France 
Facts
Population: total: 63,713,926
note: 60,876,136 in metropolitan France (July 2007 est.).
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,063,181/female 5,776,272)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 20,798,889/female 20,763,283)
65 years and over: 16.2% (male 4,274,290/female 6,038,011) (2007 est.).
Population growth rate: 0.588% (2007 est.).
Birth rate: 12.91 births/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Death rate: 8.55 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Net migration rate: 1.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.002 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.708 male(s)/female
total population: 0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.).
Infant mortality rate: total: 3.41 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.76 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.).
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.59 years
male: 77.35 years
female: 84 years (2007 est.).
Total fertility rate: 1.98 children born/woman (2007 est.).
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2003 est.).
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 120,000 (2003 est.).
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 1,000 (2003 est.).
Nationality: noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French.
Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities
overseas departments: black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian.
Religions: Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%
overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan.
Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
overseas departments: French, Creole patois.
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.).
GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.891 trillion (2006 est.).
GDP - real growth rate: 2.1% (2006 est.).
GDP - per capita (PPP): $31,100 (2006 est.).
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.2%
industry: 20.6%
services: 77.2% (2006 est.).
Labor force: 27.88 million (2006 est.).
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 4.1%
industry: 24.4%
services: 71.5% (1999).
Population below poverty line: 6.2% (2004).
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 24.8% (2004).
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (2006 est.).
Unemployment rate: 8.7% (December 2006 est.).
Budget: revenues: $1.15 trillion
expenditures: $1.211 trillion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.).
Agriculture - products: wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish.
Industries: machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism.
Industrial production growth rate: 0.2% (2006 est.).
Electricity - production: 549.4 billion kWh (2005).
Electricity - consumption: 482.4 billion kWh (2005).
Electricity - exports: 68.3 billion kWh (2005).
Electricity - imports: 8 billion kWh (2005).
Exports: $490 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.).
Exports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages.
Exports - partners: Germany 14.7%, Spain 9.7%, Italy 8.7%, UK 8.3%, Belgium 7.1%, US 7.1% (2005).
Imports: $529.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.).
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals.
Imports - partners: Germany 18.9%, Belgium 10.7%, Italy 8.3%, Spain 7%, Netherlands 6.6%, UK 5.9%, US 5.1% (2005).
Debt - external: $3.461 trillion (30 June 2006).
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $10.1 billion (2006).
Currency (code): euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries.
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002).
Fiscal year: calendar year.
Statistics: C.I.A. World Factbook. Updated: July 20, 2007.
Press
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Displaying 1 to 7 of 68 items.
7 Jours d'Europe
(EU weekly), Paris/Brussels
Ad-Dawliya
(Arab-oriented weekly), Paris
(Regional affairs monthly), Paris
http://www.focusintl.com/pilypily.htm
(International news service), Paris
http://www.afp.fr/english/home/
Alternatives Algériennes
(Expatriate Algerian bimonthly), Paris
Arabies
(Liberal Francophone-oriented monthly), Paris
(Science monthly), Paris
http://www.caminteresse.fr
France in the News
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Displaying 9 to 12 of 66 items.
The European Commission wants to improve young Europeans' grasp of foreign languages. However, EU member states find it difficult to implement concrete measures.
Kalliste Tours, based in California, specializes in Corsica and its founder and owner, France-Marie Louvet, has handcrafted with native knowledge a special Christmas tour that offers a unique experience with authentic cultural immersion, historical discoveries and gastronomic delights.
The French have rejected the European constitution and plunged the European Union into its worst crisis in 50 years.
More than once echoing the late John Paul II’s “be not afraid,” Chirac set himself up as a paladin of an anti-globalist Europe, and argued that the European Union must arm itself with an effective set of rules.
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