r US$1 - 5.4812 (January 1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421
(1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988)
Fiscal year:
calendar year

*France, Communications

Railroads:
French National Railways (SNCF) operates 34,322 km 1.435-meter standard
gauge; 12,434 km electrified, 15,132 km double or multiple track; 99 km of
various gauges (1.000-meter), privately owned and operated
Highways:
1,551,400 km total; 33,400 km national highway; 347,000 km departmental
highway; 421,000 km community roads; 750,000 km rural roads; 5,401 km of
controlled-access divided autoroutes; about 803,000 km paved
Inland 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:
coastal - Bordeaux, Boulogne, Brest, Cherbourg, Dunkerque, Fos-Sur-Mer, Le
Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Sete, Toulon; inland - Rouen
Merchant marine:
130 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,224,945 GRT/5,067,252 DWT; includes
7 short-sea passenger, 10 cargo, 20 container, 1 multifunction large-load
carrier, 27 roll-on/roll-off, 36 oil tanker, 11 chemical tanker, 6 liquefied
gas, 2 specialized tanker, 10 bulk; note - France also maintains a captive
register for French-owned ships in the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern
and Antarctic Lands) and French Polynesia
Airports:
total:
471
usable:
461
with permanent-surface runways:
256
with runways over 3,659 m:
3
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
37
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
136
Telecommunications:
highly developed; extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks;
large-scale introduction of optical-fiber systems; satellite systems for
domestic traffic; 39,200,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 41 AM, 800
(mostly repeaters) FM, 846 (mostly repeaters) TV; 24 submarine coaxial
cables; 2 INTELSAT earth stations (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for the
Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 3 for the Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT); HF radio
communications with more than 20 countries; INMARSAT service; EUTELSAT TV
service

*France, Defense Forces

Branches:
Army, Navy (including Naval Air), Air Force, National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 14,662,761; fit for military service 12,247,950; reach
military age (18) annually 386,504 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $36.6 billion, 3.1% of GDP (1993 est.)

*French Guiana, Header

Affilia