France

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

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Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

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Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

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Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

Today, the total military budget is more than US$50 billion which represents around 2 percent of the French GDP, 2.6 percent of total global military expenditure and makes France the sixth highest military spender in the world.

The French military industrial complex is one of the largest in Europe. Its military consists of a Navy an Air force and land forces, with a notable focus on the French foreign Legion. This Legion has been established in the first half of the 19th century and has been developed in one of the most efficient armies in the world.

Military membership

It is also a member of 14 international military organizations. These are:

States with nuclear weapons
Common Security and Defence Policy
Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation
Permanent Structured Cooperation
Member state of NATO
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Wassenaar Arrangement
Nuclear Suppliers Group
Australia Group
Missile Technology Control Regime
International Atomic Energy Agency
NATO

Is a member of 21 international political organizations, France is the second most politically integrated state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
United Nations Security Council
International Labour Organization
European Union
the Council of Europe
Energy Community
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Group of Eight (G8)
Union for the Mediterranean
Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Pacific Community
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie

UNIDROIT
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels
Association of World Election Bodies
Western European and Others Group
World Organization for Animal Health

Military membership

International wars

Throughout its history, France has fought 99 wars. This makes France the second state with the highest number of wars. It has fought the following wars:

Little War in Hungary 1530-1551
Thirty Years' War 1618-1648
War of the Spanish Succession 1701-1714
Rákóczi's War of Independence 1703-1711
War of the Quadruple Alliance 1718-1710
War of the Polish Succession 1733-1738
Polish succession war 1733-1739
Seven Years' War 1756-1763
War of the First Coalition 1791-1797
War of the League of Cambrai 1508-1516
Italian War of 1511–16
War of the League of Cognac 1516-1530
Italian War of 1536–38
Italian War of 1541–46
Italian War of 1551–59
France Antarctique

Eighty Years' War 1568-1648

War of the Portuguese Succession 1580-1583

Equinoctial France War 1611-1615

Relief of Genoa 1615-1615

Relief of Genoa 1615-1615

Franco-Spanish War (1635–59)

Catalan Revolt 1640-1659

Second Anglo-Dutch War 1665-1667

War of Devolution 1667-1668

Franco-Dutch War 1671-1678

Third Anglo-Dutch War 1671-1674

Scanian War 1675-1679

War of the Reunions 1683-1684

Nine Years' War 1688-1697

King William's War 1689-1697

Williamite War in Ireland 1689-1691

Queen Anne's War 1701-1713
Chickasaw Wars 1711-1763
King George's War 1744-1748
Jacobite rising of 1745 1745-1746
First Carnatic War 1746-1748
Second Carnatic War 1749-1754
French and Indian War
Fantastic War 1761-1763
Bar Confederation
American Revolutionary War 1775-1783
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War 1780-1784
Second Anglo-Mysore War 1780-1784
Haitian Revolution 1791-1804
War in the Vendée 1793-1796
War of the Second Coalition 1798-1801
Quasi-War 1798-1798

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Known as the birthplace of liberalism, France holds relatively free and fair elections that are transparent. There is a low amount of corruption which ranks France is the 18th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of France are in the form of a semi-presidential republic in which several electoral rounds ensure the election of the French president.

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Known for having the most iconic buildings in the world such as the Eiffel tower and the Notre Dame as well as having the largest museum in the world which houses the Mona Lisa, France has had a rich history. From around 600 BC until the fifth century, it was ruled by the Roman empire. After losing its territory to the Franks, which divided the territory into feudal states. Until 1660, inter-feudal fighting as well as wars between the feudal states and England ensued. With a full consolidation of power by King Louis XIV, the French kingdom expanded. However, due to civic unrest and a high disparity between the Royal class and the working population, the French Revolution arose with the slogan freedom equality and brotherhood. After losing its terrain and refusing to cede his power, King Louis XIV was executed in 1793 which gave way to the establishment of the first French Republic. Around 10 years later, Napoleon Bonaparte had gained power as emperor of France and within ten years, France had gained large parts of Europe. After being defeated in 1813, a new French government was established which throughout the 19th century has seen a lot of political instability. This has led to France being unprepared for the first world war in which the German Empire had fought most of its battles on French soil. After the defeat of the Germans in 1918, France has sought reparations from Germany through the Treaty of Versailles. With the inability of financial repayments by Germany France occupied the Rhineland which put a large portion of the German population under French rule. At the start of the second world war, France was fully conquered by Germany and split up into occupied France and the Vichy France which had a pro-Nazi attitude. After the defeat of Nazi Germany after the second world war, France had slowly given independence to its colonies and started to focus on economic growth throughout the 20th century. Currently, France is a member of the European Union and is the second largest economy within the European union. .

A large part of France is made up of flat terrain that is part of the European plain. Most of its terrain is flat or hilly and is either cultivated or densely forested. Its borders are largely characterized by its geography with its connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, mountain ranges on the border with Spain and Andorra to its south as well as with Monaco, Italy and Switzerland to its east, the Rhine River that separates it from Germany to its north east as well as some low-lying mountains that border Luxembourg and Belgium to its north.

With a total surface area of 643,882 square kilometers or 248,605 square miles, France is the 42nd largest state in the world being slightly smaller than South Sudan and slightly larger than Somalia.

It is the 78th state with the largest amount of water which is estimated to be 3391 square kilometers or 1310 square miles.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Being home to some of the largest rivers in Europe, France has a surplus of water that is around 60 times its use. Tap water is safe to drink throughout France.

Afghanistan's share of water, as well as the other states are displayed below.

The climate of France is mostly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean with a small part that borders the Mediterranean Sea which is considered to be a subtropical zone. Lower temperatures can be found in the mountain ranges to its south, southeast and its east. On average, the temperature is 17.9 degrees Celsius or 64.1 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the summer season, which spans from June to September, the average temperature goes up to 26.9 degrees Celsius or 80.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

The average low temperature drops down to 11.9 degrees Celsius or 71.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Most of France is considered to be humid and with an average rainfall of 51.13 centimetres or 20.1 inches, France is the 159th state with the most rainfall.

Being home to the fourth most populous capital in Europe, Paris is home to around 10 million people. The capital that is closest located to Paris is Brussels Belgium with a distance of 243.3 kilometers or 151 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Paris is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 18,972 kilometers or 11,788 miles.

With a high diversification throughout all of its sectors, France is home to some of the largest companies in the world. Its economy is characterized by being a mixed, but open economy which has private freedoms as well as the central economic planning by the government. Because of its diversification, France mainly exports transport equipment, largely from its aviation industry, electronics as well as its agricultural products most notably its cheese and wine. These are mainly exported to Germany and the United States which represents around 25 percent of total exports. Most of its imports comes from China and Germany which also combines represent 25 percent of its total imports. Another large source of income is tourism. France is the most visited state in the world which is estimated to be 1.2 times its total population per year.

France is a member of 24 international economic organizations which makes France the most economically integrated state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

African development Bank
Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
Council of Europe Development Bank
Financial Action Task Force
Inter-American Development Bank
International Energy Agency
International Development Law Organization
International Monetary Fund
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
World Bank Group

World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
TRACECA Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia
Group of Ten (economics)
Indian Ocean Rim Association
International Energy Agency
Energy Charter Treaty
Energy Community
Nuclear Energy Agency
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
G20

With a GDP of US$2 trillion, the French economy is the seventh largest in the world and represents 2.39 percent of total global GDP.

It has the 38th highest GDP per surface area which stands at US$3.1 billion per square kilometer or US$8 billion per square mile.

It has the 26th highest GDP per capita which stands at US$40,125.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

The purchasing power is the 27th highest in the world and is around US$46,163.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a population of nearly 66 million people, France is the 22nd most populous state in the world. It has French as its official language which is spoken by virtually all of its citizens with small minorities in the bordering area. Contrary to other states, France does not have a register for people that immigrated to France. This means that the demographic changes are not recorded by the French government, but it is estimated that around 88 percent of the population is native French.

France has the 83rd highest population density in the world which is 102 people per square kilometer or 264 people per square mile.

Emigration from France is estimated to be around three percent of the total population, or around 2 million people. This makes France the 35th state with the highest number of emigrants representing 0.79 percent of total global emigration. States within its immediate area which represents around 60 percent of total emigration. The remaining 40 percent has migrated mainly to North America and former French colonies.

Immigration to France has been limited in recent years, but it has the seventh highest amount of immigrants in the world which is around 8.4 million people, or around 12.4 percent of the population and represents 3.3 percent of total global immigration. The largest provider of immigrants is Algeria, followed by Morocco Portugal and Tunisia which combined represent nearly 50 percent of total immigration to France.

It has the 27th highest literacy rate in the world which stands at 98.9 percent. Education is provided mainly by the state with the exception of some private schooling. Schooling starts from the age of three and is obligatory until adulthood.

The health care system of France is considered to be one of the best in the world. Partially funded by the state, it has some of the best medical equipment in the world. The average life expectancy is the seventh highest globally and stands at 83.2 years. Women reach the age of 85.8 years while men reach the age of 80.3 years.

Ever since the French Revolution, freedom of religion is guaranteed. However, only at the start of the 20th century France became a secular state. The French government does not recognize any religion officially.

Christianity is the largest religion and is followed by 63 percent of the population which makes it the 105th most Christian state in the world. Catholicism is the largest denomination with a much smaller portion adhering to the Protestant denomination.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

With around 7.9 percent of the population adhering to Islam, Islam is the second largest religion in France. Most Muslims have arrived to France from the Maghreb, with the largest portion, from Algeria was a part of France until 1962.

Buddhism is the fifth largest religion in France and has most of its followers originating from former Southeast Asian colonies. Today, around 0.07 percent of the population adheres to Buddhism.

Hinduism is practiced by 0.08 percent of the population and is the fourth largest religious group. Most Hindus come from India, with a smaller portion from Nepal and Afghanistan.

Judaism is the third largest religion in France and is followed by 0.57 percent of the population. Throughout its feudal periods, many Jews were expelled from the smaller kingdoms and only gained equal rights at the end of the 19th century. Between the 20th century and present day, there is a continuing anti-Semitic sentiment throughout France which has led to the emigration of many Jews to Israel.

Around 0.33 percent of the population adheres to other religions. These are neopaganism as well as religions that come from immigrants from former African colonies.

The second largest group within France is the irreligious group which represents 18.76 percent of the French population.