward or westward into the Atlantic Ocean, only the Rhone flows southward into the Mediterranean Sea

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Paris	2,138,551	Capital
Marseille	870,731
Lyon	522,969
Toulouse	493,465
Nice	342,669
Nantes	318,808
Marne La Vallée	318,325
Strasbourg	274,845
Bordeaux	260,958
Montpellier	248,252

Size

• 211,208 square miles
• 547,030 square kilometers
• slightly more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly less than the size of Texas

History

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-7, the G-20, the EU, and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing then President Charles DE GAULLE's 1966 decision to withdraw French forces from 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 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.

Climate

metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as the mistralFrench Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average Mayotte: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)

Terrain

metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east; French Guiana: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains; Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin; Martinique: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano; Mayotte: generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks; Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Languages

French (official) 100%, declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish, Occitan, Picard)major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: overseas departments - French, Creole patois, Mahorian (a Swahili dialect)

Religions

Roman Catholic 47%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 2%, Buddhist 2%, Orthodox 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, none 33%, unspecified 9% (2021 est.)note: France maintains a tradition of secularism and has not officially collected data on religious affiliation since the 1872 national census, which complicates assessments of France's religious composition; an 1872 law prohibiting state authorities from collecting data on individuals' ethnicity or religious beliefs was reaffirmed by a 1978 law emphasizing the prohibition of the collection or exploitation of personal data revealing an individual's race, ethnicity, or political, philosophical, or religious opinions; a 1905 law codified France's separation of church and state

Government

semi-presidential republic

• Constitution: history: many previous; latest effective 4 October 1958amendments: proposed by the president of the republic (upon recommendation of the prime minister and Parliament) or by Parliament; proposals submitted by Parliament members require passage by both houses followed by approval in a referendum; passage of proposals submitted by the government can bypass a referendum if submitted by the president to Parliament and passed by at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament’s National Assembly; amended many times, last in 2008
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law; review of administrative but not legislative acts
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017)head of government: François BAYROU (since 13 December 2024)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime ministerelections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 10 April 2022 with a runoff held on 24 April 2022 (next to be held in April 2027); prime minister appointed by the presidentelection results: 2022: Emmanuel MACRON reelected in second round; percent of vote in first round - Emmanuel MACRON (LREM) 27.8%, Marine LE PEN (RN) 23.2%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (LFI) 22%, Eric ZEMMOUR (Reconquête) 7.1%, Valerie PECRESSE (LR) 4.8%, Yannick JADOT (EELV) 4.6%, other 10.6%; percent of vote in second round - MACRON 58.5%, LE PEN 41.5%2017: Emmanuel MACRON elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Emmanuel MACRON (EM) 24%, Marine LE PEN (FN) 21.3%, Francois FILLON (LR) 20%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (FI) 19.6%, Benoit HAMON (PS) 6.4%, other 8.7%; percent of vote in second round - MACRON 66.1%, LE PEN 33.9%
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (consists of the court president, 6 divisional presiding judges, 120 trial judges, and 70 deputy judges organized into 6 divisions - 3 civil, 1 commercial, 1 labor, and 1 criminal); Constitutional Council (consists of 9 members)judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the president of the republic from nominations from the High Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the Court of Cassation and 15 appointed members; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Council members - 3 appointed by the president of the republic and 3 each by the National Assembly and Senate presidents; members serve 9-year, non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 yearssubordinate courts: appellate courts or Cour d'Appel; regional courts or Tribunal de Grande Instance; first instance courts or Tribunal d'instance; administrative courtsnote: in April 2021, the French Government submitted a bill on judicial reform to Parliament
• Legislative Branch: description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of:Senate or Sénat (348 seats; members indirectly elected; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years)National Assembly or Assemblée Nationale (577 seats - 556 for metropolitan France, 10 for overseas departments, and 11 for citizens abroad; members directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed to serve 5-year terms)elections: Senate - last held on 24 September 2023 (next to be held by 30 September 2026)National Assembly - last held on 30 June and 7 July 2024 (next to be held on 30 June 2029)election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by political caucus (party or group of parties) LR 139, SER 69, UC 51, RDPI 21, CRCE 17, LIRT 17, EST 16, RDSE 14; composition - men 222, women 126, percentage women 36.2%.National Assembly - percent of vote by party/coalition in the first round - RN 29.26%, NPF 28.06%, ENS 20.04%, LR 6.57%, UXD 3.96%, other 12.11%; seats by party/coalition in the first round - RN 37, NPF 32, ENS 2, LR 1, UXD 1, other 3; percent of vote in the second round - RN 32.05%, NPF 25.68, ENS 23.14% LR 5.41%, UXD 5.0%, other 8.72%, seats by party/coalition in the second round - NPF 146, ENS 148, RN 88, LR 38, UXD 16, other 65; composition - men 369, women 208, percentage women 36%

Demographic Profile

Finland has a relatively high fertility rate for Europe at about 1.75 children per woman in 2023.  Finnish women have high labor force participation rates, and their educational attainment is higher than that of Finnish men. Finland’s family policy, like other Nordic countries, puts an emphasis on reconciling work and family life.  Both parents can stay at home with an earnings-based allowance until the baby is about 11 months old.  Finland also has a publicly subsidized childcare system.  Alternatively, parents can choose to take care of a small child through home care leave with a flat allowance rate.  These benefits have encouraged fathers to do a greater share of housework and childcare, although women still perform the lion’s share of domestic work.  In other instances, women have reduced the burden of household work by outsourcing domestic chores, rather than men taking on more of the responsibilities.  Finland has high family size ideals compared to other European countries, and childlessness and one-child families are not favored.  The proportion of couples having at least three children has been growing since the 1970s. Finland has historically been a country of emigration.  In the 20th century, Finns emigrated largely in two waves.  Before World War II, the majority of Finns went to North America, and after World War II most went to Sweden, where industrialization was generating much-needed jobs that offered higher salaries and a better standard of living.  In the 1980s and early 1990s, Finnish returnees (mainly from Sweden) began to outnumber Finnish emigrants.  Also arriving in Finland between April 1990 and 2010, were Ingrian Finns – descendants of ethnic Finns who settled near St. Petersburg, Russia, in the 17th century – who immigrated to Finland under the Right of Return Law.  In addition, the country has absorbed immigrants from Russia, Estonia, the former Yugoslavia, and Sweden for a variety of reasons, most commonly for marriage and family reunification.  Finland has also accepted refugees and asylum seekers from Somalia, Iraq, China, and Thailand.

Economy

• high-income, advanced and diversified EU economy and euro user; strong tourism, aircraft manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and industrial sectors; high public debt; ongoing pension reform efforts; transitioning to a green economy via "France 2030" strategy
• Budget: revenues: $1.229 trillion (2022 est.)expenditures: $1.362 trillion (2022 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: Fitch rating: AA (2014)Moody's rating: Aa2 (2015)Standard & Poors rating: AA (2013)note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
• Natural Resources: metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, arable land, fish; French Guiana: gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay
• Industries: machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles, food processing, tourism
• Agricultural Products: wheat, sugar beets, milk, barley, maize, potatoes, grapes, rapeseed, pork, sunflower seeds (2022)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 52.7% (2018 est.)arable land: 33.4% (2018 est.)permanent crops: 1.8% (2018 est.)permanent pasture: 17.5% (2018 est.)forest: 29.2% (2018 est.)other: 18.1% (2018 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: natural gas, cars, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, garments (2022)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Germany 15%, Belgium 9%, Spain 8%, Italy 8%, Netherlands 8% (2022)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: aircraft, packaged medicine, cars, natural gas, vehicle parts/accessories (2022)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Germany 13%, Italy 9%, US 8%, Belgium 8%, Spain 8% (2022)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports