France

France, officially the French Republic (République française, ) , is a  whose  is located in  and that also comprises various overseas islands and territories located in other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the to the  and the, and from the  to the. French people often refer to Metropolitan France as L'Hexagone (The "") because of the geometric shape of its territory.

France is bordered by, , , , , , , and. Due to its, France also shares land borders with and  (bordering ) , and the  (bordering ). France is also linked to the by the, which passes underneath the.

The French Republic is a organised as a. Its main ideals are expressed in the. In the 18th and 19th centuries, France built of the time, stretching across  and, prominently influencing the cultures and politics of the regions. France is a with the sixth-largest economy in the world. France is the most visited country in the world, receiving over 79 foreign tourists annually (including business visitors, but excluding people staying less than 24 hours in France). France is one of the founding members of the, and has the largest land area of all members. France is also a founding member of the, and a member of the , the , and the. It is one of the five permanent members of the ; it is also an acknowledged.

The originates from the  (Francs), a  that occupied  northern Europe after the fall of the. More precisely, the region around, called , was the original French royal. The first, , is regarded as the forefather of the.

Origin and history of the name
The name "France" comes from Francia, which literally means "land of the " or "Frankland". There are various theories as to the origin of the name of the Franks. One is that it is derived from the word frankon which translates as javelin or lance as the throwing axe of the Franks was known as a.

Another proposed etymology is that in an ancient Germanic language, Frank means free as opposed to. This word still exists in French as franc, it is also used as the translation of "Frank" and to name the local money, until the use of the in the 2000s.

However, rather than the ethnic name of the Franks coming from the word frank, it is also probable that the word is derived from the ethnic name of the Franks, the connection being that only the Franks, as the conquering class, had the status of freemen. The kings claimed descent of their dynasty from the, a Scythian or  , asserting that this tribe had changed their name to "Franks" in 11 BC, following their defeat and relocation by , under the leadership of a certain chieftain called Franko, although they had actually come from present day  , , and possibly, ultimately. In, France is still called Frankreich, which literally means "". In order to distinguish from the Frankish Empire of, Modern France is called Frankreich, while the Frankish Realm is called Frankenreich.

The word "Frank" had been loosely used from the fall of Rome to the Middle Ages, yet from 's coronation as "King of the Franks" ("Rex Francorum") it became used to strictly refer to the, which would become France. The were descended from the, who had produced two Frankish kings, and previously held the title of "" ("dux francorum"). encompassed most of modern but because the royal power was sapped by regional princes the term was then applied to the royal  as shorthand. It was finally the name adopted for the entire Kingdom as central power was affirmed over the entire kingdom.

Geography
While is located in, France also has a number of territories in , the , , the southern , the , and. These territories have varying forms of government ranging from to.

Metropolitan France covers 551,695 s (213,010 ) making it the largest country in area in the, being only slightly larger than. France possesses a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges of the in the south-east, the  in the south-central and  in the south-west. At 4,807 s (15,770 ) above sea-level, the highest point in Western Europe,, is situated in the on the border between France and. Metropolitan France also has extensive systems such as the, the , the  and the , which divides the Massif Central from the Alps and flows into the Mediterranean sea at the , the lowest point in France (2 m / 6.5 ft below sea level). Corsica lies off the Mediterranean coast.

France's total land area, with its overseas departments and territories (excluding ), is 674,843 square kilometres (260,558 sq mi) , 0.45% of the total land area on Earth. However, France possesses the second-largest (EEZ) in the world, covering 11,035,000 square kilometres (4,260,000 ), approximately 8% of the total surface of all the EEZs of the world, just behind the  (11,351,000 km² / 4,383,000 sq mi) and ahead of  (8,232,000 km² / 3,178,000 sq mi).

Metropolitan France is situated between 41° and 50° North, on the western edge of Europe and thus lies within the. The north and northwest have a temperate climate, however, a combination of maritime influences, and  produce a varied climate in the rest of Metropolitan France. In the south-east a prevails. In the west, the climate is predominantly with a high level of rainfall, mild winters and cool summers. Inland the climate becomes more with hot, stormy summers, colder winters and less rain. The and other mountainous regions are mainly  in nature with the number of days with temperatures below freezing over 150 per year and snowcover lasting for up to six months.

Rome to revolution
The borders of modern France are approximately the same as those of ancient, which was inhabited by ic Gauls. Gaul was conquered for by  in the 1st century BC, and the Gauls eventually adopted  speech (, from which the  evolved) and Roman culture. took root in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, and became so firmly established by the fourth and fifth centuries that wrote that Gaul was the only region "free from heresy".

In the 4th century AD, Gaul's eastern frontier along the was overrun by, principally the , from whom the ancient name of "Francie" was derived. The modern name "France" derives from the name of the feudal domain of the Kings of France around Paris. The Franks were the first tribe among the Germanic conquerors of Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire to convert to Christianity rather than  (their King  did so in 498) ; thus France obtained the title "Eldest daughter of the Church" (La fille ainée de l'Église), and the French would adopt this as justification for calling themselves "the Most Christian Kingdom of France".

Existence as a separate entity began with the (843), with the division of 's  empire into ,  and. Western Francia approximated the area occupied by modern France and was the precursor to modern France.

The s ruled France until 987, when, Duke of France and Count of Paris, was crowned King of France. His descendants, the, the and the , progressively unified the country through a series of wars and dynastic inheritance. The monarchy reached its height during the 17th century and the reign of. At this time France possessed the largest population in Europe (see ) and had tremendous influence over European politics, economy, and culture. France obtained many overseas possessions in the Americas, Africa and Asia.

Monarchy to republic


The monarchy ruled France until the, in 1789. and his wife,, were executed, along with thousands of other French citizens. After a series of short-lived governmental schemes, seized control of the Republic in 1799, making himself, and later  of what is now known as the  (1804–1814). In the course of, his armies conquered most of continental Europe, with members of the family being appointed as monarchs of newly established kingdoms.

Following Napoleon's final defeat in 1815 at the, the French monarchy was re-established, but with new constitutional limitations. In 1830, a established the , which lasted until 1848. The short-lived ended in 1852 when  proclaimed the. Louis-Napoléon was unseated following defeat in the of 1870 and his regime was replaced by the.

France had possessions, in various forms, since the beginning of the 17th century until the 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, its overseas colonial empire was the second largest in the world behind the. At its peak, between 1919 and 1939, the second French colonial empire extended over 12,347,000 square kilometres (4,767,000 sq mi) of land. Including, the total area of land under French reached 12,898,000 square kilometres (4,980,000 sq mi) in the 1920s and 1930s, which is 8.6% of the world's land area.

Though ultimately a victor in, France suffered enormous human and material losses that weakened it for decades to come. The 1930s were marked by a variety of social reforms introduced by the Popular Front government. At the start of, France held a series of unsuccessful rescue campaigns in , and  from 1939 to 1940. Upon the May-June 1940  and its  support, France's political leadership disregarded 's proposal of a  and signed the  on. The Germans established a puppet regime under Marshal known as, which pursued a policy of collaboration with Nazi Germany. The regime's opponents formed the outside of France and the  inside. France was liberated with the joint effort of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Free French Forces and the French resistance in 1944. Soon the Nouvelle Armée Française ("new French army") was established with the massive help of US-built material and equipment, and pursued the fight along the Allies in various battles including the campaign of Italy.

The was established after World War II and struggled to maintain its economic and political status as a dominant. France attempted to hold on to its, but soon ran into trouble. The half-hearted 1946 attempt at regaining control of resulted in the, which ended in French defeat at the  in 1954. Only months later, France faced a new, even harsher in its oldest major colony,.

The debate over whether or not to keep control of Algeria, then home to over one million European settlers, wracked the country and nearly led to civil war. In 1958, the weak and unstable Fourth Republic gave way to the, which contained a strengthened Presidency. In the latter role, managed to keep the country together while taking steps to end the war. The Algerian War and Franco-French civil war that resulted in the capital, was concluded with peace negotiations in 1962 that led to Algerian independence.

In recent decades, France's reconciliation and cooperation with have proved central to the political and economic integration of the evolving, including the introduction of the  in January 1999. France has been at the forefront of the European Union member states seeking to exploit the momentum of monetary union to create a more unified and capable European Union political, defence, and security apparatus. However, the French electorate voted against ratification of the in May 2005.

Government


The French Republic is a   with strong democratic traditions. The of the Fifth Republic was approved by  on. It greatly strengthened the authority of the executive in relation to. The executive branch itself has two leaders: the, who is elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a 5-year term (formerly 7 years) and is the Head of State, and the Government, led by the president-appointed.

The French is a bicameral legislature comprising a  (Assemblée Nationale) and a. The National Assembly deputies represent local constituencies and are directly elected for 5-year terms. The Assembly has the power to dismiss the cabinet, and thus the majority in the Assembly determines the choice of government. Senators are chosen by an electoral college for 6-year terms (originally 9-year terms), and one half of the seats are submitted to election every 3 years starting in September 2008. The 's legislative powers are limited; in the event of disagreement between the two chambers, the National Assembly has the final say, except for constitutional laws and lois organiques (laws that are directly provided for by the constitution) in some cases. The government has a strong influence in shaping the agenda of Parliament.

French politics are characterised by two politically opposed groupings: one, centred around the , and the other , centred previously around the and now its successor the. The executive branch is currently composed mostly of the UPM.

Conventions and notations

 * France is the home of the (the metric system). The  is almost completely ignored in France. Some pre-metric units are still used, essentially the ' (a unit of weight equal to half a ) and the ' (a unit of weight equal to 100 kilograms).
 * In mathematics, France uses the like most countries. For large numbers the  is used. Thus, the French use the word billion for what English speakers call a . However, there exist a French word, milliard, for what the English speakers call a . Thus, despite the use of the long scale, one billion is called un milliard ("one milliard") in French, and not mille millions ("one thousand million"). It should also be noted that names of numbers above the milliard are rarely used. Thus, one trillion will most often be called mille milliards ("one thousand milliard") in French, and rarely un billion.
 * In the French numeral notation, the comma is the, whereas the dot (.) is used between each group of three digits especially for big numbers. A space can also be used to separate each group of three digits especially for small numbers. Thus three thousand five hundred and ten may be written as 3 510 whereas fifteen million five hundred thousand and thirty-two may be written as 15.500.032. In finances the symbol associated to the currency is put after the numbers and not before. For example €25,000.00 is written 25 000,00 € (always with an extra space between the figure and the currency symbol, and often a space between every block of 3 digits).
 * Cars are.
 * In computing, if a is still called a bit a  is called an  (from the Latin root octo, meaning "8"). es are used.
 * time is used, with h being the separator between hours and minutes (for example 2pm30 is 14h30).
 * The all-numeric form for dates is in the order day-month-year, using a slash as the separator (example: 31/12/1992 or 31/12/92).

Law


France uses a system; that is, law arises primarily from written statutes; judges are not to make law, but merely to interpret it (though the amount of judge interpretation in certain areas makes it equivalent to ). Basic principles of the were laid in the. In agreement with the principles of the law should only prohibit actions detrimental to society. As, first president of the , wrote about the management of prisons:
 * Freedom is the rule, and its restriction is the exception; any restriction of Freedom must be provided for by Law and must follow the principles of necessity and proportionality.

That is, law may lay out prohibitions only if they are needed, and if the inconveniences caused by this restriction do not exceed the inconveniences that the prohibition is supposed to remedy.

French law is divided into two principal areas: and. Private law includes, in particular, and. Public law includes, in particular, and. However, in practical terms, French law comprises three principal areas of law: civil law; criminal law and administrative law.

France does not recognise, nor does it recognise religious beliefs or morality as a motivation for the enactment of prohibitions. As a consequence, France has long had neither laws nor s (the latter being abolished in 1791). However "offences against " (contraires aux bonnes mœurs) or (trouble à l'ordre public) have been used to repress public expressions of  or street.

Laws can only address the future and not the past ( laws are prohibited) ; and to be applicable, laws must be officially published in the .

Foreign relations


France is a member of the and serves as one of the permanent members of the  with  rights. It is also a member of the, the (SPC) , the  (COI). It is an associate member of the (ACS) and a leading member of the  (OIF) of fifty-one fully or partly French-speaking countries. It hosts the headquarters of the, , , and the. In 1953 France received a request from the to pick a coat of arms that would represent it internationally. Thus the French emblem was adopted and is currently used on passports.

French foreign policy has been largely shaped by membership of the, of which it was a founding member. In the 1960s, France sought to exclude the British from the organization, seeking to build its own standing in continental Europe. Since the 1990s, France has developed close ties with reunified Germany to become the most influential driving force of the EU, but consequently rivaling the U.K. and limiting the influence of newly-inducted East European nations. France is a member of the, but under President de Gaulle, it excluded itself from the joint military command to avoid the supposed domination of its foreign and security policies by U.S. political and military influence. In the early 1990s, the country drew considerable criticism from other nations for its atmospheric nuclear tests in. France vigorously opposed the, straining bilateral relations with the U.S. and the U.K. France retains strong political and economic influence in its former African colonies and has supplied economic aid and troops for peace-keeping missions in the and.

Military


The French are divided into four branches:
 * (Army)
 * (Navy)
 * (Air Force)
 * (A military force which acts as a National Rural Police and as a for the entire French military)

Since the, was steadily reduced and was finally suspended in 2001 by. The total number of military personnel is approximately 359,000. France spends 2.6% of its on defence, slightly more than the United Kingdom (2.4%), and is the highest in the European Union where defence spending is generally less than 1.5% of GDP. Together they account for 40% of EU defence spending. About 10% of France's defence budget goes towards its , or. A significant part of French military equipment is made in France. Examples include the fighter, the   aircraft carrier, the  missile, and the  tank. Some weaponry, like the or the  was bought from the United States. Despite withdrawing from the project, France is actively investing in European joint projects such as the, , the  demonstrator  and the. France is a major arms seller as most of its arsenal's designs are available for the export market with the notable exception of nuclear powered devices. Some of the French designed equipments are specifically designed for exports like the Franco-Spanish s. Some French equipments have been largely modified to fit allied countries' requirements like the s (based on the La Fayette class) or the s (based on the Agosta class submarines).


 * Although it includes very competent anti-terrorist units such as the or the  the gendarmerie is a military police force which serves for the most part as a rural and general purpose police force. Since its creation the GIGN has taken part in roughly one thousand operations and freed over five-hundred hostages; the 's hijacking brought them to the world's attention.


 * French intelligence can be divided into two major units: the (the external agency) and the  (domestic agency). The latter being part of the police while the former is associated to the army. The DGSE is notorious for the, but it is also known for revealing the most extensive technological spy network uncovered in Europe and the United States to date through the mole.


 * The French "" relies on a complete independence. The current French nuclear force consists of four submarines equipped with ballistic missiles. The current  class is currently under deployment to replace the former  class. The  will replace the M45 in the future and expand the Triomphants firing range. Aside of the submarines the French dissuasion force uses the ; it is a variant of the Mirage 2000 and thus is designed to deliver nuclear strikes. Other nuclear devices like the 's  and the short range  missiles have been disarmed. With 350 nuclear heads stockpiled France is the world's third largest nuclear power.


 * The is regarded as one of the world's most powerful. The professional compendium flottes de combats, in its 2006 edition, ranked it world's 6th biggest navy after the American, Russian, Chinese, British and Japanese navies.. It is equipped with the world's only nuclear powered Aircraft Carrier, with the exception of the American navy. Recently  class ships joined the Marine Nationale, the Mistral itself having taken part to operations in Lebanon. For the 2004 centennial of the  President Chirac announced the  would be jointly designed with Great Britain. The French navy is equipied with the s, early examples of stealth ships, and several ships are expected to be retired in the next few years and replaced by more modern ships, examples of future surface ships are the  and the  class frigates. The attack submarines are also part of the  although they do not carry the nuclear dissuasion, the current class is the  and will be replaced in the future by the expected.


 * The employs 133,500 people, it is very famous for the  though the French special forces aren't the Legion but the  and the . The French assault rifle is the  and future infantry combat system is the . France uses both tracked and wheeled vehicles to a significant points, examples of wheeled vehicles would be the  or the . Although its main battle tank is the  many older  tanks are still operational. It uses the  for artillery. Finally it is getting equipied with s helicopters.


 * The is the oldest and first professional air force worldwide. It still today retains a significant capacity. It uses mainly two aircraft fighters: the older  and the more recent . The later model exists in a ground attack version called the . The highly modern  is in deployment in both the French air force and navy.

Transportation
The network of France, which stretches 31,840  (19,784 ) is the most extensive in Western Europe. It is operated by the, and high-speed trains include the , the and , which travels at 320 km/h (200 mph) in commercial use. The, along with the , connects with the United Kingdom through the. Rail connections exist to all other neighbouring countries in Europe, except. Intra-urban connections are also well developed with both and way services complementing  services.

There is approximately 893,300 kilometres (555,070 mi) of serviceable roadway in France. The Paris region is enveloped with the most dense network of roads and highways that connect it with virtually all parts of the country. French roads also handle substantial international traffic, connecting with cities in neighboring Belgium, Spain, Andorra, Monaco, Switzerland, Germany and Italy. There is no annual registration fee or road tax; however, motorway usage is through tolls except in the vicinity of large communes. The new car market is dominated by national brands such as (27% of cars sold in France in 2003),  (20.1%) and  (13.5%). Over 70% of new cars sold in 2004 had engines, far more than contained  or  engines. France possesses the world's tallest road bridge: the, and has built many important bridges such as the.

There are approximately 478 in France, including landing fields. The located in the vicinity of  is the largest and busiest airport in the country, handling the vast majority of popular and commercial traffic of the country and connecting Paris with virtually all major cities across the world. is the national carrier airline, although numerous private airline companies provide domestic and international travel services. There are ten major ports in France, the largest of which is in, which also is the largest bordering the Mediterranean Sea. 14,932 kilometres (9,278 mi) of waterways traverse France.

Administrative divisions


France is divided into 26 administrative. 22 are in metropolitan France (21 are on the continental part of metropolitan France; one is the territorial collectivity of ), and four are s. The regions are further subdivided into 100 which are numbered (mainly alphabetically). This number is used in postal codes and vehicle number plates amongst others. Four of these departments are found in the overseas regions and are simultaneously overseas regions and s and are an integral part of France (and the ) and thus enjoy a status similar to metropolitan departments. The 100 departments are subdivided into 341 which are, in turn, subdivided into 4,032. These cantons are then divided into 36,680, which are municipalities with an elected municipal council. There also exist 2,588 entities grouping 33,414 of the 36,680 communes (i.e. 91.1% of all the communes). Three communes, Paris, Lyon and Marseille are also subdivided into 45.

The regions, departments and communes are all known as, meaning they possess local assemblies as well as an executive. Arrondissements and cantons are merely administrative divisions. However, this was not always the case. Until 1940, the arrondissements were also territorial collectivities with an elected assembly, but these were suspended by the and definitely abolished by the  in 1946. Historically, the cantons were also territorial collectivities with their elected assemblies.

In addition to the 26 regions and 100 departments, the French Republic also has six, one  collectivity , and one. Overseas collectivities and territories form part of the French Republic, but do not form part of the European Union or its fiscal area. The Pacific territories continue to use the whose value is linked to that of the. In contrast, the four overseas regions used the French franc and now use the euro.

France also maintains control over a number of small non-permanently inhabited islands in the and the :, , , , ,.

Overseas Regions
Overseas departments have the same political status as metropolitan departments.
 * (since 1946)
 * (since 1946)
 * (since 1946)
 * (since 1946)

Economy


France's economy combines extensive private enterprise (nearly 2.5 million companies registered) with substantial (though declining) government intervention (see ). The government retains considerable influence over key segments of infrastructure sectors, with majority ownership of railway, electricity, aircraft, and telecommunication firms. It has been gradually relaxing its control over these sectors since the early. The government is slowly selling off holdings in, , as well as the insurance, banking, and defence industries.

A member of the group of leading industrialised countries, it is ranked as the  economy in the world in 2005, behind the, , ,  and the. France joined 11 other members to launch the  on , with  and  completely replacing the French  (₣) in early 2002. According to the, in 2004 France was the world's fifth-largest exporter and the fourth-largest importer of manufactured goods. In 2003, France was the 2nd-largest recipient of among OECD countries at $47, ranking behind Luxembourg (where foreign direct investment was essentially monetary transfers to banks located in that country) but above the United States ($39.9 billion) , the United Kingdom ($14.6 billion) , Germany ($12.9 billion) , or Japan ($6.3 billion). In the same year, French companies invested $57.3 billion outside of France, ranking France as the second most important outward direct investor in the OECD, behind the United States ($173.8 billion), and ahead of the United Kingdom ($55.3 billion) , Japan ($28.8 billion) and Germany ($2.6 billion).

In the 2005 edition of OECD in Figures, the OECD also noted that France leads the countries in terms of productivity. In 2004, the GDP per hour worked in France was $47.7, ranking France above the United States ($46.3), Germany ($42.1) , the United Kingdom ($39.6) , or Japan ($32.5).

Despite figures showing a higher productivity per hour worked than in the US, France's GDP per capita is significantly lower than the US GDP per capita, being in fact comparable to the GDP per capita of the other European countries, which is on average 30% below the US level. The reason for this is that a much smaller percentage of the French population is working compared to the US, which lowers the GDP per capita of France, despite its higher productivity. In fact, France has one of the lowest percentages of its population aged 15-64 years at work among the OECD countries. In 2004, 68.8% of the French population aged 15-64 years was in employment, compared to 80.0% in Japan, 78.9% in the UK, 77.2% in the US, and 71.0% in Germany. This phenomenon is the result of almost thirty years of massive unemployment in France, which has led to three consequences reducing the size of the working population: about 9% of the active population is without a job; students delay as long as possible their entry into labour market; and finally, the French government gives various incentives to workers to retire in their early 50s, though these are now receding.

As many economists have stressed repeatedly over the years, the main issue with the French economy is not an issue of productivity. In their opinion, it is an issue of structural reforms, in order to increase the size of the working population in the overall population. and economists have different answers to that issue. Lower working hours and the reluctance to reform the labour market are mentioned as weak spots of the French economy in the view of the and lack of government policies fostering social justice by the. Recent government attempts at adjusting the youth labour market, to combat unemployment, have met with fierce resistance.

With 79.1 million foreign tourists in 2006, France is as the first tourist destination in the world, ahead of  (55.6 million in 2005) and the  (49.4 million in 2005). This 79.1 million figure excludes people staying less than 24 hours in France, such as northern Europeans crossing France on their way to Spain or Italy during the Summer. France features cities of high cultural interest ( being the foremost), beaches and seaside resorts, resorts, and rural regions that many enjoy for their beauty and tranquillity (green tourism). Aside of casual tourism France attracts a lot of religious pilgrims to, a town in the Hautes-Pyrénées département, that hosts a few million tourists a year.

France has an important aerospace industry led by the European consortium, and is the only European power (excluding Russia) to have its own national (). France is also the most energy independent Western country due to heavy investment in nuclear power, which also makes France the smallest producer of among the seven most industrialised countries in the world. As a result of large investments in nuclear technology, most of the electricity produced in the country is generated by nuclear power plants (78.1% in 2006, up from only 8% in 1973, 24% in 1980, and 75% in 1990).

Large tracts of fertile land, the application of modern technology, and EU subsidies have combined to make France the leading agricultural producer and exporter in Europe. Wheat, poultry, dairy, beef, and pork, as well as an internationally recognised and wine industry are primary French agricultural exports. EU agriculture subsidies to France total almost $14 billion.

Since the end of the Second World War the government made efforts to integrate more and more with, both economically and politically. Today the two countries form what is often referred to as the "core" countries in favour of greater integration of the European Union.

Demography


With an estimated population of 64 million people, France is the 23rd most populous country in the world. France's are, , , , , and.

In 2003, France's natural population growth (excluding ) was responsible for almost all natural population growth in the. In 2004, population growth was 0.68% and then in 2005 birth and fertility rates continued to increase. The natural increase of births over deaths rose to 299,800 in 2006. The lifetime fertility rate rose to 2.00 in 2007, from 1.92 in 2004.

In 2004, a total of 140,033 people immigrated to France. Of them, 90,250 were from and 13,710 from. In 2005, immigration level fell slightly to 135,890. France is an ethnically diverse nation. According to the, it has an estimated 4.9 million foreign-born immigrants, of which 2 million have acquired French citizenship. France is the leading destination in Western Europe with an estimated 50,000 applications in 2005 (a 15% decrease from 2004). The allows free movement between the member states. While the (along with ) did not impose restrictions, France put in place controls to curb  migration.



A perennial political issue concerns. Over the period 1960-1999 fifteen rural départements experienced a decline in population. In the most extreme case, the population of fell by 24%.

According to Article 2 of the Constitution, is the sole official language of France since 1992. This makes France the only Western European nation (excluding ) to have only one officially recognised language. However, 77 are also spoken, in metropolitan France as well as in the overseas departments and territories. Until recently, the French government and state school system discouraged the use of any of these languages, but they are now taught to varying degrees at some schools. Other languages, such as, , and several  are spoken by immigrants.

Religion
France is a country as freedom of religion is a constitutional right, although some religious doctrines such as, , the , and the  are considered cults. According to a January 2007 poll by the Catholic World News: 51% identified as being, 31% identified as being or. (Another poll concluded that 27% identified as being atheists.) , 10% identified as being from other religions or being without opinion, 4% identified as, 3% identified as , 1% identified as.

According to the most recent, 34% of French citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", whereas 27% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 33% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force".

In France, 32% declare themselves to be, with an additional 32% declaring themselves agnostic. The current numbers around 600,000 according to the  and is largest in Europe. Estimates of the number of vary widely. According to the 1999 French census returns, there were only 3.7 million people of "possible Muslim faith" in France (6.3% of the total population). There are an estimated 200,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants in France.

The concept of  exists in France and because of this the French government is legally prohibited from recognising any religion (except for legacy statutes like those of military s and ). Instead, it merely recognises religious organisations, according to formal legal criteria that do not address religious doctrine. Conversely, religious organisations should refrain from intervening in policy-making. Tensions occasionally erupt about alleged discrimination against minorities, especially against Muslims (see ).

Public health
The French healthcare system was ranked first worldwide by the in 1997. It is almost entirely free for people affected by s (Affections de longues durées) such as, or. Average life expectancy at birth is 79.73 years.

As of 2003, there are approximately 120,000 inhabitants of France who are living with AIDS

France, as all EU countries, is under an directive to reduce sewage discharge to sensitive areas. As of 2006, France is only 40 per cent in compliance with this directive, placing it as one of the lowest achieving countries within the EU with regard to this standard.

Culture




Architecture
There is, technically speaking, no architecture named French Architecture, although that has not always been true. 's old name was French Architecture (or Opus Francigenum). The term "Gothic" appeared later as a stylistic insult and was widely adopted. Northern France is the home of some of the most important Gothic and, the first of these being the  (used as the royal necropolis) ; other majestuous and important French Gothic cathedrals are  and. The kings were crowned in another important Gothic church:. Aside from churches, Gothic Architecture had been used for many religious palaces, the most important one being the in Avignon.

During the Middle Ages, fortified castles were built by feudal nobles to mark their powers against their rivals. When took  from, for example, he demolished the ducal castle to build a bigger one. Fortified cities were also common, unfortunately most French castles did not survive the passage of time. This is why 's castle -- was demolished as well as the. Some important French castles that survived are, , the massive and the so called.

Before the appearance of this architecture France had been using like most of Western Europe (with the exception of the Iberian Peninsula, which used Mooresque architecture). Some of the greatest examples of Romanesque Churches in France are the in Toulouse and the remains of the  (largely destroyed during the Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars).

The end of the Hundred Years' War marked an important stage in the evolution of French architecture. It was the time of the and several artists from Italy and Spain were invited to the French court; many residential palaces, Italian-inspired, were built, mainly in the Loire Valley. Such residential castles were the, the , or the. Following the renaissance and the end of the Middle Ages, replaced the gothic one. However, in France, baroque architecture found a greater success in the secular domain than in the religious one. In the secular domain the has many baroque features. can be said to be the most influential French architect of the baroque style, with his very famous baroque dome of. Some of the most impressive provincial baroque architecture is found in places that were not yet French such as the in. On the military architectural side designed some of the most efficient fortresses of Europe and became a very influential military architect.

After the French revolution the Republicans favoured although neoclassicism was introduced in France prior to the revolution with such building as the  or the. Built during the French Empire the and  represent this trend the best.

Under Napoleon III a new wave of urbanism and architecture was given birth. If some very extravagant buildings such as the  were built, the urban planing of the time was very organised and rigorous. For example. These times also saw a strong Gothic-Revival trend across Europe, in France the associated architect was. In the late 19th century designed many bridges (like the ) and remains one of the most influential bridge designer of his time, although he is best remembered for the.

In the 20th century the Swiss Architect designed several buildings in France. More recently French architects have combined both modern and old architectural styles. The is a good example of modern architecture added to an older building. Certainly the most difficult buildings to integrate within French cities are skyscrapers, as they are visible from afar. France's largest financial district is, where a significant number of skyscrapers are located. Other massive buildings that are a challenge to integrate into their environment are large bridges; a good example of the way this has been done is the. Some famous modern French architects include or.

Literature
French literature tracks its origins back to the Middle Ages. French was not yet a uniform language but was divided into several dialects (mainly: northern oïl, southern oc dialects). Each writer used his own spelling and grammar. Several French mediaeval texts are not signed- such is the case with, or with , among many others. A significant part of mediaeval French poetry and literature was inspired by the, such as the and the various. The "Roman de Renart" was written in 1175 by, and told the story of the medieval character ('the Fox') ; it is also a popular example of early French story-telling.

In spite of the anonymous character of many French writings of the Middle-Ages, some medieval writers became quite famous:, for instance. was also quite influent in the Middle Ages. An early example of a poet writing in  was.

About the history of the French language, one of the most important writer is unquestionably. Modern French took a great deal from his style. His most famous work is quite probably. Later on, wrote his famous "Fables", a collection of short stories, written in verse, and usually ending with a "moral teaching".

During the 17th century, and 's plays,  and 's moral and philosophical books deeply influenced the aristocracy leaving an important heritage for the authors of the following decades.

But it is most certainly in the 18th and 19th centuries which French literature and poetry reach its highest point. The 18th century saw the writings of such huge writers, essayists and moralists as, and. As concerns French children's literature in those times, was probably the most prolific writer, with stories such as: "", "", "" and "".

The 19th century saw the birth of many French novels of world renown;, and  are probably among the most famous among these writers, both in and outside of France, with such highly popular novels such as , , , or. Other 19th century fiction writers include, , and.

Symbolist poetry of the turn of the 19th century also proved to be a strong movement in French poetry, with artists such as, and.

Now become famous outside of France, as well (whereas they used to be mostly known inside of France) are and. One of the most well-known 20th century writers is Antoine de St.-Exupéry, whose "" has been translated and become a bestseller in a great many countries, remaining popular both with children and adults.

Nowadays, the (first given in 1903) rewards "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". It has quite probably become France's best-known contemporary literary award.

Sport


Popular sports include, both codes of and in certain regions  and. France has hosted events such as the and s, and hosted the. in Paris is the largest stadium in France and was the venue for the 1998 FIFA World Cup final, and hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup final in October 2007. France also hosts the annual, the most famous in the world. France is also famous for its   held in the  department. Several major tournaments take place in France, including the  and the, one of the four  tournaments.

France is the country of creation of the, due to a French aristocrat, Baron , in the end of the 19th century. After in reference to the Greek origin of the ancient Olympic Games,  hosted the second Games in 1900. was also the first home of the, before moving to for more neutrality. During the Modern era, France has hosted the fives times: two  ( and, both in ) and three  ( in  -the first edition-,  in  and  in ).

Both the and the  are nicknamed "Les Bleus" in reference to the team's shirt color as well as the national French tricolor flag. The football team is regarded as one of the most skillful teams in the world with one victory in 1998, one FIFA World Cup second place in 2006, and two  in  and. The top national club competition is the. Rugby is very popular, particularly so in the southwest of France and Paris. The national team have competed at every, and take part in the annual. The French rugby team has never won a World Cup (despite having reached the semi-finals on all but one occasion, and playing in two finals), yet it has won sixteen Six Nations Championship, including eight grand slams. They are considered one of the top teams in the world. The top national club competition is the.

French comic books
French comic books and Francophone Belgian ones are often discussed together. These two countries share a long lasting tradition in comics and comic books. In French they are called bandes dessinées, or more simply BD. It is important to note the French term does not indicate the subject matters. In common English usage the term comics is often associated to what is fun, or funnies while the French language comics are often referred as the le neuvième art (the ninth art). In the USA several French comics would be seen as s rather than simply comics. The famous irreductible Gaulois is the character of the most famous French comics outside France itself, although destined to children at first the BD includes many subtilities and word games that require some culture to be understood. The were also quite important and inspired a generation of Francophone role-players. who drew albums of the Black Moon Chronicles designed characters and backgrounds for the video game. A new artistic movement called is trying to merge the Franco-Belgian style with the Japanese one, as manga are very popular in France and France had an early manga culture.

French comics are quite present in science-fiction and remain influential in the domain. , and  (Serbian born) are examples of French SF writers. Enki Bilal is famous most notably for the Nikopol Trilogy which as been made a movie named. Druillet has been named the space architect because of his backdrops of gigantic structures inspired by Art Nouveau, Indian temples and Gothic cathedrals. Jean Giraud, also known as Moebius, is famous outside France for his works on movies such as:, , and  and his comic. Jean Giraud and Philippe Druillet worked together several times and founded, a magazine specialised in science-fiction published as in the USA. There are many others important artists in France like who wrote  who did not achieve fame outside of their homeland.

Foreign comics often get good receptions within France. Several Belgian comics met great success in France such as, or. As a consequence French and Belgian artists often worked together to produce comics, and example would be by  and Jean Giraud. The Italian artist found a large public with the  comics; Corto Maltese's success in France was such that it was made animated movies by. most notably are very influencials. Manga culture is particularly strong in France.

Marianne


is a symbol of the French Republic. She is an allegorical figure of liberty and the Republic and first appeared at the time of the. The earliest representations of Marianne are of a woman wearing a. The origins of the name Marianne are unknown, but Marie-Anne was a very common first name in the 18th century. Anti-revolutionaries of the time derisively called her La Gueuse (the Commoner). It is believed that revolutionaries from the South of France adopted the Phrygian cap as it symbolised liberty, having been worn by freed slaves in both Greece and Rome. Mediterranean seamen and convicts manning the galleys also wore a similar type of cap.

Under the Third Republic, statues, and especially busts, of Marianne began to proliferate, particularly in town halls. She was represented in several different manners, depending on whether the aim was to emphasise her revolutionary nature or her "wisdom". Over time, the Phrygian cap was felt to be too seditious, and was replaced by a diadem or a crown. In recent times, famous French women have been used as the model for those busts. Recent ones include, and. She also features on everyday articles such as postage stamps and coins.

Miscellaneous topics



 * Description of the flag: three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red became the flag during the French Revolution and made popular by Marquis de Lafayette; known as the  (Tricolour Flag). It is traditional to refer to the three colours in the order: blue, white, red. (bleu, blanc, rouge) ; blue and red are the colours of Paris, while white was the colour of the  monarchy. The white inserted between the blue and the red expresses the idea that the king was under control of the people.
 * Although commonly associated with the and suggested by  in December, 1790, France's motto, "" was not adopted until.


 * The national holiday of France since 1880 is the Fête Nationale (National Holiday), colloquially known as le 14 juillet, officially celebrating the  and not the storming of the   as is often believed, even by a majority of French people, and is the reason why the holiday is referred to as  in . On the occasion of the Fête de la Fédération, celebrated exactly one year after the storming of the Bastille, all the representatives of the provinces of France gathered on the  in  in presence of the king  and proclaimed the national unity of France. They vowed to remain faithful to "the Nation, the Law, the King".


 * This day is considered by French Republicans as the real birth of France: France is no more a country made up of provinces conquered by kings, but a country of provinces and men who freely agree to form a common Nation. This concept of a Nation agreed upon is opposed to the German concept of a Nation based on ethnicity and race, and it was responsible for much of the conflicts between France and Germany in the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. Alsace was a German land that had been annexed by the conquest of the French kings, while France considered that although Alsace had indeed been a conquered province in the first place, it had legitimately and freely become a part of France by the oath of . It is thus no surprise that the 14th of July was proclaimed the National Holiday of France in 1880, 9 years after Germany had reunited with.


 * Despite being associated with the Fête de la Fédération, irked many French monarchists, to whom it recalled the bloody memory of the storming of the Bastille. French monarchists formerly wore a black armband each  in defiance of the national holiday.


 * The French city of replaced  as home to the  between 1309-1377.  The town remained under papal control until 1791, when it was incorporated into France.


 * Popular tourist sites include: (according to a 2003 ranking visitors per year) :  (6.2 million),  (5.7 million) ,  (2.8 million) ,  (2.1 million) ,  (1.2 million) ,  (1.2 million) ,  (1 million) ,  (711,000) , (683,000) ,  (549,000) ,  (500,000) ,  (441,000) ,  (362,000). Other very popular  and well-known tourist sites include: , , the  of the , the ski resorts of the French  or ,  and the s of , etc.

International rankings

 * Total, 2005: ( data)
 * Total value of (s and ), 2002: 4th (out of 185)
 * world-wide press freedom index 2005: Rank 30 out of 167 countries
 * Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2006 - 18th of 163 countries