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France - Travel guideFrance - OverviewAlthough ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a presidential democracy resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier parliamentary democracies. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy. |
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France General Information |
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| Country full name : | conventional long form: French Republic conventional short form: France local long form: Republique Francaise local short form: France |
| Capital : | Paris |
| Religions : | Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4% |
| Languages : | French 100%, regional dialects and languages |
| Location : | 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 |
| Geographic coordinates : | 46 00 N, 2 00 E |
| Area : | total: 547,030 sq km land: 545,630 sq km water: 1,400 sq km note: includes only metropolitan France; excludes the overseas administrative divisions |
| Climate : | generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral |
| Population : | 60,876,136 (July 2006 est.) |
| Nationality : | noun: Frenchman(men) adjective: French |
| Ethnic groups : | Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities |
| Government type : | republic |
| Administrative divisions: | 22 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes note: metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the overseas territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre, Miquelon) |
| Legal system : | civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts |
| Suffrage : | 18 years of age; universal |
| Internet code : | .fr |
| Calling code : | +33 |
| Time zone : | GMT/UTC +1 |
| Electricity : | 230V 50Hz |
| National holiday : | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
| Interesting link : | France travel guide - Lonely Planet France travel guide - Wikitravel Tourism Office of Belgium |
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France Travel Guide Information