Quick Data on France
Short Name | France |
Capital | Paris |
Long Name | French Republic |
Country Code | FR |
Continent | metropolitan France: Europe; French Guiana: South America; Guadeloupe: Central America and the Caribbean; Martinique: Central America and the Caribbean; Mayotte: Africa; Reunion: World |
Total Area | 643,801 sq km |
Population | 67,848,156 |
Language | French |
Nationality | Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) |
Geography of France
As a country in Europe, with coordinates at metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E; French Guiana: 4 00 N, 53 00 W; Guadeloupe: 16 15 N, 61 35 W; Martinique: 14 40 N, 61 00 W; Mayotte: 12 50 S, 45 10 E; Reunion: 21 06 S, 55 36 E, France neighbors Andorra 55 km, Belgium 556 km, Germany 418 km, Italy 476 km, Luxembourg 69 km, Monaco 6 km, Spain 646 km, Switzerland 525 km. The terrain in France is described as 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, with an average elevation point of 375 m. The climate of France: 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 mistral; French 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).
Surface Total | 643,801 sq km |
Land Surface | 640,427 sq km |
Water Surface | 3,374 sq km |
Land Boundaries | 2,233 km |
Neighbor Countries | Andorra 55 km, Belgium 556 km, Germany 418 km, Italy 476 km, Luxembourg 69 km, Monaco 6 km, Spain 646 km, Switzerland 525 km |
Coastline | 4,853 km |
Lowest Elevation Point | Rhone River delta -2 m |
Highest Elevation Point | Mont Blanc 4,810 |
Resources of France
The country enjoys many types of natural resources, with the main ones being 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. The agricultural land occupies 52.70% of France, while the land covered with forests is estimated at 29.20%.
Percent of Total Land | Surface Sq km | Data | |
Agricultural Land | 52.70% | 337,505 sq km | 2011 est. |
Irrigated Land | 26,420 sq km | 2012 | |
Forest Land | 29.20% | 187,005 sq km | 2011 est. |
Other Land | 18.10% | 115,917 sq km | 2011 est. |
Population of France
The population of the country is estimated at 67,848,156 people, with the biggest urban area having 11.017 million PARIS (capital), 1.719 million Lyon, 1.608 million Marseille-Aix-en-Provence, 1.063 million Lille, 1.024 million Toulouse, 969,000 Bordeaux (2020). Known as Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women), the people from France come from diversified ethnic groups such as Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities. The official language is French. Religions: Christian (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic) 63-66%, Muslim 7-9%, Buddhist 0.5-0.75%, Jewish 0.5-0.75%, other 0.5-1.0%, none 23-28% (2015 est.).
Population | 67,848,156 |
Nationality | Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) |
Official Language | French |
Other Languages | French (official) 100%, declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish, Occitan, Picard) |
Birth Rate | 11.9 births / 1000 population (2020 est.) |
Death Rate | 9.6 deaths / 1000 population (2020 est.) |
Urban Population | 81.00% of total population (2020) |
Physicians Density | 3.26 physicians/1,000 population (2017) |
Hospital Beds Density | 6 beds/1,000 population (2017) |
Governing Type of France
France is a semi-presidential republic. The legal system makes use of civil law; review of administrative but not legislative acts.
Governing Type | semi-presidential republic |
Citizenship by Birth | no |
Citizenship by Descent | at least one parent must be a citizen of France |
Dual Citizenship | yes |
Residency Requirement for Naturalization | 5 years |
Suffrage Vote | 18 years of age; universal |
Economy of France
From a population total of 67,848,156, the labor force is 30.68 million (2017 est.). The main products in agriculture are: wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish. Among the main industries considerable for the economy are: machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism. Its exports cover machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages. The main import products are: machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals.
Exports | $549.9 billion (2017 est.) |
Imports | $601.7 billion (2017 est.) |
Export Partners | Germany 14.8%, Spain 7.7%, Italy 7.5%, US 7.2%, Belgium 7%, UK 6.7% (2017) |
Import Partners | Germany 18.5%, Belgium 10.2%, Netherlands 8.3%, Italy 7.9%, Spain 7.1%, UK 5.3%, US 5.2%, China 5.1% (2017) |
GDP / Capita | $44,100 (2017 est.) |
Electricity Production | 529.1 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Electrification Rate | electrification – total population: 100% (2016) |
Internet Users | 57,226,585 |
Internet Penetration Rate | 85.60% (July 2016 est.) |
For latest imports and exports data we recommend checking the website for the National Bank of France, statistics sectio