GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FRANCE

The area of France is 551.5 thousand square kilometers, the population is 59.5 million people in 2001 In terms of area, France is the third country in Europe (after Russia and Ukraine) and the first in Western Europe (about a fifth of the territory of the European Union), more than twice the area of great Britain.

  In 2000, France ranked fifth in the world in terms of GDP production after the United States, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. Its GDP  was 1294.2 billion dollars. (per capita 24,223 per year at PPP in United States dollars 2000).

France occupies the westernmost part of the European mainland and in the configuration of the territory resembles a hexagon with maximum distances of no more than 1000 km, and there is not a single settlement remote from the sea coast or riverbed for more than 50 km.

France owns the island of Corsica and a number of small coastal islands in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as overseas departments and territories – Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Pierre and Mekelon, Reunion, French Guiana, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna – with a total area of 127 thousand square kilometers, with a  population of 1.5 million people.

France can be called a country of Atlantic and Mediterranean, Rhine and Pyrenean. The convenience of sea and land ties, the nodal geographical position among the largest Western European states, in the neighborhood with the economic centers of the region (South-Eastern England, Rhine Germany, Western Switzerland, Northwestern Italy) contributed to the early development of its economy, the growth of trade and cultural relations. However, this geographical position was also one of the reasons for the repeated invasion of its territory by foreign conquerors.

Natural conditions and resources. The main differences in the natural conditions of France, like Germany, are due to the gradual increase in the surface from north to south. The entire northern and western part, that is, almost half of the country, is occupied by the lowlands. These are areas of former sinking of the earth’s crust, filled with sedimentary deposits. The most extensive of them are the North French (Aquitaine)  lowland – the main vital region of the country. Significant oil deposits are associated with sedimentary deposits of the Aquitaine lowland. In the central, northeastern and northwestern regions there are ancient Hercynian massifs: the Central French Massif, the Vosges, the Ardennes, the Armorican massif, formed more than 200 million years ago. Many minerals are associated with these geological structures.

In the south and south-west rise the young mountains of alpine folding – the Alps and the Pyrenees. These mountain systems have large water reserves, their vast alpine and subalpine meadows are used for pastures, forests provide raw materials for the woodworking industry. The main mineral resources of France are iron ores, bauxite, tungsten, lead, tin, silver. Nevertheless, the country is not rich enough in energy resources: the reserves of coal, oil and gas are insignificant. More important are the uranium reserves in the Massif Central and the energy of mountain rivers, in particular the Rhone and its Alpine tributaries. In the future, there are great opportunities in using the energy of sea tides, reaching a height of 12-16 meters off the coast of France. The most important minerals are located on the outskirts of the country. Deposits of coal, potassium and rock salts are located  in the north-east of the country (Alsace). There are many iron ores in Lorraine, but they are poor in terms of iron content. In the south of the country – in Provence and Languedoc – bauxite, but their production due to unprofitability is currently suspended. France is rich in natural building materials.

The climate of France is formed under the influence of the air masses of the Atlantic and is characterized as marine, moderately warm and humid. In most of the country (excluding the mountains), winter temperatures are positive, snow cover is usually absent, rivers do not freeze. The annual rainfall is 600-1000 mm. Only in the north-west of the country (Brittany) agriculture suffers from excess moisture, and on the Mediterranean coast (Mediterranean type of climate) – from lack of moisture in the summer. The mildest winter is distinguished by the extreme eastern part of the coast of France – the Riviera (in Nice, the average temperature in July is +230, in January +80). Climatic conditions allow the cultivation of crops of both the temperate zone and the subtropics (citrus fruits in Corsica).

France has many rivers, but few lakes. Rivers have large reserves of hydropower, especially the Rhone and its tributaries, they account for half of the hydropower reserves, the rivers of the Central Massif – 20%.

The soils – brown forest, humus-carbonate – are quite fertile, especially the soils of the North-French lowland.

France is a country of international tourism and mountaineering. Favorable climate, historical and architectural monuments, huge opportunities for the development of mountaineering and winter sports in the mountains, a dense network of good roads, hotels and restaurants attract tens of millions of foreigners, and all this brings the country large revenues.

The nature of France is strongly cultivated by man: 33% of the area is occupied by arable land; 27% – forests (mostly planted); 21% – pastures and hayfields; 2.5% – vineyards, orchards and vegetable gardens; 17% – built-up and unused land.

Population. Politics. France is a country that is relatively homogeneous in ethnic composition. About 97% of its population is French, one of the Romance peoples of Europe. In ancient times, the territory of France was inhabited by the Gauls (Celts), hence its ancient name – Gaul. Later, the Gauls mixed with the Roman conquerors and Germanic tribes. The name “French”, like “France”, came from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who conquered the northern part of the country in the V century BC.

Other national minorities – Alsatians and Lorraines, Basques, Corsicans live on the periphery of the country, as well as immigrants (Italians, Portuguese, Moroccans, Algerians, etc.). They make up more than 4 million people – 7-8% of the total population. France’s population is growing faster than in other major European countries, as the state encourages increased birth rates and immigration. France has accepted immigrants throughout its history. The population of France is 1% of the world’s population (17th place in the world). The average birth rate in 2000 was 12.3/1000, mortality – 9.1 / 1000, infant mortality – 4.5 / 1000. Average life expectancy in 2000 is 78.8 years, including 74.8 years for men and 82.9 years for women. The working-age population is 42% of the total, in the UNITED STATES this figure is 48%, in Japan – 49%. Women make up 51.3% of the country’s population.

The social class structure of the population: 85% of the workers are hired persons (workers and employees), 12% are small entrepreneurs of the city and villages and helping family members and about 3% are large businessmen-employers who control the bulk of the national heritage and the politics of France. The standard of living of the population is approximately the same as  in Germany and the UK, but 2-2.5 times higher than in modern Russia.

Almost all religions are represented in France, but among believers Catholics   make up 81.2% of the total population, Muslims – 6.9%, Protestants – 1.6%, Orthodox – 0.3%, other religions – 10%. The influence of the church is weaker than in Italy and Spain.

France provides compulsory free education for children from 6 to 16 years old, but secondary education is largely different from other European countries and consists of the following levels: mother school (corresponds to our kindergartens), primary, college, lyceum and higher education. The peculiarity of the education system is that the state is responsible for the maintenance and organization of education, provides vocational training, recruitment, management and remuneration of teachers.  Along with public educational institutions, there are also private ones, especially those that carry out confessional (Catholic) education, they cover about 20% of students. The entire education system is characterized by a differentiated approach to the abilities of students, an informal atmosphere in educational groups and a trusting relationship with teachers. Education is secular in nature and is built on the principles of political, ideological and religious impartiality.

In 1998, the number of schoolchildren and students exceeded 15 million people, which was a quarter of the country’s population. In addition, the education system is the largest employer, employing more than 1.2 million people – just over half of the total number of civil servants. Public spending on education accounts for 7.4% of GDP.

Three quarters of the population lives in cities, with half in individual dwellings. The main form of urban settlement is agglomeration, and in rural areas small villages and hamlets are typical. In France, there are 52 agglomerations (urban zones), which account for about 60% of all citizens. Five of them are the largest. The Paris agglomeration is home to 10.6 million people or 17.5% of the country’s population. In France, as in the UK, the importance of the capital is exceptionally high, which stands out sharply in terms of the number of inhabitants among other centers. The next largest agglomerations are Lyon (1.6 million people), Marseille (1.4 million people), Lille (1.1 million people), Toulouse (0.9 million people); they are inferior to Paris by 7-10 times. Therefore, the government of the country pursues a policy of restraining the growth of Paris. Here, the construction of new factories and other facilities is limited, the development of other economic regions and centers is stimulated.

France is a presidential republic. The constitution of 1958 with amendments is in force.

The head of state is the president, elected for a period of 7 years by direct universal suffrage, endowed with broad powers: appoints members of the government, is the supreme commander-in-chief, has the right to dissolve the National Assembly.

The highest legislative body is the Parliament, consisting of two chambers – the National Assembly, elected for a term of 5 years, and the Senate; senators are elected for 9 years; every three years, the senate is renewed by one third.

The government is responsible to the parliament, it can be given a vote of no confidence by the National Assembly. This requires an absolute majority of votes of all deputies.

France is divided into 96 departments and 36,600 communes. In most cases, the departments bear the names of the rivers and mountains located on their territory. National minorities, with the exception of corsicans, have no autonomy.

Major political parties: French Socialist Party, Rally for the Republic, Union for French Democracy, Communist Party of France, National Front.