General Profile 643,801 sq km; 551,500 sq km (metropolitan Total area France) 65,630,692 (July 2012 est.)

Transcription

1 Chapter: General Profile France Country Profile France Country Profile Politics Economy Trade & Industries General Profile 643,801 sq km; 551,500 sq km (metropolitan Total area France) Population 65,630,692 (July 2012 est.) Government type Republic Chief of state President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012) Prime Minister Jean-Marc AYRAULT (since 16 May Head of government 2012) Capital Paris metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy Climate season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average Mayotte: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April) Language French (official) 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) overseas departments: French, Creole patois, Mahorian (a Swahili dialect) 1

2 Chapter: Economy Profile Major City PARIS (capital) million; Marseille-Aix-en- Provence million; Lyon million; Lille million; Nice-Cannes 977,000 (2009) Economy Profile World GDP Growth -5% 9% - France GDP Growth -2.6% 1.4% 1.7% GDP $2.808 trillion (2011 est.) GDP Per capita $35,000 (2011 est.) Agriculture: 1.7% GDP Composition by sector Industry: 18.5% Services: 79.8% (2011 Est.) Inflation 2% (2011 est.) Exchanges Rates euros (EUR) per US dollar (2011 est.) Machinery, Chemicals, Automobiles, Metallurgy, Primary Economy Sector Aircraft, Electronics; Textiles, Food Processing; Tourism Unemployment Rate 9.1% (2011 est.) 2

3 Chapter: Ports and Terminals Ports and Terminals International Airports Election results Ministry Name Calais, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Paris, Rouen Strasbourg International Airport Francois Hollande Elected; First Round: Percent Of Vote - Francois Hollande 28.6%, Nicolas Sarkozy 27.2%, Marine Le Pen 17.9%, Lean-Luc Melenchon 11.1%, Francois Bayrou, 9.1%, Others 6.1%; Second Round: Hollande 51.6%, Sarkozy 48.4% Min. of Agriculture, Food Supply, Fisheries, Rural Areas, & Regional Development Min. of Apprenticeship & Vocational Training Min. of Budget, Public Accounts, Civil Service, & State Reform & Govt. Spokesman Min. of Cooperation Min. of Culture & Communication Min. of Defense & War Veterans Min. of Economy, Finance, & Industry Min. of European Affairs Min. of Foreign & European Affairs Min. of Higher Education & Research Min. of Industry, Energy, & the Digital Economy Min. of the Interior, Overseas France, Territorial Admin., & Immigration Min. of Justice & Liberties & Keeper of the Seals Min. of Labor, Employment, & Health Min. of National Education, Youth, & Community Service Min. of Overseas France Min. of Public Admin. Min. of Relations With Parliament Min. of Solidarity & Social Cohesion Min. of Sports Min. of Territorial Admin. Bruno LE MAIRE Nadine MORANO Valerie PECRESSE Henri DE RAINCOURT Frederic MITTERRAND Gerard LONGUET Francois BAROIN Jean LEONETTI Alain JUPPE Laurent WAUQUIEZ Eric BESSON Claude GUEANT Michel MERCIER Xavier BERTRAND Luc CHATEL Marie-Luce PENCHARD Francois SAUVADET Patrick OLLIER Roselyne BACHELOT- NARQUIN David DOUILLET Philippe RICHERT 3

4 Chapter: Ministry Name Min. of Towns Maurice LEROY 4

5 Chapter: Political parties and leaders Political parties and leaders France Economy Characteristics Centrist Union or UDF [Nicolas ABOUT]; Democratic Movement or MoDem [Francois BAYROU] (previously Union for French Democracy or UDF); French Communist Party or PCF [Pierre LAURENT]; Greens [Cecile DUFLOT]; Left Party or PG [Jean-Luc MELENCHON]; Left Radical Party or PRG [Jean-Michel BAYLET] (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG); Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS]; National Front or FN [Marine LE PEN]; New Anticapitalist Party or NPA [Myriam MARTIN and Christine POUPIN]; New Center or NC [Herve MORIN]; Radical Party [Jean- Louis BORLOO]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA]; Republican and Citizen Movement or MRC [Jean-Luc LAURENT]; Socialist Party or PS [Martine AUBRY]; United Republic or RS [Dominique DE VILLEPIN]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Nicolas SARKOZY]; Worker's Struggle or LO [Nathalie ARTHAUD] France is transitioning from an economy that has featured extensive government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms but is in the midst of a euro-zone crisis. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, banks, and insurers, and has ceded stakes in such leading firms as Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales. It maintains a strong presence in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries. With at least 75 million foreign tourists per year, France is the most visited country in the world and maintains the third largest income in the world from tourism. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and welfare. France's real GDP contracted 2.6% in 2009, but recovered somewhat in 2010 and The unemployment rate increased from 7.4% in 2008 to 9.3% in 2010 and 9.1% in Lower-thanexpected growth and increased unemployment have cut government revenues and increased borrowing costs, contributing to a deterioration of France's public finances. The government budget deficit rose sharply from 3.4% of GDP in 2008 to 7.5% of GDP in 2009 before improving to 5.8% of GDP in 2011, while France's public debt rose from 68% of GDP to 86% over the same period. Under President SARKOZY, Paris implemented austerity measures that eliminated tax credits and froze most government spending in an effort to bring the budget deficit under the 3% euro-zone ceiling by 2013 and to highlight France's commitment to fiscal discipline at a time of intense financial market scrutiny of euro-zone debt levels. Socialist Francois HOLLANDE won the May 2012 presidential election, after advocating pro -growth 5

6 Chapter: International organization participation International organization participation Main Industry Biggest Company economic policies, as well as measures such as forcing banks to separate their investment and savings businesses, increasing taxes on bank profits, introducing a new top bracket on income taxes for people earning over?1 million ($1.3 million) a year, and hiring an additional 60,000 civil servants during his five-year term of office. A Permanent Member Of The United Nations Security Council, NATO, The G-8, The G-20, The EU, The Organization For Security And Cooperation In Europe (OSCE), The WTO, La Francophonie, And Other Multilateral Institutions Wheat, Corn, Meat And Wine, Telecommunications, Electronics, Cars, Aerospace And Weapons Total, BNP Paribas, AXA Group, GDS Suez, EDF 6