Encyclopedia
France , officially the
French Republic , is a country whose
metropolitan territory is located in
Western Europe and which also comprises various overseas islands and territories located in other regions. Metropolitan France extends from the
Mediterranean Sea to the
English Channel and the
North Sea, and from the
Rhine to the
Atlantic Ocean. French people often refer to Metropolitan France as
L'Hexagone because of the geometric shape of its territory.
France is bordered by
Belgium,
Luxembourg,
Germany,
Switzerland,
Italy,
Monaco,
Andorra, and
Spain. In some of its overseas departments, France also shares land borders with
Brazil,
Suriname, and the
Netherlands Antilles. France is also linked to the
United Kingdom via the
Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the
English Channel .
The French Republic is a
democracy which is organised as a
unitary semi-presidential republic. It is a
developed country with the sixth-largest economy in the world. Its main ideals are expressed in the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. France is one of the founding members of the
European Union, and has the largest land area of all members. France is also a founding member of the
United Nations, and a member of
La Francophonie, the
G8, and the
Latin Union. It is one of the five permanent members of the
United Nations Security Council wielding veto power, and it is also one of eight acknowledged
nuclear powers. France is the most popular international tourist destination in the world, receiving over 75 million foreign tourists annually, followed by Spain , the U.S.A. and China .
The
name France originates from the
Franks, a
Germanic tribe that occupied the region after the fall of the
Western Roman Empire. More precisely, the region around
Paris, called Île-de-France, was the original French royal demesne.
Geography
While the main territory of France is located in
Western Europe, France is also constituted from a number of territories in
North America, the
Caribbean,
South America, the southern
Indian Ocean, the
Pacific Ocean, and
Antarctica . These territories have varying forms of government ranging from overseas
département to "overseas country".
Metropolitan France possesses a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges in the south-east and the south-west . The highest point in western Europe is situated in the French Alps:
Mont Blanc at 4,810
metres above sea-level. There are several other elevated regions such as the
Massif Central, the
Jura, the
Vosges, and the
Ardennes which are quite rocky and forested. France also has extensive
river systems such as the
Loire, the
Rhône, the
Garonne and the
Seine.
At 674,843 km² , France is the world's 40th-largest country .
Metropolitan France, with 551,695 km² , is somewhat larger than
Yemen and
Thailand, and somewhat smaller than
Kenya and the US state of
Texas.
Due to its overseas departments and territories scattered on all oceans of the planet, France possesses the second-largest
Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 square kilometres , just behind the EEZ of the
United States , but ahead of the EEZ of
Australia . The EEZ of France covers approximately 8% of the total surface of all the EEZs of the world, whereas the land area of the French Republic is only 0.45% of the total land area on Earth
Contrast and diversity
France is known around the world as a diverse country in its people, architectures and landscapes. About 50% of the French population claim to have foreign background, which makes France one of the most diverse countries in the world. Old and more recent immigrants came to France from the five continents .
China and the United Kingdom contributed most of its immigrants in 2005. France is also home of the highest point in Europe and the lowest point of Europe, Delta du Rhone, . France is seventeen-times smaller than Brazil and half the size of Ontario, which means that one hour by plane or eight hours by car are enough to cross the whole country from one extremity to the other. Despite its size, France's landscapes are extremely varied from one region to another, ranging from Paris and its suburbs to high alpine territory to oceanfront resort towns.
On the one hand, France is highly densified with old architecture such as the city of Paris or the Centre of Troyes. The
French Familly code is 200 years old and has been written under
Napoleon. On the other hand, France is a highly developed country with an extensive highway network , 32,000 kilometres of railways , along with modern ski resorts and gigantic malls.
France is also the country with the fastest average
internet connection speed , and in 2004, for the 3rd time in a row, the French healthcare system has been ranked number one in the world by the
World Health Organisation.
History
- See also: List of meanings of countries' names
The borders of modern France are roughly the same as those of ancient
Gaul, which was inhabited by
Celtic
Gauls. Gaul was conquered by
Julius Caesar in the 1st century BC, and the Gauls eventually adopted
Roman speech and Roman culture.
Christianity took root in the 2nd century and 3rd century AD, and became so firmly established by the fourth and fifth centuries that St. Jerome wrote that Gaul was the only region “free from heresy”. In the Middle Ages, the French would adopt this as a justification for calling themselves “the Most-Christian Kingdom of France.”
In the 4th century AD, Gaul's eastern frontier along the
Rhine was overrun by
Germanic tribes, principally the
Franks, from whom the ancient name of "Francie" was derived. The modern name "France" derives from the name of the feudal domain of the Capetian Kings of France around Paris. Existence as a separate entity began with the
Treaty of Verdun , with the division of
Charlemagne's Carolingian empire into
East Francia,
Middle Francia and
Western Francia. Western Francia approximated the area occupied by modern France.
The Carolingians ruled France until 987, when Hugh Capet, Duke of France and Count of Paris, was crowned King of France. His descendants, the Capetian, Valois and
Bourbon dynasties progressively unified the country through a series of wars and dynastic inheritance. The monarchy reached its height during the 17th century and the reign of
Louis XIV. At this time France had a tremendous influence over European politics, economy and culture and possessed the largest population in Europe .
The monarchy ruled France until 1789, when the French Revolution took place.
King Louis XVI and his wife,
Marie Antoinette, were killed, along with thousands of other French citizens. During this era France played a major role in the
American Revolution by providing capital and some military assets to the anti-British rebels.
Napoleon Bonaparte seized control of the Republic in 1799, making himself First Consul, and later
Emperor of what is now known as the
First French Empire . In the course of several wars, his armies conquered most of continental Europe, with members of the Bonaparte family being appointed as monarchs of newly established kingdoms.
Following Napoleon's defeat in 1815 at the
Battle of Waterloo, the French monarchy was re-established. In 1830, a civil uprising established the
constitutional July Monarchy followed by the
Second Republic in 1848. The short-lived Second Republic ended in 1852 when
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaimed the
Second French Empire. Louis-Napoléon was unseated following the
Franco-Prussian war of 1870 to be replaced by the
Third Republic.
France had
colonial possessions, in various forms, since the beginning of the 17th century until the 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, its global colonial empire was the second largest in the world behind the
British Empire. At its peak, between 1919 and 1939, the second French colonial empire extended over 12,347,000 square kilometres of land. Including
metropolitan France, the total area of land under French sovereignty reached 12,898,000 square kilometres in the 1920s and 1930s, which is 8.6% of the world's land area.
Though ultimately a victor in
World War I, France had suffered enormous losses both human and
material that weakened it for the decades to come. The 1930s were marked by a variety of social reforms introduced by the Popular Front government.
During
World War II, after a short but grievous and violent battle, France's political leadership chose to surrender to
Germany and enter a policy of collaboration with the enemy, a move that some disagreed with, leading to the formation of the
Free French Forces outside of France and of the
French Resistance inside. France was finally liberated by the Allies in 1944.
After its liberation the country attempted to hold on to its
colonial empire, the comparative economic status, population and status as a dominant
nation state. The Fourth Republic was established after World War II, but was soon found too weak and unstable, and was replaced in 1958 by the current semi-presidential Fifth Republic established under General
Charles de Gaulle.
In 1946, France's half-hearted attempt at regaining control of its
Indochina colony resulted in the
First Indochina War, which finally ended with French defeat and withdrawal in 1954. Only months later, France faced a new, and even harsher conflict in its oldest major colony,
Algeria. The debate over whether or not to keep control of Algeria, then home to over 1 million European settlers, wracked the country and nearly led to civil war. In 1958, the Fifth French Republic was established, with a greatly strengthened presidency; in this role, Charles de Gaulle managed to keep the country together while taking steps to end the war. The
Algerian War of Independence was concluded with peace negotiations in 1962, which led to Algerian independence.
In recent decades, France's reconciliation and cooperation with
Germany have proved central to the political and economic integration of the evolving
European Union, including the introduction of the
euro in January 1999. France has been at the forefront of European Union member states seeking to exploit the momentum of monetary union to create a more unified and capable European Union based political, defence and security apparatus. However the French electorate voted against ratification of the
European Constitutional Treaty in May 2005.
Government and politics
The constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by referendum on 28 September 1958. It greatly strengthened the authority of the executive in relation to
Parliament.
Under the constitution, the
President of the French Republic is elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a 5-year term. Presidential arbitration assures regular functioning of the public powers and the continuity of the state. The president names the prime minister, presides over the cabinet, commands the armed forces, and concludes treaties.
The French
parliament is a bicameral legislature comprising a
National Assembly 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 , 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, except for constitutional laws . The government has a strong influence in shaping the agenda of Parliament.
For the past thirty years, French politics has been characterised by two politically opposed groupings: one left-wing, centred around the French Socialist Party, and the other right-wing, centred around the
Rassemblement pour la République and its successor the
Union pour un Mouvement Populaire . The right-wing Front National party made significant inroads in the early 1980s by seizing on voter concern about the perceived decline of France, 'national dissolution' as a result of immigration and globalisation, and by advocating tougher law-and-order and immigration policies. Lately its share of the votes has remained stable at approximately 16%.
French foreign policy has been largely shaped by membership of the
European Union. On 29 May 2005 the French electorate voted in the
referendum with about 55% against ratification of the proposed
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. The outcome of the vote was widely regarded as crucial for the future development of the EU, as well as for France's ability to retain leadership in Europe.
France is also a member of the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community , the Indian Ocean Commission , an associate member of the
Association of Caribbean States and a leading member of the
International Francophone Organisation of fifty-one fully or partly French-speaking countries.
France hosts the headquarters of the
OECD,
UNESCO,
Interpol, and the International Bureau for Weights and Measures in charge of the international metric system.
Administrative divisions
France is divided into 26 administrative
régions: 22 are in
metropolitan France , and four are overseas
régions. The
régions are further subdivided into 100
départements. The departments are numbered and this number is used, for instance, in postal codes and vehicle number plates.
The departments are further subdivided into 342
arrondissements, but they have no elected assembly and serve only for the districting of state administrations. The arrondissements are further divided into 4,035
cantons, but again these serve only administrative and electoral purposes. Finally, the arrondissements are divided into 36,682
communes, which are municipalities with an elected assembly .
The
régions,
départements, and
communes are known as "territorial collectivities" , meaning they possess local assemblies as well as an executive, while the
arrondissements and the
cantons are mere administrative divisions. Until 1940, the
arrondissements were also territorial collectivities with an elected assembly , but these were suspended by the
Vichy regime and definitely abolished by the Fourth Republic in 1946. Historically, the
cantons were also territorial collectivities with their elected assemblies.
Four of the
départements are overseas
départements which are an integral part of France and thus enjoy a status similar to metropolitan départments.
In addition to the 26
régions and 100
départements, the French Republic is further made up of four overseas collectivities, one
sui generis collectivity , and one overseas territory.
Overseas collectivities and territories form part of the French Republic, but do not form part of the
EU or its fiscal area. The Pacific territories continue to use the Pacific franc whose value is linked to that of the
euro. In contrast, the four overseas
régions/
départements used the French franc and now use the euro.
France also maintains control over a number of small non-permanently inhabited islands in the
Indian Ocean and the
Pacific Ocean:
Bassas da India,
Clipperton Island,
Europa Island,
Glorioso Islands,
Juan de Nova Island,
Tromelin Island. See Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Transportation
Military
The French
armed forces are divided into four branches:
