Information from http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/fr.html.Introduction:France was a victor in World Wars I and II, but they had huge losses in their empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant country. Still, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among other European countries. In recent years, its settlement and cooperation with Germany have been helpful to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of the euro in January 2002.Location:France is located in Western Europe, bordering ...view middle of the document...
Over the last century, France's population has grown more than 40%.Form of Government:France is a republic, meaning it has a president and 3 government branches. The suffrage is the same as in the US, which is 18 years old.Climate:France has generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean.Terrain:France's terrain is mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in the north and west. The remainder of the land is mountainous, especially the Pyrenees in the south, and the Alps in the east.Religion:The most common religion in France is Roman Catholic, which takes up 83%-88% of the population. Muslim takes up 5%-10%. Protestant takes up 2%. Jewish takes up 1%. Other religions take up 4% of the population.Language:French is spoken by about 100% of the population. They are rapidly declining regional dialects and languages which are: Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, and Flemish.Economy:France's economy is based on agriculture (3%), industry (26%), and services (71%). The unemployment rate of the population is 9.1%. The major exports are machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles, food processing, and tourism. The major imports are machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, and chemicals.
