![]()
GeographyLocation: 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
Area: Land boundaries: total 2,892.4 km, Andorra 60 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km Coastline: 3,427 km
PeoplePopulation: 58,109,160 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
Population growth rate: 0.46% (1995 est.) Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population Death rate: 9.29 deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate: 0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population Infant mortality rate: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman Ethnic divisions: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese,Basque minorities Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim (North African workers) 1%, unaffiliated 6% Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1991 est.)
Government
Names:
Type: republic Capital: Paris Independence: 486 (unified by Clovis) Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty in 1992; amended to tighten immigration laws 1993
EconomyNational product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.0801 trillion National product real growth rate: 2.4% National product per capita: $18,670 Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% Unemployment rate: 12.6%
Electricity:
|
| The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts. |