INTRODUCTION TO FRANCE

Geography:
France, country in western Europe, southwest of Germany and north of Spain. The republic of France includes ten overseas possessions and has numerous territorial collectivities and dependencies. The total area of France, which also includes the island of Corsica, is 543,965 sq km (210,026 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Paris.

Land and Resources
The chief geographic features of France are the mountain ranges forming natural boundaries at the Franco-Italian, Franco-Swiss, and Franco-Spanish borders; the south central plateau, known as the Massif Central; and the extensive plains region, consisting of gentle lowlands and fertile river valleys.

The climate of France is generally temperate, but wide regional contrasts occur. France has substantial natural resources, including iron ore and other minerals, and extensive tracts of fertile soils, such as those in the Paris Basin and in numerous river valleys. Plant life ranges from arctic to semitropical, and forests cover about one-quarter of the land area. Like western Europe generally, France has few kinds of larger mammals in the wild. It does have a wide variety and abundance of both indigenous and migratory birds.

Population:
France's population (1997 estimate) is 58,609,285. Nearly 94 percent are native-born, and most are white. Some 73 percent of the people are classified as urban dwellers. About 76 percent of French residents are Roman Catholics, but Muslims, Protestants, and Jews are significant minority groups. French is the official language. The country has free, compulsory public education up to the age of 16.

Economy:
Once largely agricultural, France has become increasingly industrialized since World War II (1939-1945). The government played a major role in the economy in the decades after the war, but since the mid-1980s it has reduced its involvement. A preponderance of small, privately owned shops characterizes French commerce.

Cultivated fields, orchards, and vineyards occupy 35 percent of France's land, and French agriculture generally produces sufficient basic foodstuffs for domestic needs. France also leads the world in wine production. Some 5 percent of the labor force works in agriculture, forestry, and fishing.

France has developed most of its diverse mineral resources, especially iron and coal. The country's manufacturing industries produce food products, transportation equipment, nonelectrical machinery, electrical machinery, metals, metal products, textiles, and other goods. Most of France's electricity is generated by nuclear power. France has one of the most highly developed transportation systems in Europe. The franc is the basic unit of currency (5.12 francs equal U.S. $1; 1996).