Embassies

Embassy of the Republic of France in Beijing
Ambassador: H.E.Mr. Herve Ladsous
Address: No.3, Dong San Jie, San Li Tun, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Postal Code: 100600
Tel: (+86)10 8532 8080
Fax: (+86)10 8652 4841
E-mail: scac@ambafrance-cn.org
Office Hours: 08:30-11:45, Mon.-Fri. (Office of French Affaires)
Website: http://www.ambafrance-cn.org/



Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of France
Ambassador: Mr. Kong Quan
Address: 11, avenue George V - 75008 Paris
Tel: +33-1-49521950
Fax: +33-1-47205946, 47202422, 53758914
Office Hours: 09:00-12:00, 14:30-18:00, Monday-Friday (except holidays)
Email: chinaemb_fr@mfa.gov.cn
Website: http://fr.china-embassy.org/fra/ (French)



Geography

While Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe, France also has a number of territories in North America, the Caribbean, South America, the southern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and Antarctica.
These territories have varying forms of government ranging from overseas department to overseas collectivity.
Metropolitan France covers 547,030 square kilometres (211,209 sq mi),[23] having the largest area among European Union members and slightly larger than Spain. France possesses a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges of the Alps in the south-east, the Massif Central in the south-central and Pyrenees in the south-west. At 4,807 metres (15,770 ft) above sea-level, the highest point in Western Europe, Mont Blanc, is situated in the Alps on the border between France and Italy.[24] Metropolitan France also has extensive river systems such as the Loire, the Garonne, the Seine and the Rhône, which divides the Massif Central from the Alps and flows into the Mediterranean Sea at the Camargue, the lowest point in France (2 m / 6.5 ft below sea level).Corsica lies off the Mediterranean coast.
France's total land area, with its overseas departments and territories (excluding Adélie Land), is 674,843 square kilometres (260,558 sq mi), 0.45% of the total land area on Earth. However, France possesses the second-largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world, covering 11,035,000 square kilometres (4,260,000 sq mi), approximately 8% of the total surface of all the EEZs of the world, just behind the United States (11,351,000 km? / 4,383,000 sq mi) and ahead of Australia (8,232,000 km? / 3,178,000 sq mi).[
Metropolitan France is situated between 41° and 51° North, on the western edge of Europe, and thus lies within the northern temperate zone. The north and northwest have a temperate climate, while a combination of maritime influences, latitude and altitude produce a varied climate in the rest of Metropolitan France.[27] In the south-east a Mediterranean climate prevails. In the west, the climate is predominantly oceanic with a high level of rainfall, mild winters and cool to warm summers. Inland the climate becomes more continental with hot, stormy summers, colder winters and less rain. The climate of the Alps and other mountainous regions is mainly alpine, with the number of days with temperatures below freezing over 150 per year and snow cover lasting for up to six months.




Government
The French Republic is a unitary semi-presidential republic with strong democratic traditions. The constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by referendum on 28 September 1958. It greatly strengthened the authority of the executive in relation to parliament. The executive branch itself has two leaders: the President of the Republic, currently Nicolas Sarkozy, who is head of state and is elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a 5-year term (formerly 7 years), and the Government, led by the president-appointed Prime Minister, currently François Fillon.
The French parliament is a bicameral legislature comprising a National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) and a Senate. The National Assembly deputies represent local constituencies and are directly elected for 5-year terms. The Assembly has the power to dismiss the cabinet, and thus the majority in the Assembly determines the choice of government. Senators are chosen by an electoral college for 6-year terms (originally 9-year terms), and one half of the seats are submitted to election every 3 years starting in September 2008.[28] The Senate's legislative powers are limited; in the event of disagreement between the two chambers, the National Assembly has the final say, except for constitutional laws and lois organiques (laws that are directly provided for by the constitution) in some cases. The government has a strong influence in shaping the agenda of Parliament.




Population
With an estimated population of 65.1 million people,[5] France is the 19th most populous country in the world. France's largest cities are Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, Nice, and Nantes.
In 2003, France's natural population growth (excluding immigration) was responsible for almost all natural population growth in the European Union. In 2004, population growth was 0.68% and then in 2005 birth and fertility rates continued to increase. The natural increase of births over deaths rose to 299,800 in 2006. The total fertility rate rose to 2.02 in 2008,[5] from 1.88 in 2002.
In 2004, a total of 140,033 people immigrated to France. Of them, 90,250 were from Africa and 13,710 from Europe.
In 2005, immigration level fell slightly to 135,890.
France is an ethnically diverse nation. According to the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies, it has an estimated 4.9 million foreign-born immigrants, of which 2 million have acquired French citizenship.
France is the leading asylum destination in Western Europe with an estimated 50,000 applications in 2005 (a 15% decrease from 2004).
According to Article 2 of the Constitution, French is the sole official language of France since 1992. This makes France the only Western European nation (excluding microstates) to have only one officially recognised language. However, 77 regional languages are also spoken, in metropolitan France as well as in the overseas departments and territories. Until recently, the French government and state school system discouraged the use of any of these languages, but they are now taught to varying degrees at some schools. Other languages, such as Portuguese, Italian, Maghrebi Arabic and several Berber languages are spoken by immigrants.
Population: total: 64,057,792
country comparison to the world: 22
note: 62,150,775 in metropolitan France (July 2009 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,129,729/female 5,838,925)
15-64 years: 65% (male 20,963,124/female 20,929,280)
65 years and over: 16.4% (male 4,403,248/female 6,155,767) (2009 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.549% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
Birth rate: 12.57 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
Death rate: 8.48 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
Urban population: 77% of total population (2008)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.98 years
country comparison to the world: 9
male: 77.79 years
female: 84.33 years (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
HIV/AIDS - people living
with HIV/AIDS:		 140,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,600 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
Religions: Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%
overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan
Education expenditures: 5.7% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 46




Economy
France is in the midst of transition from a well-to-do modern economy that has featured extensive government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, banks, and insurers, and has ceded stakes in such leading firms as Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales. It maintains a strong presence in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries. The telecommunications sector is gradually being opened to competition. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and welfare. Widespread opposition to labor reform has in recent years hampered the government's ability to revitalize the economy. During 2007-08, the government implemented several important labor reforms, including a de facto extension of the 35-hour workweek by allowing employees to work longer overtime hours. During 2009, the government is expected to delay or even renounce other reform efforts due to the on-going financial crisis. GDP growth dropped to 0.7% in 2008; the French government plans to increase public investment and continue injecting capital into the banking sector to alleviate the negative effects of the crisis during 2009. As a result of lower fiscal revenues and increased expenditures the general government deficit is expected to exceed the euro-zone ceiling 3% of GDP. France's tax burden remains one of the highest in Europe - at nearly 50% of GDP in 2005. With at least 75 million foreign tourists per year, France is the most visited country in the world and maintains the third largest income in the world from tourism.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.097 trillion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
$2.083 trillion (2007)
$2.074 trillion (2006)
GDP (official exchange rate): $2.978 trillion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.7% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
2.1% (2007 est.)
2.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $32,700 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
$33,300 (2007 est.)
$32,800 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.2%
industry: 20.3%
services: 77.4% (2008 est.)
Labor force: 28.5 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 24.3%
services: 71.8% (2005)
Unemployment rate: 7.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
7.9% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line: 6.2% (2004)
Household income
or consumption by % share		 lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 24.8% (2004)
Budget: revenues: $1.439 trillion
expenditures: $1.525 trillion (2008 est.)
Public debt: 67% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
1.5% (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products: wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish
Industries: machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism
Electricity - production: 570 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Electricity - consumption: 480 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Telephones - main lines in use: 35.533 million; 34.8 million (metropolitan France) (2007)
country comparison to the world: 9
Telephones - mobile cellular: 56.719 million; 55.358 million (metropolitan France) (2007)
country comparison to the world: 15
Telephone system general assessment: highly developed
Internet hosts: 14.256 million; 14,256,000 (metropolitan France) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 6
Internet users: 31.295 million; 30.838 million (metropolitan France) (2007)
country comparison to the world: 11



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