Geography

Location: Western Europe bordering the bay Biscay and English Channel, between Spain and Belgium, it’s southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, and between Italy and Spain.
Geographic Coordinates: 46 N, 2 E
Area: 341893.75 sq. mi
Population: 60.18 million
Capital City: Paris (population 13 million)
Coastline: 2141.875 mi
Area Comparative: A little less than twice the size of Colorado
Natural Resources: Coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, potash, timber, and fish.

People

Population: 60,180,529
Religions: Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%
Population growth rate: 0.42%
Birth rate: 12.54 births/1000
Death Rate: 9.05 deaths/1000
Languages: Breton, Catalan, Basque, French, and Corsican.
Literacy Rate: 99%

Government

Government: republic
Capital: Paris
National Holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July
Head of State: President Jacques Chirac
Head of Government: Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Reaffirm

Events

Holidays: January first-New Year’s Day, Late March early April-Easter Sunday and Monday, May first-May Day, May eighth-Victoire 1945, May (fortieth day after Easter)- Ascension Thursday, mid-May or mid- June (seventh sunday after easter)- Pentecost/Whit Sunday and Whit Monday, July fourteenth- Bastille day/ National day, August fifteenth- Assumption Day, November first, Remembrance Day, and December twenty-fifth- Christmas.

Economy

GDP: $1.58 trillion
GDP per capita: $26,000

Annual Growth: 4%

Extra Information

When to go to France: The spring time is the best weather conditions for visitors, but if you want to go to the beach the best time would be May. In autumn the temperatures aren’t too bad, but the short days mean limited sunlight. In the winter in France you could play in the snow in the Alps and Pyrenees, but they will be busy!

Weight and measurements: metric

France has twenty-one regions. Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Brittany, Burgandy, Center, Champagne, Corsica, Franche, Isle of France, Lanquedoc, limousin, Lorraine, Southern Pyrenees, Monaco, North straits of Dover, Lower Normandy, Overseas, Western Loire, Picardy, Poitou, Provence, and Rhone.

Bibliography
1. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/fr.html-The World Factbook-March 31, 2004
2. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/france/-Lonely Planet- March 31, 2004
3. http://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/chem_at_cam/issue09/news.html-Coal Face Chemisty-March 31, 2004
4. http://www.alassy.com/france/maps/france.jpg-Alassy-March 31, 2004

Created By: Brittany and Megan
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