- Capital city: Paris
- Total area: 550 000 km²
- Population: 60.9 million
- Currency: euro
Situated in Western Europe, France is bordered to the east by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, and to the south by Spain. The island of Corsica is an integral part of the country. France has a population density of 105 people per km2, with Greater Paris supporting a population of ten million. Foreign residents account for 6.3% of the population, of which 1.3 million workers originate from countries of the European Union. Algerians form the second largest foreign community, followed by Moroccans.
France is the largest agricultural country in western Europe and after Italy, the world's biggest producer of wine. It is also one of the world's leading industrial countries, as it is prominent in the area of steel production, cars and aerospace. Major export sectors include motor vehicles and aircraft, pharmaceuticals, electrical machinery, plastics and plastic products. Imports consist mainly of mineral fuels, motor vehicles and aircraft, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications equipment.
France is a presidential republic in which, under the constitution, power is shared between the President, the Government and the National Assembly. The President is elected directly by the people for a term of five years. He is the Head of State and appoints the Prime Minister. He presides over the Council of Ministers, may dissolve the National Assembly and submit major bills to referendum. Parliament consists of two chambers: the National Assembly and the Senate. The Government is responsible to the National Assembly.
France
