Country Profile: France

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France
Last reviewed: 10 July 2009

Country information

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Area (not including overseas territories): 547,030 sq km (land: 545,630 sq km; water: 1,400 sq km)
Population: 63.4 million
Capital City: Paris
Language(s): French
Religion(s): Roman Catholic 90%, Muslim (primarily North African) 8%, Protestants 2%, Jewish 1%, Unaffiliated 4%
Currency: Euro
Head of State: President Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP)
Prime Minister: M. François Fillon (UMP)
Foreign Minister: M. Bernard Kouchner(Independent, former PS)

National Assembly groups (seats)	Political parties
Union pour un Mouvement Populaire(319) Union for a Popular Movement (Presidential majority)	Union pour un Mouvement Populaire(UMP) Union for a Popular Movement (right) Independents
Nouveau Centre (22) New Centre (Presidential majority)	Nouveau Centre (NC) New Centre (centre-right) Independents
Socialiste, Radical et Citoyen (204) Socialist, Radical and Citizen (opposition)	Parti Socialiste (PS) Socialist Party (left) Parti Radical de Gauche (PRG) Left Radical Party (centre-left) Mouvement Républicain et Citoyen (MRC) Citizens' Republican Movement (left) Independents
Gauche Démocrate et Républicaine (24) Democratic and Republican Left (opposition)	Parti Communiste Français (PCF) French Communist Party (far left) Les Verts The Greens (left)
Unaffiliated (8)	Mouvement Démocrate (MoDem) Democratic Movement (centre) Mouvement pour la France (MPF) Movement for France (far right) Independents
Parties without seats	Front National (FN) National Front (far right) Nouveau Parti Anti-Capitaliste (NPA) New Nati-Capitalist Party (far left) Lutte Ouvrière (LO) Workers' Struggle (far left) Other minor parties, representing environmental or hunting lobbies

Membership of international groups/organisations: EU, UN (Permanent Member of the UN Security Council), NATO, G8, EBRD, FAO, IMO, OECD, OSCE, WEU, WHO and many other smaller international groups.

DID YOU KNOW?

1270 UK towns are twinned with French towns - more than with any other country.
Kronenbourg beer is owned by Scottish & Newcastle Brewery.
The passenger capsules in the London Eye were supplied by a French cable car and ski lift company.
The centenary of the Entente Cordiale between Britain and France was celebrated in 2004.

The Franco-British Council was created, on the joint initiative of President Georges Pompidou and Prime Minister Edward Heath, when Britain joined the European Community. The aim is to promote better understanding between Britain and France and to contribute to the development of joint action through meetings of leading representatives of the worlds of culture, science, education, politics and business in the context of a developing Europe and of an increasingly globalised community.