ities

Religions: Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim
5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%

Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages
(Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1980 est.)

Government France

Country name: conventional long form: French Republic conventional
short form: France local long form: Republique Francaise local short
form: France

Government type: republic

Capital: Paris

Administrative divisions: 22 regions (regions, singular - region);
Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne,
Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie,
Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees,
Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes,
Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes note: metropolitan France is
divided into 22 regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse
or Corsica) and is subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries
for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique,
Reunion) and the overseas territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint
Pierre and Miquelon)

Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island,
French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands,
Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

Independence: 486 (unified by Clovis)

National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of
president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht
Treaty in 1992, Amsterdam Treaty in 1996, Treaty of Nice in 2000;
amended to tighten immigration laws 1993

Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of
administrative but not legislative acts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17
May 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN (since
7 May 2002) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term (changed from seven-year term in 2001); election last held 21 April
and 5 May 2002 (next to be held, first round NA April 2007, second round
NA May 2007); prime minister nominated by the