About France...
France has the largest land area of any Western European nation and lies between the Mediterranean Sea on the southeast and the Bay of Biscay and English Channel to the north and west. France has a total land area of 547,030 square kilometers (211,208 square miles) and a coastline of 3,427 kilometers (2,130 miles). It shares borders with Andorra, Monaco, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. Its area is about four-fifths of the size of Texas.
Paris, the capital city, is the largest city in France and Europe (excluding Russia), and accommodates about one-sixth of the country's population. Other cities with over a million people including surrounding areas are Lyon, Marseille, and Lille.
France is among the most industrialized countries of the world. It is a member of the G8, a group of countries which comprises the 7 largest industrial democracies, plus the Russian Federation. In 1999, the French GDP was almost identical to that of Great Britain and comfortably larger than that of Italy.
The principal manufacturing companies are located in Ile-de-France, Rhone-Alpes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, and Pays de la Loire regions. New industrial areas emerged around the English Channel and Mediterranean Sea in order to save shipment costs of imported raw materials. Even though some French companies, such as Renault and Airbus, are world famous, most French firms are characterized as moderate to small-sized. But small firms tend to be ineffective in the world market because of heavy competition from companies based in countries with cheaper labour costs or higher and better production technologies.
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| Exports To France Facts |
| Location: |
Western Europe |
| Coordinates: |
46 00 N, 2 00 E |
| Int. Dialing Code: |
+33 |
| Currency: |
The Euro |
| Language: |
French |
| Area: |
643,427 sq km |
| Capital City: |
Paris |
| Population: |
64,057,792 |
| Population Ranking: |
21st In The World |
| Employment: |
92.6% |
| Inflation: |
2.8% |
| GDP: |
$2.867 trillion |
| GDP Ranking: |
9th In The World |
| GDP Growth: |
0.3% (2008) |
| Internet Users: |
42.912 million |
| Television Stations: |
584 |
| Phone Lines: |
35.909 million (2008) |
| Mobile Phones: |
59.259 million (2008) |
| Major Industry: |
machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism |
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