Short general data on France

France - one of the oldest states of Europe, its modern terrain in the basic lines was generated in XV century. The republican form of government has definitively affirmed since 1870. Now France - the bourgeois republic forming the French assemblage where enter, except mother country, and colonial terrains.

The Continental part of France is divided into 94 departments to which 2 departments on island Corsica are added, 6 overseas departments (Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guiana in Central America, and also Reunion at southeast coast of Africa, Saint Pierre and Miquelon about southeast coast of Newfoundland) and 5 overseas terrains (New Caledonia French Polynesia which composition includes Society Islands, Marquesas Islands, Tuamotu archipelago, the French southern and antarctic terrains; the Wallis and Futuna Islands which have been had on equator, in a southwest part of Pacific ocean between Fidji and samoa; Majotta - one of islands of the Komorsky row at âîñòî÷íîãî  coasts of Africa). Thanks to it France takes the third place in the world after the USA and the Great Britain on sizes of marine possession. In France it is created four levels of territorial administration: State, regional (22 regions), level of departments and communes. Since 1958 in the country there is the regime of the Fifth republic characterised by concentration of political authority in the arm of the president. According to the constitution, the maximum legislature belongs to parliament. The official name of the country - the French Republic. The capital and the largest city - Paris - is large urban agglomeration with the population nearby 10  million persons.

The Aggregate number of the population of the country compounds 58  million persons (with allowance for overseas departments and terrains nearby 60  million persons), that puts France on 13 place in the world and 4 place in Europe by quantity of the population.

The Official language is French, however on country suburbs speak on basque (Pyrenees), Catalan (Roussilon), German (Alsace), Breton (the Western Brittany), Flemish (region of Dunkirk) and Corsican (an Italian dialect on Corsica). Frenchmen, as a rule, learn and know foreign languages, but extremely reluctantly talk on them to foreigners.

Nearby 84  population % shrived catholicism, 1,5 % - protenstants, 1,3 % - iudaisty and 4,5 % - Moslems.

The population Natural increase compounds 12 persons on 1000 inhabitants. France - vysokourbanizirovannaja the country: the urban population share compounds to 80 %. Population density - 102 persons on 1  sq. km.

France - the one-nation state, its population are compounded by Frenchmen. About an indigenous population quarter are the foreigners who were born, the evolved and based monogynopaediums in France.