beef, dairy products; fish catch of 850,000 metric tons ranks among
world's top 20 countries and is all used domestically

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American cocaine and
Southwest Asian heroin

Exports: $235.5 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals,
foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles
and clothing
partners: Germany 17.1%, Italy 9.3%, Spain 7.1%, Belgium-Luxembourg
8.7%, UK 9.9%, Netherlands 4.6%, US 7.0%, Japan 2.0%, Russia 0.5%

Imports: $229.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
commodities: crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural
products, chemicals, iron and steel products
partners: Germany 17.8%, Italy 10.1%, US 8.5%, Netherlands 4.9%,
Spain 8.8%, Belgium-Luxembourg 9.1%, UK 7.9%, Japan 3.7%, Russia 1.2%

External debt: $300 billion (1993 est.)

Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $7.915 billion (1993)

Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.0056 (January
1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992),
5.6421 (1991)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation
--------------

Railways:
total: 33,891 km
standard gauge: 33,524 km 1.435-m gauge; 32,275 km are operated by
French National Railways (SNCF); 13,741 km of SNCF routes are
electrified and 12,132 km are double- or multiple-tracked
narrow gauge: 367 km 1.000-m gauge
note: includes Corsica; does not include 33 tourist railroads,
totalling 469 km, many being of very narrow gauge (1995)

Highways:
total: 1,511,200 km
paved: 811,200 km (including 7,700 km of expressways)
unpaved: 700,000 km (1992 est.)
note: includes Corsica

Waterways: 14,932 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled

Pipelines: crude oil 3,059 km; petroleum products 4,487 km;
natural gas 24,746 km

Ports: Bordeaux, Boulogne, Cherbourg, Dijon, Dunkerque, La
Pallice, Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Mullhouse, Nantes, Paris, Rouen,
Saint Nazaire, Saint Malo, Strasbourg

Merchant marine:
total: 55 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,203,086 GRT/1,779,263
DWT
ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 5, chemical tanker 5, container 7,
liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 16, passenger 1, roll-on/roll-off
cargo 6, short-sea passenger 5, specialized tanker 1
note: France also maintains a captive register for French-owned
ships in the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antar