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Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless,
France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a
leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid
presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the
instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary
administrations. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation
with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe,
including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in
January 1999.
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metropolitan France: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Italy and Spain
French Guiana:
Northern South America, bordering the North
Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Guadeloupe:
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and
the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico
Martinique:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and
North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Reunion:
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east
of Madagascar
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metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E
French Guiana:
4 00 N, 53 00 W
Guadeloupe:
16 15 N, 61 35 W
Martinique:
14 40 N, 61 00 W
Reunion:
21 06 S, 55 36 E
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metropolitan France: Europe
French Guiana:
South America
Guadeloupe:
Central America and the Caribbean
Martinique:
Central America and the Caribbean
Reunion:
World
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total: 643,427 sq km; 551,500 sq km (metropolitan France)
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 42
land:
640,053 sq km; 549,970 sq km (metropolitan France)
water:
3,374 sq km; 1,530 sq km (metropolitan France)
note:
the first numbers include the overseas regions of
French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion
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slightly less than the size of Texas
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metropolitan France - total: 2,889 km
border countries:
Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km,
Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland
573 km
French Guiana - total:
1,183 km
border countries:
Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
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total: 4,668 km
metropolitan France:
3,427 km
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean)
continental shelf:
200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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Current Weather
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 season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating
cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average
Reunion:
tropical, but temperature moderates with
elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to
April)
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metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
French Guiana:
low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small
mountains
Guadeloupe:
Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior
mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven
other islands are volcanic in origin
Martinique:
mountainous with indented coastline; dormant
volcano
Reunion:
mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands
along coast
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lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point:
Mont Blanc 4,807 m
note:
in order to assess the possible effects of climate
change on the ice and snow cap of Mont Blanc, its surface and peak have
been extensively and periodically measured in recent years; these new
peak measurements have exceeded the traditional height of 4,807 m and
have varied between 4,808 m and 4,811 m; the actual rock summit is 4,792
m and is 40 m away from the ice-covered summit
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metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, fish
French Guiana:
gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium,
tantalum, clay
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arable land: 33.46%
permanent crops:
2.03%
other:
64.51%
note:
French Guiana - arable land 0.13%, permanent crops
0.04%, other 99.83% (90% forest, 10% other); Guadeloupe - arable land
11.70%, permanent crops 2.92%, other 85.38%; Martinique - arable land
9.09%, permanent crops 10.0%, other 80.91%; Reunion - arable land
13.94%, permanent crops 1.59%, other 84.47% (2005)
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total: 26,190 sq km;
metropolitan France:
26,000 sq km (2003)
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189 cu km (2005)
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total: 33.16 cu km/yr (16%/74%/10%)
per capita:
548 cu m/yr (2000)
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metropolitan France: flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean
overseas departments:
hurricanes (cyclones); flooding; volcanic activity
(Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion)
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some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94,
Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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largest West European nation
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64,768,389
country
comparison to the world: comparison to the world"">21
note:
the above figure is for metropolitan France and
its four overseas regions; the metropolitan France population is
62,814,233 (July 2010 est.)
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0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,129,729/female 5,838,925)
15-64 years:
65% (male 20,963,124/female 20,929,280)
65 years and over:
16.4% (male 4,403,248/female 6,155,767) (2010
est.)
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total: 39.7 years
male:
38.2 years
female:
41.2 years (2010 est.)
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0.525% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 152
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12.43 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 161
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8.65 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 83
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1.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 47
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urban population: 77% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
0.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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at birth: 1.051 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.72 male(s)/female
total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
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total: 3.31 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 216
male:
3.63 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
2.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
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total population: 81.09 years
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 12
male:
77.91 years
female:
84.44 years (2010 est.)
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1.97 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 131
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0.4% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 83
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140,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 38
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1,600 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 65
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noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective:
French
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Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities
overseas departments:
black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese,
Amerindian
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Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%
overseas departments:
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim,
Buddhist, pagan
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French (official) 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
overseas departments:
French, Creole patois
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
99%
male:
99%
female:
99% (2003 est.)
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total: 16 years
male:
16 years
female:
17 years (2008)
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5.6% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: comparison to the world""> 42
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conventional long form: French Republic
conventional short form:
France
local long form:
Republique francaise
local short form:
France
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republic
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name: Paris
geographic coordinates:
48 52 N, 2 20 E
time difference:
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time:
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
note:
applies to metropolitan France only, not to its
overseas departments, collectivities, or territories
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26 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy), Bourgogne (Burgundy), Bretagne (Brittany), Centre,
Champagne-Ardenne, Corse (Corsica), Franche-Comte, Guadeloupe, Guyane
(French Guiana), Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy), Ile-de-France,
Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Martinique, Midi-Pyrenees,
Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes,
Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Reunion, Rhone-Alpes
note:
France is divided into 22 metropolitan regions
(including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and 4
overseas regions (including French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and
Reunion) and is subdivided into 96 metropolitan departments and 4
overseas departments (which are the same as the overseas regions)
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Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Wallis and Futuna
note:
the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica;
New Caledonia has been considered a "sui generis" collectivity of France
since 1998, a unique status falling between that of an independent
country and a French overseas department
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4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established); notable earlier dates: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 August 843 (Western
Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14
July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 September 1792 (First French
Republic founded)
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Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first
anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the
establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday
are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of
July)
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adopted by referendum 28 September 1958; effective 4 October 1958; amended many times
note:
amended concerning election of president in 1962;
amended to comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1997
Amsterdam Treaty, 2003 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration
laws in 1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term
to a five-year term; amended in 2005 to make the EU constitutional
treaty compatible with the Constitution of France and to ensure that the
decision to ratify EU accession treaties would be made by referendum
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civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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18 years of age; universal
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chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007)
head of government:
Prime Minister Francois FILLON (since 17 May 2007)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president at
the suggestion of the prime minister
(For more information visit the World Leaders website  )
elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; election last held on 22 April and 6 May 2007 (next to be held in
the spring of 2012); prime minister appointed by the president
election results:
Nicolas SARKOZY wins the election; first round:
percent of vote - Nicolas SARKOZY 31.2%, Segolene ROYAL 25.9%, Francois
BAYROU 18.6%, Jean-Marie LE PEN 10.4%, others 13.9%; second round:
SARKOZY 53.1% and ROYAL 46.9%
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bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (343 seats; 321 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for
Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for Sa
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Replies
amelia,
I am reading the information on the other sites. I've mentioned this before, I had all but one book of Will Durant "Story of Civilization" I would read it sparingly. All worthy writers read Will Durant, including Cornel West. I gave all the volumes that I had except one was missing to Kaleo because I felt he had the discipline of focus and the abilities to zone into text like as if the pieces he is reading and trying to understand are like stone carvings.
What I am reading on your other sites was held together in these volumes that was rewritten and read by Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King. Often good writers would refer back to Will Durant in their moments of 'lonely' and activisim.
The "Secret Treaty of Verona" are all rewritten in those volumes of Will Durant "The Story of Civilization". These volumes were given to Kaleo, because he seems to be closer to the core of where our civilization went wrong as far as the 200,000 acrers of DHHL.
So when I read the citations of the "Secret Treaty of Verona" and the whole Roman origin, nature, and civilizations and in 1880 Scholars were given access to the Vatican Archives from one of your citations..I realized what one was posting.
Will Durant wrote the biography of civilization and one can compare back to those papers of the Vatican. Which is why great black scholars reads these books.
I'm sure they should be original copies at Hamilton Library. I will not be able to do much worth to these volumes so I gave them to Kaleo in hopes that the persons he is in contact with also too will begin to read without questions the whole framed in ideals of 'civilization'. I get so tired of the simplistic nature of the runneth of the mouth from the nationals and their too simplistic actions. They are acting like thugs, before during and after Hawaiian Kingdom activism and it is sinking the ship of ever reaching Independence for Hawaii. As to why they attack child bearing women and their children in the post actions it's beyond my comprehension.
Speculation of what could be is not my area of expertise, I feel that we Na Kanka come from a highly civilized genealogy we do not need to stoop to the weaknesses (ignorance) of civil (lie) zation.