France

France

French Republic

National name: République Française
President: Jacques Chirac (1995)
Prime Minister: Dominique de Villepin (2005)
Area: 211,208 sq. mi. (547,030 sq. km)
Population (2006 est.): 60,876,136
Capital and largest city (2000 est.): Paris, 9,854,000 (metro. area)
Other large cities: Marseille, 820,700; Lyon, 443,900; Toulouse, 411,800; Nice, 332,000; Nantes, 282,300; Strasbourg, 272,600; Bordeaux, 217,000
Monetary units: Euro
Languages: French, declining regional dialects (Provençal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican)
Ethnicity/race: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Southeast Asian, and Basque minorities
Religions: Roman Catholic, 81%; Protestant, 1.7%; Muslim, 6.9%; Jewish, 1.3% Source: Infoplease