FRANCE

French Republic is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean.France is a founding member of the United Nations, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and a member of the Francophonie, the G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, and the Latin Union. It is also a founding and leading member state of the European Union and the largest one by area. In 2011, France was listed 20th on the Human Development Index and 24th on the Corruption Perceptions Index (2010)Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.

Flag National Emblem

Capital(and largest city) PARIS 48°51.4’N2°21.05’E

Government Unitary semi-presidential costitutional republic

President Nicolas Sarkozy

Demographics Religion Education Agriculture

Anthem: La Marseillaise

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city of France. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.

Monument

Montmartre. Basilique du Sacré-CoeurThe Opera Garnier Notre Dame de Paris

Eiffel Tower

Panorama of Paris which shows some of its landmarks

GovernmentMain articles: Government of France and Constitution of France

Logo of the French RepublicThe French Republic is a unitary semi-presidential republic with strong democratic traditions. The

constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by referendum on 28 September 1958It greatly strengthened the authority of the executive in relation to parliament. The executive branch itself has two leaders: the President of the Republic, currently Nicolas Sarkozy, who is head of state and

is elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a 5-year term (formerly 7 years), and the Government, led by the president-appointed Prime Minister, currently François Fillon.

The basic principles that the French Republic must respect are found in the 1789

Nicolas Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy has been the President of the French Republic since 2007The French parliament is a bicameral legislature comprising a National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) and a Senate. The National Assembly deputies represent local constituencies and are directly elected for 5-year terms. The Assembly has the power to dismiss the cabinet, and thus the majority in the Assembly determines the choice of government. Senators are chosen by an electoral college for 6-year terms (originally 9-year terms), and one half of the seats are submitted to election every 3 years starting in September 2008. The Senate's legislative powers are limited; in the event of disagreement between the two chambers, the National Assembly has the final say. The government has a strong influence in shaping the agenda of Parliament.France has a mixed economy which combines extensive private enterprise (nearly 2.5 million companies registered) with substantial (though declining) state enterprise and government intervention (see dirigisme). The government retains considerable influence over key segments of infrastructure sectors, with majority ownership of railway, electricity, aircraft, nuclear power and telecommunications.

DemographicsThe largest cities in France, in terms of metropolitan area population, are Paris (11,836,970), Lyon (1,757,180), Marseille (1,618,369), Lille (1,163,934), Toulouse (1,118,472), Bordeaux (1,009,313), Nice (999,678), Nantes (768,305) and Strasbourg (641,853).the official language of France is French, a Romance language derived from Latin.Besides French, there exist 77 vernacular minority languages of France, 8 in the French metropolitan territory of continental Europe and 69 in the French overseas territories.

France's legacy: a map of the Francophone world native language

administrative language secondary or non-official language

francophone minorities

             Notre-Dame de Reims is the Roman Catholic cathedral where the kings of France were crowned until 1825.

ReligionRoman Catholicism has been the predominant religion in France for more than a millennium, though it is not as actively practiced today as it once was.Since 1905 the French government has followed the principle of laïcité, in which it is prohibited from recognising any specific right to a religious community.

EducationIn 1802, Napoléon Bonaparte created the lycée. Nevertheless it is Jules Ferry who is considered to be the father of the French modern school, which is free, secular, and compulsory until the age of 13 since 1882 (school attendance in France is now compulsory until the age of 16).Nowadays, the schooling system in France is centralized, and is composed of three stages, primary education, secondary education, and higher education.CultureFrance has been a center of cultural creation for centuries. Many French artists have been among the most renowned of their time, and France is still recognized in the world for its rich cultural tradition.The 43,180 buildings protected as historical monuments include mainly residences (many castles, or châteaux in French) and religious buildings (cathedrals, basilicas, churches, etc.), but also statutes, memorials and gardens. The UNESCO inscribed 37 sites in France on the World Heritage List.

AgricultureFrance has historically been an important 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 Europa (representing alone 20% of the EU's agricultural production) and the world's third biggest exporter of agricultural products. With 81.9 million foreign tourists in 2007, France is ranked as the first tourist destination in the world.France, and especially Paris, have some of the world's largest and renowned museums, including the Louvre, which is the most visited art museum in the world, but also the Musée d'Orsay, mostly devoted to impressionism, and Beaubourg , dedicated to Contemporary art.

Vinevards near Carcassonne.