Part 77
Unemployment rate:
7.9% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 85 8.2% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 24.7% (2007)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
29.5 (2007) country comparison to the world: 115 25.6 (1991)
Investment (gross fixed):
18.7% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 100
Public debt:
45.4% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 59 40.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.1% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 21 0% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
1.75% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 114 3% (31 December 2008)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
3.51% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 141 5.79% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$108 billion (31 December 2010 est) country comparison to the world: 29 $110.4 billion (31 December 2009 est)
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders
Stock of broad money:
$160.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 44 $168.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$259.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 36 $241.6 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$91.02 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 27 $154.4 billion (31 December 2008)
$369.2 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish
Industries:
metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
Electricity - production:
77.44 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Electricity - consumption:
87.25 billion kWh (2008) country comparison to the world: 32
Electricity - exports:
3.335 billion kWh (2008)
Electricity - imports:
16.11 billion kWh (2008)
Oil - production:
8,718 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 86
Oil - consumption:
206,200 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Oil - exports:
130,500 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 61
Oil - imports:
337,900 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Oil - proved reserves:
NA bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
Natural gas - production:
NA (2008 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
4.289 billion cu m (2009) country comparison to the world: 63
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 178
Natural gas - imports:
4.289 billion cu m (2009) country comparison to the world: 34
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 178
Current account balance:
$4.696 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 $3.444 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$73.53 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 $62.69 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
electrical and optical equipment, machinery, transport equipment, paper and pulp, chemicals, basic metals; timber
Exports - partners:
Germany 10.32%, Sweden 9.79%, Russia 9%, US 7.85%, Netherlands 5.9%, UK 5.24%, China 4.1% (2009)
Imports:
$69.11 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 39 $57.68 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains
Imports - partners:
Russia 16.28%, Germany 15.76%, Sweden 14.65%, Netherlands 6.99%, China 5.29%, France 4.22% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$9.128 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 56 $11.45 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$370.8 billion (30 June 2010) country comparison to the world: 23 $339.5 billion (31 December 2008)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$87.99 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 35 $85.71 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$122.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 24 $118.7 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7715 (2010), 0.7179 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006)
Communications ::Finland
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.43 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 65
Telephones - mobile cellular:
7.7 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 76
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system with excellent service
domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive mobile-cellular network provide domestic needs
international: country code - 358; submarine cables provide links to Estonia and Sweden; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
Broadcast media:
a mix of publicly-operated TV stations and privately-owned TV stations; the 2 publicly-owned TV stations recently expanded services and the largest private TV station has introduced several special-interest pay-TV channels; cable and satellite multi-channel subscription services are available; all TV signals have been broadcast digitally since September 2007; analog broadcasts via cable networks were terminated in February 2008; public broadcasting maintains a network of 13 national and 25 regional radio stations; a large number of private radio broadcasters (2008)
Internet country code:
.fi; note - Aland Islands assigned .ax
Internet hosts:
4.394 million (2010) country comparison to the world: 21
Internet users:
4.393 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 55
Transportation ::Finland
Airports:
148 (2010) country comparison to the world: 37
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 75
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 14 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 73
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 70 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 694 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 5,794 km country comparison to the world: 31 broad gauge: 5,794 km 1.524-m gauge (3,047 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 78,141 km country comparison to the world: 62 paved: 50,914 km (includes 739 km of expressways)
unpaved: 27,227 km (2009)
Waterways:
7,842 km (includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia; water transport is used frequently in the summer and is widely replaced with sledges on the ice in winter; there are 187,888 lakes in Finland that cover 31,500 km) (2010) country comparison to the world: 18
Merchant marine:
total: 93 country comparison to the world: 53 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 26, carrier 1, chemical tanker 6, container 3, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 16, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 28, vehicle carrier 3
foreign-owned: 6 (Cyprus 1, Estonia 2, Iceland 1, Norway 2)
registered in other countries: 52 (Bahamas 8, Germany 5, Gibraltar 2, Liberia 2, Malta 2, Netherlands 14, Norway 1, Panama 2, Sweden 16) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Helsinki, Kotka, Naantali, Porvoo, Raahe, Rauma
Military ::Finland
Military branches:
Finnish Defense Forces (FDF): Army, Navy (includes Coastal Defense Forces), Air Force (Suomen Ilmavoimat) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for male voluntary and compulsory - and female voluntary - national military and nonmilitary service; service obligation 6-12 months; mandatory retirement at age 60 (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,160,812
females age 16-49: 1,111,743 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 958,949
females age 16-49: 916,818 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 33,297
female: 32,233 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
2% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 74
Transnational Issues ::Finland
Disputes - international:
various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands
page last updated on January 20, 2011
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@France (Europe)
Introduction ::France
Background:
Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999.
Geography ::France
Location:
metropolitan France: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain
French Guiana: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Guadeloupe: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico
Martinique: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Reunion: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates:
metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E
French Guiana: 4 00 N, 53 00 W
Guadeloupe: 16 15 N, 61 35 W
Martinique: 14 40 N, 61 00 W
Reunion: 21 06 S, 55 36 E
Map references:
metropolitan France: Europe
French Guiana: South America
Guadeloupe: Central America and the Caribbean
Martinique: Central America and the Caribbean
Reunion: World
Area:
total: 643,427 sq km; 551,500 sq km (metropolitan France) country comparison to the world: 42 land: 640,053 sq km; 549,970 sq km (metropolitan France)
water: 3,374 sq km; 1,530 sq km (metropolitan France)
note: the first numbers include the overseas regions of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion
Area - comparative:
slightly less than the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
metropolitan France - total: 2,889 km
border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km
French Guiana - total: 1,183 km
border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Coastline:
total: 4,668 km
metropolitan France: 3,427 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean)
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral
French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average
Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)
Terrain:
metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
French Guiana: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin
Martinique: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m
note: in order to assess the possible effects of climate change on the ice and snow cap of Mont Blanc, its surface and peak have been extensively and periodically measured in recent years; these new peak measurements have exceeded the traditional height of 4,807 m and have varied between 4,808 m and 4,811 m; the actual rock summit is 4,792 m and is 40 m away from the ice-covered summit
Natural resources:
metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, fish
French Guiana: gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay
Land use:
arable land: 33.46%
permanent crops: 2.03%
other: 64.51%
note: French Guiana - arable land 0.13%, permanent crops 0.04%, other 99.83% (90% forest, 10% other); Guadeloupe - arable land 11.70%, permanent crops 2.92%, other 85.38%; Martinique - arable land 9.09%, permanent crops 10.0%, other 80.91%; Reunion - arable land 13.94%, permanent crops 1.59%, other 84.47% (2005)
Irrigated land:
total: 26,190 sq km;
metropolitan France: 26,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
189 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 33.16 cu km/yr (16%/74%/10%)
per capita: 548 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
metropolitan France: flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean
overseas departments: hurricanes (cyclones); flooding; volcanic activity (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion)
Environment - current issues:
some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
largest West European nation
People ::France
Population:
64,768,389 country comparison to the world: 21 note: the above figure is for metropolitan France and its four overseas regions; the metropolitan France population is 62,814,233 (July 2010 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,129,729/female 5,838,925)
15-64 years: 65% (male 20,963,124/female 20,929,280)
65 years and over: 16.4% (male 4,403,248/female 6,155,767) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 39.7 years
male: 38.2 years
female: 41.2 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.525% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Birth rate:
12.43 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 160
Death rate:
8.65 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
Net migration rate:
1.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 47
Urbanization:
urban population: 77% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.051 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 3.31 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 215 male: 3.63 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 81.09 years country comparison to the world: 12 male: 77.91 years
female: 84.44 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.97 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 131
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 83
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
140,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,600 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Nationality:
noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French
Ethnic groups:
Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities
overseas departments: black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian
Religions:
Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%
overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan
Languages:
French (official) 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
overseas departments: French, Creole patois
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
5.6% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 42
Government ::France
Country name:
conventional long form: French Republic
conventional short form: France
local long form: Republique francaise
local short form: France
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Paris
geographic coordinates: 48 52 N, 2 20 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
note: applies to metropolitan France only, not to its overseas departments, collectivities, or territories
Administrative divisions:
26 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy), Bourgogne (Burgundy), Bretagne (Brittany), Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse (Corsica), Franche-Comte, Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy), Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Martinique, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Reunion, Rhone-Alpes
note: France is divided into 22 metropolitan regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and 4 overseas regions (including French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion) and is subdivided into 96 metropolitan departments and 4 overseas departments (which are the same as the overseas regions)
Dependent areas:
Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Wallis and Futuna
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica; New Caledonia has been considered a "sui generis" collectivity of France since 1998, a unique status falling between that of an independent country and a French overseas department
Independence:
no official date of independence: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 August 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14 July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 September 1792 (First French Republic founded); 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established)
National holiday:
Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July)
Constitution:
adopted by referendum 28 September 1958; effective 4 October 1958; amended many times
note: amended concerning election of president in 1962; amended to comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1997 Amsterdam Treaty, 2003 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration laws in 1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to a five-year term; amended in 2005 to make the EU constitutional treaty compatible with the Constitution of France and to ensure that the decision to ratify EU accession treaties would be made by referendum
Legal system:
civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Francois FILLON (since 17 May 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 22 April and 6 May 2007 (next to be held in the spring of 2012); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Nicolas SARKOZY elected; first round: percent of vote - Nicolas SARKOZY 31.2%, Segolene ROYAL 25.9%, Francois BAYROU 18.6%, Jean-Marie LE PEN 10.4%, others 13.9%; second round: SARKOZY 53.1%, ROYAL 46.9%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (343 seats; 321 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 3 for overseas territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms; one third elected every three years); note - between 2006 and 2011, 15 new seats will be added to the Senate for a total of 348 seats - 326 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 3 for overseas territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; starting in 2008, members will be indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms with one-half elected every three years; and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; 555 for metropolitan France, 15 for overseas departments, 7 for dependencies; members elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 21 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2014); National Assembly - last held on 10 and 17 June 2007 (next to be held in June 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 151, PS 102, PCF 22, MoDem 11, NC 11, Greens 5, PG 2, other 39; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - UMP 46.4%, PS 42.2%, miscellaneous left wing parties 2.5%, PCF 2.3%, NC 2.1%, PRG 1.6%, miscellaneous right wing parties 1.2%, the Greens 0.4%, other 1.2%; seats by party - UMP 313, PS 186, NC 22, miscellaneous left wing parties 15, PCF 16, miscellaneous right wing parties 9, PRG 7, the Greens 3, other 6
Judicial branch: