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Compare France (2005) - Western Sahara (2006)
Compare France (2005) z Western Sahara (2006)
| France (2005) | Western Sahara (2006) | |
 |  | |
| 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) |
none (under de facto control of Morocco) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 18.4% (male 5,717,761/female 5,440,060)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 19,784,749/female 19,752,432) 65 years and over: 16.4% (male 4,084,193/female 5,876,983) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish |
| Airports | 478 (2004 est.) | 11 (2006) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 283
over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 95 914 to 1,523 m: 82 under 914 m: 65 (2004 est.) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 195
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 120 (2004 est.) |
total: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2006) |
| Area | total: 547,030 sq km
land: 545,630 sq km water: 1,400 sq km note: includes only metropolitan France; excludes the overseas administrative divisions |
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of Colorado | about the size of Colorado |
| Background | Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a presidential democracy resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier parliamentary democracies. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy. | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. |
| Birth rate | 12.15 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | NA births/1,000 population |
| Budget | revenues: $1.005 trillion
expenditures: $1.08 trillion, including capital expenditures of $23 billion (2004 est.) |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
| Capital | Paris | none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Climate | generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew |
| Coastline | 3,427 km | 1,110 km |
| Constitution | adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October 1958; amended concerning election of president in 1962; amended to comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1996 Amsterdam Treaty, 2000 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration laws in 1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to a five-year term | - |
| Country name | conventional long form: French Republic
conventional short form: France local long form: Republique Francaise local short form: France |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
| Death rate | 9.08 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | NA deaths/1,000 population |
| Debt - external | $NA | $NA |
| 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 |
- |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Howard H. LEACH
embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris Cedex 08 mailing address: PSC 116, APO AE 09777 telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22 FAX: [33] (1) 42 66 97 83 consulate(s) general: Marseille, Strasbourg |
none |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-David LEVITTE
chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000 FAX: [1] (202) 944-6166 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco |
none |
| Disputes - international | Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of New Caledonia | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals |
| Economic aid - donor | ODA, $5.4 billion (2002) | - |
| Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
| Economy - overview | 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. It retains controlling stakes in several leading firms, including Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales, and is dominant 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. The government has lowered income taxes and introduced measures to boost employment and reform the pension system. In addition, it is focusing on the problems of the high cost of labor and labor market inflexibility resulting from the 35-hour workweek and restrictions on lay-offs. The tax burden remains one of the highest in Europe (43.8% of GDP in 2003). The lingering economic slowdown and inflexible budget items have pushed the budget deficit above the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP limit. Finance Minister Herve GAYMARD has promised that the 2005 deficit will fall below 3%. | Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. |
| Electricity - consumption | 414.7 billion kWh (2002) | 83.7 million kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - exports | 79.9 billion kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - imports | 3 billion kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - production | 528.6 billion kWh (2002) | 85 million kWh (2003) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m |
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
| Environment - current issues | some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff | sparse water and lack of arable land |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities | Arab, Berber |
| Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Dominique DE VILLEPIN (since 31 May 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the suggestion of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (changed from seven-year term in October 2000); election last held 21 April and 5 May 2002 (next to be held, first round April 2007, second round May 2007); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly majority and appointed by the president election results: Jacques CHIRAC reelected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Jacques CHIRAC (RPR) 81.96%, Jean-Marie LE PEN (FN) 18.04% |
none |
| Exports | 409,600 bbl/day (2001) | NA bbl/day |
| Exports - commodities | machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages | phosphates 62% |
| Exports - partners | Germany 15%, Spain 9.5%, UK 9.3%, Italy 9%, Belgium 7.2%, US 6.7% (2004) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
| Flag description | three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the "Le drapeau tricolore" (French Tricolor), the origin of the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution; the design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, Luxembourg, and Netherlands; the official flag for all French dependent areas | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 24.3% services: 73% (2004 est.) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $28,700 (2004 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | 2.1% (2004 est.) | NA% |
| Geographic coordinates | 46 00 N, 2 00 E | 24 30 N, 13 00 W |
| Geography - note | largest West European nation | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas |
| Heliports | 3 (2004 est.) | - |
| Highways | total: 893,100 km
paved: 893,100 km (including 12,000 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (2002) |
- |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 25.1% (1995) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | transshipment point for and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics | - |
| Imports | 2.281 million bbl/day (2001) | NA bbl/day |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners | Germany 19.2%, Belgium 9.9%, Italy 8.8%, Spain 7.4%, UK 7%, Netherlands 6.7%, US 5.1% (2004) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004) |
| Independence | 486 (unified by Clovis) | - |
| Industrial production growth rate | 1.7% (2004 est.) | NA% |
| Industries | machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism | phosphate mining, handicrafts |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 4.26 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.3% (2004 est.) | NA% |
| International organization participation | ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC | none |
| Irrigated land | 20,000 sq km (1998 est.) | NA |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (judges are appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of the Judiciary); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (three members appointed by the president, three appointed by the president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the president of the Senate); Council of State or Conseil d'Etat | - |
| Labor force | 27.7 million (2004 est.) | 12,000 |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 4.1%, industry 24.4%, services 71.5% (1999) | agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,889 km
border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km |
total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
| Land use | arable land: 33.53%
permanent crops: 2.07% other: 64.4% (2001) |
arable land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) |
| Languages | French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic |
| Legal system | civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts | - |
| Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (321 seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve nine-year terms; elected by thirds every three years); note - between now and 2010, 25 new seats will be added to the Senate for a total of 346 seats - 326 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 3 for overseas territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members will be indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms, with one-half the seats being renewed every three years; and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held September 2007); National Assembly - last held 8-16 June 2002 (next to be held not later than June 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP 156, PS 97, UDF 33, PCF 23, RDSE 15, other 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP 355, PS 140, UDF 29, PCF 21, Radical Party 7, Greens 3, other 22 |
- |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 79.6 years
male: 75.96 years female: 83.42 years (2005 est.) |
total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1980 est.) |
NA |
| Location | Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco |
| Map references | Europe | Africa |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean) continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue |
| Merchant marine | total: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 703,639 GRT/889,705 DWT
by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 4, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 30, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 6 (Sweden 5, Switzerland 1) registered in other countries: 139 (2005) |
- |
| Military branches | Army (includes Marines, Foreign Legion, Army Light Aviation), Navy (includes naval air), Air Force (includes Air Defense), National Gendarmerie | - |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $45,238.1 million (2003) | $992.2 million |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.6% (2003) | - |
| National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | - |
| Nationality | noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French |
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
| Natural hazards | flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility |
| Natural resources | coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorospar, gypsum, timber, fish | phosphates, iron ore |
| Net migration rate | 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | - |
| Pipelines | gas 14,232 km; oil 3,024 km; refined products 4,889 km (2004) | - |
| Political parties and leaders | Citizen and Republican Movement or MCR [Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT]; Democratic and European Social Rally or RDSE (mainly Radical Republican and Socialist Parties, and PRG) [Jacques PELLETIER]; French Communist Party or PCF [Marie-George BUFFET]; Left Radical Party or PRG (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG) [Jean-Michel BAYLET]; Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS]; National Front or NF [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois HOLLANDE]; Greens [Yann WEHRLING, national secretary]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Francois BAYROU]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (including RPR, DL, and a part of UDF) [Nicolas SARKOZY] | - |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | historically-Communist labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail) or CGT, approximately 700,000 members (claimed); left-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail) or CFDT, approximately 889,000 members (claimed); independent labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail - Force Ouvriere) or FO, 300,000 members (est.); independent white-collar union (Confederation Generale des Cadres) or CGC, 196,000 members (claimed); employers' union (Mouvement des Entreprises de France) or MEDEF, 750,000 companies as members (claimed) | none |
| Population | 60,656,178 (July 2005 est.) | 273,008 (July 2006 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 6.5% (2000) | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 0.37% (2005 est.) | NA |
| Ports and harbors | Bordeaux, Calais, Dunkerque, La Pallice, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Paris, Rouen, Strasbourg | - |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 41, FM about 3,500 (this figure is an approximation and includes many repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Railways | total: 29,519 km
standard gauge: 29,352 km 1.435-m gauge (14,481 km electrified) narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (2004) |
- |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4% | Muslim |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
NA |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed |
| Telephone system | general assessment: highly developed
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system international: country code - 33; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone communications with more than 20 countries |
general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 33,905,400 (2003) | about 2,000 (1999 est.) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 41,683,100 (2003) | 0 (1999) |
| Television broadcast stations | 584 (plus 9,676 repeaters) (1995) | NA |
| Terrain | mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast |
| Total fertility rate | 1.85 children born/woman (2005 est.) | NA children born/woman |
| Unemployment rate | 10.1% (2004 est.) | NA% |
| Waterways | 8,500 km (1,686 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons) (2000) | - |
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