National name: République Française

President: Jacques Chirac (1995)

Prime Minister: Lionel Jospin (1997)

Area: 547,030 sq. km

Population (2000 est.): 59,329,691 (average annual rate of natural increase: 0.3%); birth rate: 12.3/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.5/1000; density per sq. mile.: 281

Capital and largest city: Paris

Other large cities:
Paris: city proper (1991 census) 2,156,766; metro. area (1995 est.) 9,469,000;
Marseille, 801,000;
Lyon, 415,000;
Toulouse, 359,000;
Nice, 342,000;
Strasbourg, 252,000;
Nantes, 245,000;
Bordeaux, 201,000

Monetary units: French Franc and euro

Languages: French, declining regional dialects (Provençal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican)

Ethnicity/race: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Southeast Asian, and Basque minorities

Religions: Roman Catholic, 81%; Protestant, 1.7%; Muslim, 6.9%; Jewish, 1.3%

Literacy rate: 99% (1980)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (1998 est.): $1.32 trillion; $22,600 per capita. Real growth rate: 3%. Inflation: 0.7%. Unemployment: 11.5%. Arable land: 33%. Agriculture: wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish. Labor force: 25.4 million, services, 69%; industry, 26%; agriculture, 5% (1995). Industries: steel, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, mining, textiles, food processing, tourism. Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash. Exports: $289 billion (f.o.b., 1998): machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing. Imports: $255 billion (f.o.b., 1998): crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, iron and steel products. Major trading partners: Germany, U.K., Italy, Spain, Belgium-Luxembourg, U.S., the Netherlands, Japan, Russia, China.

Geography:
France is about 80% the size of Texas. In the Alps near the Italian and Swiss borders is western Europe's highest point&emdash;Mont Blanc (15,781 ft.; 4,810 m). The forest-covered Vosges Mountains are in the northeast, and the Pyrénées are along the Spanish border. Except for extreme northern France, the country may be described as four river basins and a plateau. Three of the streams flow west&emdash;the Seine into the English Channel, the Loire into the Atlantic, and the Garonne into the Bay of Biscay. The Rhône flows south into the Mediterranean. For about 100 miles (161 km), the Rhine is France's eastern border. In the Mediterranean, about 115 miles (185 km) east-southeast of Nice, is the island of Corsica (3,367 sq. mi.; 8,721 sq. km).

Government:
Fifth republic.

History:
France has been continuously settled since Paleolithic times. The Celts, who were later called Gauls by the Romans, migrated from the Rhine valley into what is now France. In about 600 B.C. Greeks and Phoenicians established settlements along the Mediterranean, most notably at Marseille. Julius Caesar conquered part of Gaul in 57&endash;52 B.C., and it remained Roman until Franks invaded in the 5th century.

In medieval times France was the most powerful nation in Europe, with a population of 15 million. It was a monarchy, meaning that it was ruled by kings.

For many years England owned parts of France, and there were wars until the French kings won them back. Protestant religion spread throughout France in the 16th century and led to civil wars. In the 18th century, France was the centre of the civilized world.

After a series of expensive foreign wars that weakened the government, the French had a Revolution where they executed their king, and set up a repuplic. Napoléon Bonaparte was made emperor in 1804. They got a king back briefly, but then had another revolution in 1848 and sent their last king, into exile. Prince Louis Napoléon, a nephew of Napoléon I's, declared the Second Empire in 1852 and took the throne as Napoléon III. He was in turn got rid of, and the French had the Third Republic.

A new France emerged from World War I as the continent's main power. But four years of war had ruined northeast France.

In World War II the Germans occupied parts of France for most of the war. Troops from Britain and the USA helped free France at the end of the war.

The Fourth Republic was born on Dec. 24, 1946. The empire became the French Union; the National Assembly was strengthened and the presidency weakened; and France joined NATO.

On June 1, 1958, de Gaulle set up a Fifth Republic, adopted on Sept. 28. He was elected president on Dec. 21, 1958.