- .
Major Cities:
Bordeaux,
Cannes,
Lille,
Lyon,
Marseille,
Montpellier,
Nantes,
Nice,
Strasbourg,
Toulouse
Other Cities in France
List of links to official French city sites.
Government:
Type: Republic.
Constitution:
The Constitution of 4 October 1958.
Geography:
Location: Central Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain.
Area: 551,500 km² (220,668 sq. mi.); largest
west European country.
Terrain: Mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; mountainous, especially the Pyrenees in the south, and the Alps in the southeast.
Climate: Generally cool to cold winters and mild summers, but mild winters and
hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral.
People:
Nationality: French.
Population: 68.4 million (in 2024), including the French overseas regions, 66.25 million people live in European Metropolitan France.
Real GDP per capita: $55,200 (2023 est.)
Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Sub-Saharan African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities.
Religion: Roman Catholic 47%; Islam 9%
Language: French.
Literacy: 99%.
Transparency: Rank 23 (out of 180 countries); Score 69, on a scale from 100 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). France is ranked in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2020 between the
Uruguay and
Bhutan.
Economy:
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic,
potash, feldspar, gypsum, timber, and fish.
Agriculture products: wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes, beef, dairy products, and fish.
Industries: machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles, food processing, and tourism.
Exports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, and beverages.
Exports partners: Germany 13%,
Italy 9%,
United States 8%,
Belgium 8%,
Spain 8% (2022)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals.
Imports partners: Germany 15%, Belgium 9%, Spain 8%, Italy 8%,
Netherlands 8% (2022)
Currency: Euro (EUR)
.jpg "Château de Chambord, France")
