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France

France
General information
Common nameFrance
Local name 
Name 
Motto
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
(Liberty, Equality, Fraternity)
Anthem"La Marseillaise"
CapitalParis
Largest citycapital
Official languagesFrench
Regional languages
(both official
and not official)
{{Collapsible list|title= 
DemonymFrench
Government
GovernmentUnitary semi-presidential republic
PresidentNicolas Sarkozy (UMP)
Prime MinisterFrançois Fillon (UMP)
LegislatureParliament
Upper HouseSenate
Lower HouseNational Assembly
FormationFormation
Francia486 (Unification by Clovis)
West Francia843 (Treaty of Verdun)
Current constitution5 October 1958 (5th Republic)
EU accession25 March 1957
Geography
Total Area213010 sq mi (551695.9 km2) (47th)
Urban Area213010 sq mi (551695.9 km2) (47th)
Demography
Population Est.63136180 (20th) (2011 estimate)
Density (pop.)116.2/km2 (89th) (301/sq mi)
Economy
GDP PPP$2.216 trillion (2011) (9th)
GDP (PPP) per capita$35,048 (24th)
GDP (nominal)$2.808 trillion (2011) (5th)
GDP (nominal) per capita$44,400 (20th)
Other information
Gini28.9 (2008)
HDI(+) 0.872 (2010) (very high) (14th)
CurrencyEuro, CFP franc
(EUR, XPF)
Time zoneCET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)CEST (UTC+2)
Drives on theright
Internet TLD.fr
Calling code331

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France (c-enaudio=en-us-France.ogglangˈfræns or c-enˈfrɑːns ; -frfʁɑ̃slangfrance, officially the French Republic ( -frʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 sq mi).

Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.

France has its main ideals expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The French Republic is defined as indivisible, secular, democratic and social by its constitution. France is one of the world's most developed countries and possesses the world's fifth largest and Europe's second largest economy by nominal GDP. France is the wealthiest European (and the world's 4th) nation in aggregate household wealth. France enjoys a high standard of living as well as a high public education level, and has also one of the world's highest life expectancies. France has been listed as the world's "best overall health care" provider by the World Health Organization. It is the most visited country in the world, receiving 82 million foreign tourists annually.

France has the world's third largest nominal military budget, the third largest military in NATO and EU's largest army. France also possesses the third largest nuclear weapons stockpile in the world � with ~300 active warheads � and the world's second largest diplomatic corps (second only to that of the United States).

France is a founding member of the United Nations, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and a member of the Francophonie, the G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, and the Latin Union. It is also a founding and leading member state of the European Union and the largest one by area. In 2010, France was listed 14th on the Human Development Index and 24th on the Corruption Perceptions Index.


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