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Key data for France, with
selected international comparisons
Definition: Technically speaking, "France" includes a
number of overseas departments and territories (known
in french as the DOM-TOMs). This guide is concerned with Metropolitan France,
which means continental France, together with the offshore islands,
including Corsica.
France is a republic; the head
of the executive is the President, currently Nicolas Sarkozy. The
President determines policy with the aid of his Council of Ministers.
Ministers cannot sit in parliament, and if elected members of
parliament (députés) are appointed minister, they have to
hand over parliamentary duties to their deputies. The lower and
principal house of parliament is the Assemblée nationale, or
national assembly; the second chamber is the Senate.
Députés are elected by universal suffrage, in general
elections that take place every five years. Senators are elected by
"grand electors", who are mostly other local elected representatives.
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.
Population:
60,876,136 total estimated
population of Metropolitan France, mid 2007
This is just a few thousand more than the population of the United
Kingdom.
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)
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.
The French economy:
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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