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. At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy. The People | Population | total: 64,057,790
note: 60,876,136 in metropolitan France (July 2007 est.) | | Age structure | 0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,063,181/female 5,776,272)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 20,798,889/female 20,763,283)
65 years and over: 16.2% (male 4,274,290/female 6,038,011) (2007 est.) | | Life expectancy at birth | total population: 80.59 years
male: 77.35 years
female: 84 years (2007 est.) | Population growth rate | 0.588% (2007 est.) | | 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 | | Population below poverty | 6.2% (2004) | | People living with HIV/AIDS | 120,000 (2003 est.) | | HIV/AIDS - deaths | less than 1,000 (2003 est.) | | Mobile phones in use | 53.023 million; 51,662,000 (metropolitan France) (2006) | | Internet users | 31.295 million; 30.838 million (metropolitan France) (2007) |
Data (Background & The People) provided by The World Factbook |