France (officially the French Republic, French Rpublique franaise [e.py.blik f.

sz], short
form (la) France? / I [fs]) is a democratic, centralized state in Western Europe with overseas
islands and territories on several continents. Metropolitan France, ie the European part of the
national territory, extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea,
and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. Its mainland is known for its country form as Hexagon
(hexagon). France is geographically the largest country of the European Union and has the third
largest country in area in Europe (after Russia and Ukraine).
In the 17th and 18th century in parts of the state held a European leadership and hegemony.
During this time, France dominated much of North America and formed during the 19th and
early 20th century, the second largest colonial empire in the history of the areas of North
America, Western and Central Africa, Southeast Asia and many islands in the Pacific and the
Caribbean included.
The main national central ideas are expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the
Citizen. The French Republic is declared in its constitution as indivisible, secular, democratic
and social [7], this principle is. "Government of the people, by the people and for the people".
France is one of the most developed countries in the world. [8] In terms of nominal gross
domestic product it has the fifth largest economy in the world and the third highest in purchasing
power parity in Europe. [5] The country enjoys a high standard of living and level of education
and has one of the highest life expectancies in the world . [9] The French healthcare system was
ranked worldwide by the World Health Organization in 2000 as the best. [10] As the most visited
country in the world France receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually. [11] [12]
France has the third largest armed forces in NATO and the largest army in the European Union.
It is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and has as a nuclear power,
the world's third-largest number of nuclear weapons. [13] The country is a founding member of
the European Union and the United Nations, a member of the Francophonie, the G8, G20,
NATO, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Trade
Organization (WTO) and the Latin Union.
General
Overall, the "metropolitan France" in Europe (also called Metropolitan France), because of its
shape as hexagons (hexagon) is designated an area of 543,965 square kilometers.
As one of the largest countries in Europe, France has numerous, sometimes very different
landscape dominated forms. The landscape is mostly dominated by plains and rolling hills. In the
southeast half and on the border of the Iberian Peninsula, the country is mountainous. Main
mountain ranges are the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the Alps and to the east of the Vosges
Mountains. The highest mountain in France and the Alps is Mont Blanc with 4810 meters.
France has coastlines in the south to the Mediterranean Sea in the west and north to the Atlantic
Ocean, the English Channel and the North Sea. It is bordered on the southwest by Spain and
Andorra to the north and east by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and
Monaco in the southeast.

Regions
Main article: Region (France)
Towns
By far the most important and largest conurbation is the capital of Paris, with over ten million
inhabitants in the agglomeration (le-de-France). The large spaces around Lyon, Marseille,
Toulouse and Lille have also considerably more than one million inhabitants.
The ten largest cities in France (as of 1 January 2011):
Rank Name City [14]
(Population) Greater [15]
(Population)
1. Paris 2,250,000 12,300,000
2. Marseille 850500 1721000
3. Lyon 472,000 2,289,000
4. Toulouse 447,000 1,250,000
5. Nice (fr. Nice) 344,000 1,004,000
6. Nantes 288,000 884,000
7. Strasbourg (fr. Strasbourg) 272,000 764,000
8. Montpellier 264,500 561,000
9. Bordeaux 235,000 1,141,000
10. Lille 227,500 1,159,500
11. Rennes 208,000 680,000
See also: List of cities in France
Conservation
France maintains natural reserves of different categories within mainland Europe and the
overseas dpartements. These are currently:
nine national parks with an area of about 4.5 million hectares
45 regional nature park with an area of more than seven million hectares
a variety of protected areas as nature reserves (rserve naturelle), the EU Natura 2000 sites and
UNESCO biosphere reserves
Population
Main article: French
Population development
The population of France was estimated in 1750 to about 25 million. Thus, it was by far the most
populous country in Western Europe. By 1850, the population continued to rise to 37 million,
then there was a unique time in its European stagnation of growth. [16] The cause of this relative
prosperity and the advanced civilization of France are considered. Contraceptive and sexual
behavior was practiced was more widespread than in other countries, while the influence of the
Catholic Church was already weakened. Thus, the population grew to nearly 100 years only three
million: 1940 counted France, despite strong immigration after 1918, only about 40 million
inhabitants. This population stagnation is regarded as one of the reasons why that France could
claim during the two world wars against the more dynamic neighbors Germany only with great
difficulty. Moreover French army had already suffered the highest relative losses of all the
belligerent nations in the years 1914-18. After the Second World War a birth rate and population

increase was then after a long time trend, which was caused in part by increased immigration,
especially from the area of the former French colonies. 1990 56,600,000 inhabitants [17] were
determined for 1 January 2010, the population was estimated including the people in overseas
territories to 64,700,000. Of this total, 62.8 million in metropolitan France. [18 ]
On 18 January 2011 the national statistical office announced (INSEE) that from 1 January 2011 a
total of 65,027,000 people lived in France. So that the country would have exceeded the 65
million mark for the first time. [19]
The reliability of the survey is controversial: 2004, INSEE's method a total count at five-year
intervals on permanent survey based on extrapolation of local data to. After that, inexplicably
jumps were in population development. Cities whose population had been decreasing steadily,
especially Paris, suddenly increased by leaps and bounds. In other cities, such as Nice and Nimes,
it behaved vice versa. Also in relation to the current total numbers, the picture is mixed. The
INSEE itself pointed end of July 2012, two of his websites for a 65,350,000, on the other
64,304,000. Grard-Franois Dumont, professor at the Sorbonne and editor of the journal
Population et avenir, leading, among other things back that due to moves miss some people in
the survey, while others are counted twice. [20]
After Germany, France is in the European Union is in second place in the population; worldwide,
it is number 20. Within the EU, France has a population share of 13 percent. [21]
The population grew in 2009 to 346,000 people, or 0.5 percent. Growth slowed slightly
compared to previous years (2006: 0.6 percent, 2007 and 2008: 0.6 percent). The birth rate in
2009 was positive: there were 275,000 people born more than died. The migration balance is also
positive: It wandered 71,000 more than from [21] The French population is getting older on
average. The proportion of under-20-year-olds between 2000 and 2010 declined from 25.8
percent to 24.7 percent at the same time, the proportion of people over 65 from 15.8 percent to
16.6 percent. [21]
2009 256.000 marriages were contracted after it had been ten years before more than 294,000.
For more Frenchmen chose the Civil Solidarity Pact as a form of social life. This Pac-called
partnership was introduced in 1999; 2009 175.000 Pacs were closed. [21] The average age of
first marriage in 2008 was 31.6 years for men and 29.7 years for women. Since 1999, it rose by
almost two years [21] The fertility rate in France is 2.0 children per woman (2008) Europe in
third place behind Ireland and Iceland;. [22] However, it is of three children per woman in 1960
decreased years. [23] The infant mortality rate in 2009 was 3.8 per thousand from 4.4 per
thousand in 1999. [21]
Life expectancy, which was located in 1750 at just 30 years, was which in 1987 72 years for men
and 80 years for women. [24] By 2008, it increased to 84 years for women and 78 years for men.
[21]
Migration
Because of the slow population growth knew France already in the middle of the 19th century
the problem of labor shortage. Since the beginning of industrialization therefore guest workers

came from neighboring countries (Italians, Poles, German, Spanish, Belgian) to France, as in the
Paris region or in the mining areas and mining areas of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Lorraine.
Beginning in 1880, lived and worked thus one million foreigners in France; they found seven to
eight percent of the labor force. [25] The phenomenon of mass emigration that prevailed in
Germany at the same time, France did not know. During the First World War, about three
percent of the population are foreigners in France, saw the first xenophobic tendencies, [25] and
1931, the proportion of foreigners grew to 6.6 percent. Thereafter, the immigration was severely
restricted, deported or interned refugees, for example from the Spanish Civil War. After the
Second World War, France campaigned turn on guest workers mainly from Spain and Portugal
and held it until 1974, a very liberal immigration policy. Europeans, especially Italians and Poles
had 1931 more than 90 percent of the foreign population identified, [25] in the 1970s, this share
was down to about 60 percent, the biggest share now making the Portuguese. [25] The
proportion of foreign resident population in 2006 was 5.8 percent, 4.3 percent, to come Franais
par acquisition, ie people who were born abroad and the French have citizenship. [26] In 2008,
5.23 million immigrants living in France, which 8.4% of the total population accounted for. Of
these, 2.72 million were acquired French citizenship. Descendants of immigrants, in which at
least one parent born abroad of foreign nationality, were in 2010 to about 10.4% of total
population estimated. [27] Today, most North African immigrants in France origin (Algerians,
[28] are Moroccans Tunisians), followed by Southern Europeans (Portuguese, Italians,
Spaniards). [29] In recent years, a large proportion of immigrants from the former French
colonies in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean comes. The highest concentration of
immigrants is found in southeastern France and the Paris region. [29]
Education
Main article: Education system in France and List of Ministers of Education of France
School system in France
The Constitution of France defines that access to education, training and culture for all citizens
shall be equal and that the maintenance of a gratuitous and secular public education is the
responsibility of the state. Thus, the education system in France is centrally organized, but the
various authorities must provide the infrastructure. It coexist private and public institutions, the
largely Catholic private schools in the past were the subject of intense political debate several
times. In contrast to the school systems of the German-speaking countries located in France more
emphasis on selection and formation of elites, or training to education. Since 1967 there is
compulsory education until 16 years of age; [30] however, there is the possibility of home
schooling.
The kindergarten is called in France Ecole maternelle and provides preschool education for
children over two years. He is visited by a high percentage of children. The visit is full-time and
free of charge, only optional additional services for care at off-peak times and midday meals
must be paid by the parents. The Ecole maternelle is much more considered in France as a school,
as is the case in the kindergartens in German and other countries. Thus, the caregivers in the
Mater Nelles teacher training and are employed by the state education authority ducation
nationale, which also determines the curricula.

The number following the Maternellecolor, the German elementary school cole lmentaire
corresponding five years. Once completed, the children attend the College, a four-year-long
comprehensive school on completion of the student with the brevet des collges.
After this, the young person has several options. It can occur in a vocational school, which he
concludes with the professional Certificat d'aptitude; a dual training system as in Germany is
very rare. The Lyce roughly equivalent to the high school. It leads after twelve years of
schooling for Baccalaurat. Several school activities such as scientific, economic or literary
distinction. If you visit a lyce professionnel or a Centre de formation d'apprentis, may enter into
this after 13 years of schooling with a baccalaurat professionnel. In foreign language teaching
rather English and Spanish is taught as a German, which is considered "Intello idiom". [31]
The academic education is characterized by the coexistence of the Grandes coles and
universities. The Grandes coles have towards the French universities a higher reputation, have
low student enrollment and high personal service. They can usually visit after attending the class
prparatoire that is usually offered by secondary schools. Among the more important of the
Grandes coles cole polytechnique include the cole Normale Suprieure, the cole nationale
d'administration and the cole Centrale Paris. In the course of European harmonization of
degrees in the Bologna process, the LMD system is introduced at French universities. LMD
means that one after the Licence or Bachelor (after three years), Master (after five years) and
Doctorate can be purchased (after eight years). The traditional national diplomas (DEUG,
Licence, Matrise, DEA and DESS) will be allocated in this process. The end of 2009 studied
approximately 2.25 million students in French universities. [32]
Languages
Main article: French Language and languages in France
Distribution of regional languages
The French language was developed from the francien that was spoken in the Middle Ages in
today's region of le-de-France. It spread to the extent that the French Kings expanded their
territory. 1539 King Francis I. certain that the French language should be the only language of
his kingdom. Nevertheless, in the 18th century spoke only about half of the subjects of the kings
of France French [33] After the revolution, the regional languages were actively discouraged.
only in 1951 allowed the Loi Deixonne teaching in regional languages. [34] Even today, Article
2 of the Constitution of 1958 states that the French language is the only official language of
France. It is not only in France commonly spoken language, she is also the bearer of French
culture in the world. The languages spoken in France regional languages threatened due to
internal hikes and an almost exclusive use of the French language in the electronic media
extinction. France signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, although
signed, but not ratified. The reason for this is that parts of the Charter are incompatible with the
French constitution. Since 2008, the Constitution states in Article 75-1 of regional languages as a
cultural heritage of France. [35]
Regional languages that are spoken in France, are the Romanesque Ol languages in northern
France, some of which are considered a French dialects, as Picard, Norman, Gallo, Poitevin
Saintongeais, Walloon and Champenois, the Franco-Provenal in France and (West ) Swiss Alps

and the Jura area, in southern France, Occitan, Catalan in the department of Pyrnes-Orientales,
Alsatian and lothringisch in northeastern France, Basque and its dialects in the extreme
southwest, Breton in the northwest, Corsican in Corsica and Flemish in the north of the country.
Furthermore, in the overseas possessions variety of languages are spoken as Creole, Polynesian
languages or Kanak languages in New Caledonia.
French is the working language at the United Nations, the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, the European Commission and the African Union. In order to protect the
French language against the appropriation through Anglicisms, the Toubon Law was adopted in
1994. By implementing decree of 1996, a mechanism for introducing new words was determined,
which is controlled by the General Delegation la langue franaise et aux langues de France and
the Commission gnrale de terminology et de Neology. This decree requires that the French
words to be published in the official newspaper and in France dictionary terms, are mandatory to
use by public authorities.
The immigrants of different nationalities, mainly from Portugal, Eastern Europe, the Maghreb
and the rest of Africa have brought their languages. In contrast to traditional languages, this
speaker communities focus particularly in the big cities, but not assigned to a specific
geographical area.
Religions
France is officially a secular state, that is, state and religious communities are completely
separated from each other. Because of the state no data on the religious affiliation of the
population are levied based full details of the religious composition of the population estimates
or the details of the religious communities themselves, and therefore often differ considerably,
which is why the following figures should be treated with caution. In a survey of Le Monde des
religions are 51 percent of the French referred to as Catholic, 31 percent said to have no religion,
and about 9 percent said to be Muslims. Three percent described themselves as Protestants.
Almost all Protestant churches in France, of which the Reformed Church of France is the largest
membership, working together in the Protestant alliance of France. One percent described
themselves as Jews. This corresponds extrapolated to the population of 32 million Catholics, 5.7
million Muslims, 1.9 million Protestants and 600,000 Jews and 20 million non-religious. Six
percent made different or no information. According to surveys among Catholics is only a small
portion actually believing and practicing, but also currents of Catholic traditionalism in France
are inversely strongly represented. In addition, living in France, due to immigration from Eastern
Europe and the Middle East, about 1 million Orthodox and Oriental Christians, Buddhists about
600,000 and a larger number of Hindus.
According to recent surveys, 58 percent of French people believe in a God (other surveys
estimate this share is still much lower); The proportion of young people who believe in a life
after death, but increased since 1981 by 31 percent to 42 percent. [36] According to a study by
the Center PewResearch only a minority of 27 percent of the French referred to as "religious"
and 10 percent as "very religious". Both are in a global comparison very low values. [37]
Christian Denominations

Federation of France
Historically, France has long been a Catholic-dominated state. Since Louis XI. ( 1483) carried
the kings of France, with the consent of the Pope the title of roi trs chrtien (most Christian
king). During the Reformation, France has always remained Catholic majority, even if there were
strong Protestant minorities (Huguenots). However, this had the latest after the St.
Bartholomew's Day in 1572, the hope of a Protestant France give up. When the Protestant Henry
of Navarre heir to the throne of France was, he stepped out of political and tactical reasons to
Catholicism ("Paris vaut bien une messe" to German "Paris is worth a Mass"), but guaranteed
simultaneously in the Edict of Nantes of 1598 the Protestants special rights and especially
religious freedom. The Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685 under Louis XIV., Which led to the
neighboring Protestant abroad to a mass exodus of Huguenots despite severe penalties. Only
shortly before the French Revolution, the Protestants were granted a limited freedom of worship.
The French Revolution then lifted all restrictions on the freedom of belief. It came in the years
after the Revolution in the First French Republic for a brief period of intense hostility to the
Church, because the Catholic Church was seen as representative of the ancien rgime (old
regime). Not only the privileges of the church, but even the Christian calendar and worship were
abolished and replaced by a revolutionary calendar or a "Cult of the Supreme Being". Under
Napoleon Bonaparte came with the Concordat of 1801 but again to a compensation between the
Catholic church and state. Under the Bourbon restoration after 1815 the Catholic monarchist
ideas gained the upper hand again: So 1823 to defeat the liberal revolution in Spain incident
Bourbon troops were known as the "100,000 Sons of St. Louis," the Jesuit mission overseas was
promoted.
In the Third Republic, there was again a conflict between church and state, which culminated in
the adopted on 9 December 1905 Law of Separation of Church and State in which the strict
separation of church and state was committed. [38] This law applies but not for the then German
Alsace-Lorraine. In these current three dpartements applies after their annexation to France
after the First World War to be the regulation of 1801. This means that the local priest to be paid
by the French State and there are religious holidays as in German-speaking countries.
Judaism and Islam
Main article: History of the Jews in France and Islam in France
The Jewish community in France has a checkered history. Since Roman times, Jews lived in
France. However, they were in two waves in 1306. Under Philip IV., And in 1394 under Charles
VI referenced all the country. For many centuries there was then hardly a Jewish life in France.
The only exceptions were acquired in the 18th and 19th centuries areas in the east of the country,
in particular to Alsace, which long had a special status. The French Revolution eventually
granted the Jews equal civil rights. France remained until the early 20th century, a country with a
comparatively small Jewish population. After the First, but especially after the Second World
War, a strong immigration from former colonies in North Africa and Eastern Europe, so that
France is the European country with the largest Jewish population today. In the context of antiSemitism and the global economic crisis from 2007 every year there are thousands of emigrants
to Israel. [39]

Also since the end of World War II have seen a large increase in the proportion of Muslims,
which goes back to immigration from the former colonies. The French central government
promotes a "Gallikanisierung of Islam"; he dares him to reform capacity and demands that Islam
shall designate a corporation as a central point of contact for the state. [40]
History
Prehistory to the Early Middle Ages
Map of Gaul at the time of Caesar (58 v. Chr.)
It is estimated that today's France was settled about 480,000 years ago. From the Paleolithic
significant rock art are preserved in the cave of Lascaux. From 600 v. Chr. Founded Phoenician
and Greek traders bases on the Mediterranean coast, while the Celts from the Northwest
populated the land that was later called by the Romans as Gaul. The Celtic Gauls with their
druidic religion are now often seen as an ancestor of the French and Vercingetorix transfigured
into the first national hero of France, although hardly Gallic elements remaining in the French
culture. (See also Keltomanie)
.. Between 58 and 51 BC Caesar conquered the region in the Gallic Wars; the Roman provinces
of Gallia Belgica, Cisalpine Gaul and Narbonese were established. In a period of prosperity and
peace these provinces adopted Roman advances in technology, agriculture and justice; large,
elegant towns sprang up. From the 5th century Germanic tribes migrated increased by Gaul, who
founded their own kingdoms 476 after the collapse of the Roman Empire. After the temporary
dominance of the Visigoths, the Franks established under Clovis I. The kingdom of the
Merovingians. They took numerous Roman values and institutions, including Catholicism (496).
In the year 732, they were able to halt in the Battle of Tours emanating from the Iberian
peninsula Islamic expansion. The Carolingian followed by the Merovingians. Charlemagne was
crowned Emperor 800, 843 the Frankish Empire by the Treaty of Verdun was divided among his
grandchildren; the western part corresponded approximately to the present-day France.
Middle Ages
Jeanne d'Arc. Anonymous miniature painting, second half of 15th century
The French Middle Ages was marked by the rise of the kingdom's constant fight against the
independence of the nobility and the temporal power of the monasteries and religious
communities. The Capetian set, starting from today le-de-France, the idea of a unitary state by
participating in various Crusades substantiated this. The Normans were repeated in Normandy
which thus got its name; in 1066 they conquered England. Under Louis VII. Began a long series
of military conflicts with England after Ludwig's divorced wife Eleanor of Poitou and Aquitaine
1152, Henry Plantagenet married and thus about half of the national territory to England had
fallen. . Philip II Augustus was largely displace England together with the Swabians to 1299
from France; the English King Henry III. also had to Louis IX. recognize as suzerain. From 1226
France became a hereditary monarchy; in 1250 was Louis IX. one of the most powerful rulers of
the West.
After the death of the last Kapetingers 1328 Philip of Valois was elected as the new king, he
founded the Valois dynasty. The population of France is estimated for this period to 15 million,
and the country had the scholasticism of Gothic and Romanesque architecture to significant
cultural achievements.