Your host country,"la France"

GENERAL PROFILE

France is a multicultural society, the largest country in Western Europe (550.000 km2) with a population of 61.4 million inhabitants; 3.5 million are foreign residents. Bordered by four seas (North Sea, the Channel, The Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea), France is well known for its mountains and ski resorts (the Alps with Mont Blanc - the highest peak in Europe-, Pyrénées, Massif Central, Jura, and Vosges).

ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM

France is made up of 96 counties in metropolitan France (départments), four overseas departments called DOM (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guyana, and Réunion), three overseas territories called TOM (French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna), and territorial units – Mayotte, Saint- Pierre and Miquelon.

France is a Republic in which citizens, no matter of their creed or colour, are equal. French democracy today owes a lot to the French Revolution (1789). The French motto is: “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”; the French national day is July 14th and celebrates the storming of the Bastille in 1789. The President of France is the Head of State; he is elected for a five years mandate by universal suffrage. The President of the Republic appoints the Prime Minister and, on the latter’s recommendation, appoints the other members of the Government.

DIVERSE ECONOMY

The French economy encompasses all the large sectors of activity. France initiated the entry into a new technology age with a series of original innovations (Minitel home terminal and the smart card). Airliners and airbus industries rank France among the leaders in the world. The Space industry’s Ariane rocket handles 60% of west world’s civil satellite launchings. The Osaka airport and the Cairo subway are standard references for the French expertise in Engineering and Services. Aventis – the outcome of a merge between giants Rhône-Poulenc and Hoechst- is the world’s leader in Health and Pharmaceutics. The high speed train -TGV- record 515 km/hour- is an example of French high technology in Automotive and Railways industry. France ranks number one in the Luxury and Fashion industries; and third in income from Tourism industry after the United States and Italy. Home Equipment and Art of Living are traditional industries that are the backbone of what is called the “French art of living”.

DOUCE FRANCE

France has a strong attachment to its culture where traditional heritage is blending with contemporary artistic trends. As well as producing great artists itself, France has been exercising a fascination over world’s greatest creative minds such as Dali, Picasso, Van Gogh, Beckett, Miller or fashion designers like Kenzo. This attachment extends to the country’s superb architectural heritage and to the creativity and refinement in the art of cuisine and fashion (haute couture and prêt-à-porter).

For more information:

General profile

Diverse Economy

Douce France

Tourism in France

France guide