The French Republic (République Française

Geography, history

The French Republic (République Française) is a country in Western Europe that also comprises various overseas islands and territories located in other continents.

Its main ideals are expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, that date back from the French Revolution of 1789.
French people often refer to Metropolitan France as L’Hexagone (The “Hexagon”) because of the shape of its territory.
The population of metropolitan France as of July 2008 was estimated at slightly less than 61 million.



France has a rich and diverse heritage of culture and history, and has been one of the world's foremost powers since the second half of the 17th century.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, France built one of the largest colonial empires of the time, stretching across West Africa and Southeast Asia, prominently influencing the cultures and politics of the regions. It now has many residents with roots in the former colonies.

France has the largest land area of all members of the EU, with the sixth (nominal GDP) largest economy in the world.
It is a member of the G8, and one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council; it is also an acknowledged nuclear power with 360 active warheads and 59 nuclear power plants.

In 1999, the ten largest French cities were Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Bordeaux, and Lille.
Cities with largest foreign populations (2001): Paris (10%), Strasbourg (7%), Lyon (6%)
Most important countries of origin (2005): Algeria, Morocco, Turkey.
Foreign-born as part of the population (2005): 8.1%
Population below poverty line: 6.2% (2004)(maak link naar uitleg):
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(Poverty line (from wikipedia)

All societies have citizens living in poverty.
The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum income deemed necessary for an adequate standard of living in a given country.
Determining the poverty line is usually done by finding the total cost of resources needed to maintain a tolerable life.
The amount of wealth required for survival is not the same in all places and time periods.
For example, a person living in northern Scandinavia requires a source of heat during cold months, while a person living on a tropical island does not.
The poverty line is significantly higher in developed countries than in developing countries.
 The poverty threshold is adjusted each year.
In 2007, in the United States of America, the poverty threshold for a single person under 65 was US$ 10,787; the threshold for a family group of four, including two children, was US$ 21,027.
The official poverty measure counts only monetary income.
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Climate

For someone coming from tropical regions, most places in France will be cold. Seasons have greater differences in temperature than you would be used to, and you would always need good, warm clothing.
Note that the following section uses European standards- and read "cold" for "cool", "cool" for "warm", etc. "Mild" usually just means it is not actually freezing- but it can be very chilly indeed.
 
Mild winters and cool summers on most of the territory, and especially in Paris.
Mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean and in the south west( the latter has lots of rain in winter).
Mild winters (with lots of rain) and cool summers in the north west (Brittany).
Further inland, the climate is more continental with hot, stormy summers, colder winters and less rain. 
Cool to cold winters and hot summer along the German border (Alsace).
Along the Rhône Valley, occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral.
The climate of the Alps and other mountainous regions ( Pyrenees, Auvergne) 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.

Economy

Despite liberalisation over the past 15 years, the government continues to play a important role in the economy. Government spending, at 53% of GDP in 2001, is the highest in the G-7. Labour conditions and wages are highly regulated. The government continues to own shares in corporations in a range of sectors, including banking, energy production and distribution, automobiles, transportation, and telecommunications.
Industry
France, as many modern industrialised nations, has a large and diverse industrial base.
Leading industrial sectors in France are telecommunications (including satellites), aerospace and defence, ship building, pharmaceuticals, construction and civil engineering, chemicals, and automobile production.
Agriculture
Accounting for about one-third of all agricultural land within the EU, France is the European Union's leading agricultural producer and the world's sixth-largest. It is the second-largest agricultural exporter after the United States.
The agricultural sector is heavily dependent upon subsidies from the European Union.
Currently France is expanding its forestry and fishery industries.
Weapons industry
France is the third largest weapons supplier in the world.
The French arms industry's main customer is the French Government.
In addition, external demand plays a big part in the growth of this sector: for example, France exports great quantities of weaponry to the United Arab Emirates, Greece, India, Pakistan, Taiwan, Singapore and many others.
External trade
France is the third-largest trading nation in western Europe (after Germany and the United Kingdom).
Tourism is also important, France being the most visited country in the world.

Migration

44% of the population believe that legally established foreigners who become unemployed should be deported.