Coat of Arms
President François Hollande
» Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic
» 640,679 km2 (42nd)
» 66,616,416 (20th)
» $2.587 trillion(8th)
»Per capita $40,445 (26th)
» $2.902 trillion (5th)
»Per capita $45,384 (18th)
» Euro (EUR), CFP franc (XPF)
» CET (UTC+1)
France is a unitary sovereign state comprising territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories.
Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean; France covers 640,679 square kilometres (247,368 sq mi) and has a population of 66.6 million.
France is a semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the nation’s largest city and the main cultural and commercial center. The Constitution of France establishes the country as secular and democratic, with its sovereignty derived from the people.
During the Iron Age, what is now France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The Gauls were conquered by the Roman Empire in 51 BC, which held Gaul until 486. The Gallo-Romans faced raids and migration from the Germanic Franks, who dominated the region for hundreds of years, eventually creating the medieval Kingdom of France.
France has been a major power in Europe since the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years’ War (1337 to 1453) strengthening French state-building and paving the way for a future centralized absolute monarchy. During the Renaissance, France experienced a vast cultural development and established the first steps of a worldwide colonial empire. The 16th century was dominated by Religious Civil Wars primarily fought between Catholics and Protestants(Huguenots).
France has historically been a large producer of agricultural products.
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 (representing 20% of the EU’s agricultural production and the world’s third biggest exporter of agricultural products.
France was a pioneer in the automotive industry and is the 13th-largest automobile manufacturer in the world by 2014 unit production and the third-largest in Europe (after Germany and Spain). It had consistently been the 4th-largest from the end of World War II up to 2000.
France is home to two major automaking companies – PSA Peugeot Citroën (owner of the Peugeot and Citroen marques) and Renault S.A. (owner of the Renault marque and of Dacia of Romania, Renault Samsung Motors of South Korea and 43% of Nissan). The France-based Renault Trucks is a major producer of commercial vehicles and is owned byVolvo AB. Both PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault produce a large number of vehicles outside France.
As one of its home countries, Airbus’ operations in France play a key role the design, manufacture and support of the world’s best aircraft.
Airbus’ French presence is helping shaping the future of air transportation, helping the company develop pioneering technical solutions and supporting its efficient sourcing and manufacturing processes. The country is home to final assembly lines for all Airbus commercial aircraft families, its corporate headquarters and major manufacturing facilities.
France is ranked 13 with an Economic Complexity Index (ECI) of 1.4572
Top 5 Products exported by France
- Planes, Helicopters, and/or Spacecraft (6.7%),
- Packaged Medicaments (5.2%),
- Cars(4.5%), Vehicle Parts (3.6%),
- Refined Petroleum (3.0%)
Top 5 Export destinations of France
With 83 million foreign tourists in 2012, France is ranked as the first tourist destination in the world, ahead of the US (67 million) and China (58 million).
This 83 million figure excludes people staying less than 24 hours, such as North Europeans crossing France on their way to Spain or Italy. It is third in income from tourism due to shorter duration of visits.
France has 37 sites inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List and features cities of high cultural interest, beaches and seaside resorts, ski resorts, and rural regions that many enjoy for their beauty and tranquillity (green tourism).
Small and picturesque French villages are promoted through the association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (litt. “The Most Beautiful Villages of France”).
The “Remarkable Gardens” label is a list of the over 200 gardens classified by the French Ministry of Culture. This label is intended to protect and promote remarkable gardens and parks. France attracts many religious pilgrims on their way to St. James, or to Lourdes, a town in the Hautes-Pyrénées that hosts several million visitors a year.
- Thinking of France, you might imagine the iconic Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe or the famous smile of Mona Lisa.
- You might think of drinking coffee in the lively Paris cafés where great intellectuals lingered in past times, or of eating croissants in a local bistro of a sleepy but gorgeous village in the countryside.
- Probably, images of splendid châteaux will spring to your mind, of lavender fields or perhaps of vineyards as far as the eye can see.
- Or perhaps, you’d envisage the chic resorts of the Cote D’Azur. And you wouldn’t be wrong. However, they are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to France’s many sights and attractions.