Key data for France, with
selected international comparisons
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a topic
A definition of France:
Technically speaking, "France" includes a
number of overseas departments and territories (known
in French as the DOM-TOMs), including Tahiti in the Pacific and French
Guyana in South America. This guide however is concerned with Metropolitan France,
which means continental France, together with the offshore islands,
including Corsica.
The
Government of France:
France is a republic;
the head
of the executive is the President,
elected by universal suffrage, currently Nicolas Sarkozy. The
President determines policy with the aid of his Council of Ministers (Conseil des ministres).
Ministers cannot sit in parliament, and if an elected member of
parliament (député)
is appointed minister, he or she has to
hand over parliamentary duties to his / her deputy (adjoint). Since
each elected member has a deputy, by-elections are unusual in
France.
Parliament:
The lower and
principal house of parliament
is the Assemblée
nationale,
or
national assembly; the second chamber is the Sénat or
Senate.
Députés (members of parliament) are elected to
the National Assembly by universal suffrage, in
general
elections (élections
législatives)
that take place every five years. Senators are elected by
an electoral college of "grand electors", who are mostly other local
elected representatives.
The electoral system
for presidential and parliamentary elections
involves two rounds; a candidate can be elected on the first round by
obtaining an absolute majority of votes cast. The second round is a
runoff between the leading two candidates from round one (presidential
election), or two or more candidates (parliamentary elections). Click
here for further information on the French
Constitution and political system
Structure of
local
government:
Metropolitan France is administered as 22 regions, 96
"départements" or departments, and some 36,000 "communes".
See maps of regions and departments.
(There are also 4 overseas regions - French Guiana, Guadeloupe,
Martinique, and Ile de la Réunion - and other overseas territories known
as "TOM" )
Each
region
is administered by a Regional council (Conseil régional),
and each department
is administered by a county council (Conseil
Général). The central government is
represented in each department and region by
a Prefect (préfet),
with powers over the police and public security.
The Prefect's other main role is to make sure that local authorities
administer their area in compliance with national law.
Prefects are appointed by the President, regional
councils
are elected by universal suffrage every six years, involving a complex
two-round semi-proportional voting system.
Departmental
councils,
conseils
généraux, are elected by universal
suffrage
every six years, in elections known as canton elections (élections cantonales).
Communes are run by municipal councils (conseils municipaux)
elected every six years by universal suffrage.
The Geography
of metropolitan France (France in Europe):
Surface
area: 547,030 sq km, of which 545,630 sq km of
land and 1,400 sq km of rivers and lakes.
This is about double the surface area of the United Kingdom, and just
over four times the surface area of England.
For more geographic details see the About-France.com Maps of France page and links
Length
of land border; 2889 km. Neighbouring
countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco,
Spain, Andorra.
Length
of coastline: 4,668 km
Highest
elevation: the peak of Mont Blanc, 4,807 metres or 15,782
ft.
Arable
farmland: 33.5% of the total surface area.
Demographics
/ Population statistics
Population:
62,150,775 total estimated
population of Metropolitan France, mid 2008
This is just a few thousand more than the population of the United
Kingdom.
Population
growth rate: 0.57% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: 12.73 births per 1000 (2008 estimate)
Gender
ratio: Average ratio 0.93 males per female (though 1.05
males per female in the under 15 age group).
Life
expectancy at birth: Average: 80.2 years (males: 77.7
years, females: 84.2 years – 2008 estimate.) -
Compare with UK 79.0, Germany 79.1, Netherlands
79.2, Switzerland 81.3, USA 77.9, Belgium 77.8 (Source UNDP)
Population
density: 110 people per sq km
This is just less than the EU average of
112 /km²,
and less than half the density of the UK (246 p/km²)
Click here for population of the main French
towns and cities
The
French economy:
Per
capita GDP for France:
2007 27,800 €
Compare to: Ireland 35,700 €, Belgium 30,200 €,
UK 29,400 €, Germany
28,200 €,
Spain 25,400 €, Portugal
18,200 €. Source: Eurostat, April 2007.
GDP by
sector: agriculture: 2.2% industry:21%
services: 76.7% (2007)
Economic
growth 2007:
France:
+2%
Compare
to: Ireland +5% , Belgium
+2.2%, UK +2.9%, Germany +1.8% , Spain
+ 3.8%, Portugal
+1.8% . European union average: +2.8%
Source: IMF estimates, 2007
Inflation
2007:
France:
+ 1.7 %
Compare
to: Ireland +2.5% , Belgium
+1.9%, UK +2.3%, Germany +2.0 % ,
Spain + 2.6 %, Portugal
+2.5 %. European union average: +2.2%
Source: IMF estimates, 2007
Unemployment:
France:
8.6 % (and falling)
Compare to: Ireland +4% , Belgium
7.2%, UK +5.4%, Germany 8.8 % ,
Spain + 8.0 %, Portugal
+7.9 % . European union average: +6.9%
Source: Eurostat, for June 2007.
Employment
by sector:
France:
Agriculture: 4.1%, industry: 24.4%, services: 71.5%
(1999)
Compare with :
U.K.: Agriculture: 1.4%, industry: 18.2%, services: 80.4%
(2006) . Source: CIA world factbook.
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