The World Factbook (1982)/France

by the Central Intelligence Agency

FRANCE

(See reference map V)

LAND

551,670 km²; 35% cultivated, 26% meadows and pastures, 14% waste, urban, or other, 25% forested

Land boundaries: 2,888 km

WATER

Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 12 nm (fishing 200 nm; exclusive economic zone 200 nm)

Coastline: 3,427 km (includes Corsica, 644 km)

PEOPLE

Population: 54,174,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.4%

Nationality: noun—Frenchman (men); adjective—French

Ethnic divisions: 45% Celtic; remainder Latin, Germanic, Slav, Basque

Religion: 83% Catholic, 2% Protestant, 1% Jewish, 1% Muslim (North African workers), 13% unaffiliated

Language: French (100% of population); rapidly declining regional patois—Provençal, Breton, Germanic, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish

Literacy: 97%

Labor force: 20.5 million (September 1979); 47% services, 35% industry, 9% agriculture, 9% unemployed

Organized labor: approximately 17% of labor force, 23% of salaried labor force

GOVERNMENT

Official name: French Republic

Type: republic, with President having wide powers

Capital: Paris

Political subdivisions: 96 metropolitan departments, 21 regional economic districts

Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; new constitution adopted 1958, amended concerning election of President in 1962; judicial review of administrative but not legislative acts; legal education at over 25 schools of law

National holiday: National Day, 14 July

Branches: presidential appointed Prime Minister heads Council of Ministers, which is formally responsible to National Assembly; bicameral legislature—National Assembly (491 members), Senate (304 members) restricted to a delaying action; judiciary independent in principle

Government leader: President François MITTERRAND

Suffrage: universal over age 18; not compulsory

Elections: National Assembly — every five years, last election June 1981, direct universal suffrage, two ballots; Senate —indirect collegiate system for nine years, renewable by one-third every three years, last election September 1980; President, direct, universal suffrage every seven years, two ballots, last election May 1981

Political parties and leaders: majority coalition—Socialist Party (PS), Lionel Jospin; Communist Party (PCF), Georges Marchais; Left Radical Movement (MRG), Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg; right opposition—Rally for the Republic (RPR, formerly UDR), Jacques Chirac; Republicans (PR), Jacques Blanc; Center for Social Democrats (CDS), Jean Lecanuet; Radical (RAD), Didier Bariani; Union for French Democracy (federation of PR, CDS, and RAD), Jean Lecanuet

Voting strength (first ballot, 1981 election): diverse left, 2.05%; Communist, 16.17%; Socialist, 36.12%; left Radical 1.39%; RPR, 20.8%; UDF, 19.2%; diverse right, 2.8%; other 1.47%

Communists: 600,000 claimed; Communist voters, 4 million in 1981 elections

Other political or pressure groups: Communist-controlled labor union (Confédération Générale du Travail) nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); Socialist-leaning labor union (Confédération Française Democratique du Travail—CFDT) about 800,000 members est.; Independent labor union (Force Ouvrière) about 1,000,000 members est.; Independent white collar union (Confédération Générale des Cadres) 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Français—CNPF or Patronat)

Member of: ADB, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECSC, EEC, EIB, ELDO, EMA, ESRO, EURATOM, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMCO, IMF, IOOC, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC—International Whaling Commission, NATO (signatory), OAS (observer), OECD, South Pacific Commission, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

ECONOMY

GNP: $535 billion (1979), $10,010 per capita; 63.5% private consumption, 21.2% investment (including government), 13.0% government consumption; 1979 real growth rate, 3.2%; average annual growth rate (1970-79), 3.7%

Agriculture: Western Europe's foremost producer; main products—beef, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; self-sufficient for most temperate zone foodstuffs; food shortages—fats and oils, tropical produce; caloric intake, 3,270 calories per day per capita (1969-70)

Fishing: catch 713,620 metric tons (1979); exports (includes shellfish, etc.) $243 million, imports $968 million (1979)

Major industries: steel, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, chemicals, food processing, metallurgy, aircraft, motor vehicles

Shortages: crude oil, textile fibers, most nonferrous ores, coking coal, fats and oils

Crude steel: 23.4 million metric tons produced (1979), 440 kg per capita

Electric power: 74,913,000 kW capacity (1981); 300.150 billion kWh produced (1981), 5,589 kWh per capita

Exports: $98 billion (f.o.b., 1979); principal items—machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing, chemicals

Imports: $107 billion (c.i.f., 1979); principal items—crude petroleum, machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel products, foodstuffs, agricultural products

Major trade partners: 18% West Germany; 11% Italy; 9% Belgium-Luxembourg; 6% US; 7% Franc Zone; 7% UK; 6% Netherlands; 2% Eastern Europe; 2% USSR (1979)

Aid: donor—(1970-79) bilateral economic aid commitments (ODA and OOF), $24.5 billion

Budget: (1979) expenditures 478 billion francs, revenues 443 billion francs, deficit 35 billion francs

Monetary conversion rate: 1 franc=US$0.2352 (1979 average)

Fiscal year: calendar year

COMMUNICATIONS

Railroads: 36,775 km total; French National Railways (SNCF) operates 34,520 km standard gauge (1.435 m); 10,079 km electrified, 15,630 km double or multiple track; 2,255 km of various gauges (1.000 m to 1.440 m), privately owned and operated

Highways: 1,542,400 km total; 27,500 km national highway; 340,000 km departmental highway; 420,000 km community roads; 750,000 km rural roads; 4,900 km of controlled-access divided "autoroutes"; approx. 861,000 km have bituminous-treated surface or better

Inland waterways: 14,912 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled Pipelines: crude oil, 2,253 km; refined products, 4,344 km; natural gas, 22,532 km

Ports: 24 major, 20 secondary, 24 minor

Civil air: 313 major transport aircraft, including 18 leased in and 4 leased out

Airfields: 465 total, 448 usable; 237 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m, 34 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 123 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: highly developed system provides satisfactory telephone, telegraph, and radio and TV broadcast services; 22.2 million telephones (41.5 per 100 popl.); 55 AM, 423 FM, and 5,676 TV stations; 25 submarine coaxial cables; 2 communication satellite ground stations with total of 6 antennas

DEFENSE FORCES

Military manpower: males 15-49, 13,620,000; fit for military service 11,549,000; 428,000 reach military age (18) annually

Military budget: proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1982, $22.4 billion; about 18.3% of proposed central government budget