Area Total | 643,801 sq km |
Climate | metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean |
Natural Resources | coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, arable land, fish |
Imports | Germany 18.5%, Belgium 10.2%, Netherlands 8.3%, Italy 7.9%, Spain 7.1%, UK 5.3%, US 5.2%, China 5.1% (2017) – machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals |
Government | semi-presidential republic |
Capital | Paris |
Population | 49.3 million (July 2018 est.) |
Ethnicity | Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities |
Language | French (official) 100%, declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish, Occitan, Picard) |
Exports | Germany 14.8%, Spain 7.7%, Italy 7.5%, US 7.2%, Belgium 7%, UK 6.7% (2017) – machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages |
News about France
- Police clear pro-Gaza sit-in at top Paris universityby The Local on May 4, 2024
Police on Friday entered the Sciences Po university in Paris to remove dozens of students staging a pro-Gaza sit-in in the entrance hall, AFP journalists saw, as protests fired political debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- France opens probe of TotalEnergies over 2021 Mozambique attackby NEWS WIRES (Latest news reports on FRANCE, French politics and culture - France 24) on May 4, 2024
French prosecutors said Saturday they were investigating oil giant TotalEnergies for possible involuntary manslaughter in connection with a 2021 jihadist attack in Mozambique that killed hundreds.
- One dead, several injured in Paris suburb shootingby The Local on May 4, 2024
One person was killed and six injured overnight in a gritty northern Paris suburb in a shooting likely linked to drug trafficking, prosecutors and the mayor said Saturday.
- EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mountby The Local on May 4, 2024
The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.
- Airbnb promises to combat sex work in rentals during Paris Gamesby The Local on May 4, 2024
Airbnb on Friday agreed with French authorities to step up the fight against rentals on its platform being used for sex work during the Paris Olympics this summer and beyond.
- OPINION: The French far-right's 'empty vessel' Bardella is set to win big in Europeby The Local on May 4, 2024
Here is a safe prediction - writes John Lichfield - Jordan Bardella, an empty vessel with boy-band good looks, will “win” the French section of the European elections on June 9th.
- Can I get a French student visa if I sign up for a language course?by The Local on May 4, 2024
If you are looking to move to France to better your French language skills, some courses might allow you to qualify for a student visa - but many will not.
- PODCAST: Major French border changes explained and could France ban screens for kids?by The Local on May 4, 2024
The Talking France podcast is back with a look at France's May Day traditions (and protests), plans to limit screen time for children, a 90-year-old French barber and how the EU's EES passport checks will impact foreigners in France.
- Inside France: Internet regulation, French language battles and 90-year-old barbersby The Local on May 4, 2024
From screen time to another French language controversy, via France's attitude to the internet and a few bad puns, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.
- Super-rich spending up to $500,000 on exclusive Paris Olympics packagesby Rupert Neate Wealth correspondent (France | The Guardian) on May 4, 2024
Third-party hospitality packages are outlawed, yet agency part-owned by associates of Rafael Nadal and LeBron James promises access to top events as well as to starsMembers of the global super-rich are spending as much as $500,000 (£400,000) on “ultra-exclusive” packages for the Paris 2024 Olympics that promoters claim include meeting athletes, access […]
- Xi Jinping to visit France, Hungary and Serbia amid EU trade tariff rowby Amy Hawkins and Lisa O'Carroll (France | The Guardian) on May 4, 2024
China’s president arrives as EU anti-subsidy investigations and tensions over espionage, Ukraine and Taiwan continueChina’s president, Xi Jinping, is to visit Europe next week for the first time in five years, in a tour that will take in the unlikely trifecta of France, Hungary and Serbia.The visit comes as China pushes to avoid a trade war with the EU, […]
- France estimates that 150,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the Ukraine warby NEWS WIRES (Latest news reports on FRANCE, French politics and culture - France 24) on May 3, 2024
France estimates that 150,000 Russian soldiers have been killed during Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said in an interview published on Friday.
- ‘We’re infantilised or demonised’: French students criticise Gaza protests crackdownby Angelique Chrisafis in Paris (France | The Guardian) on May 3, 2024
University students air frustration that sit-ins motivated by peace are being shut down instead of heededJack, 22, a student in public administration, was dragged out of his university building by the arms and legs on Friday, as police forcibly removed several dozen students who had been occupying Paris’s Sciences Po university overnight in a protest […]
- 8 favourite French Words of the Dayby The Local on May 3, 2024
This month’s countdown of our favourite French words and phrases features one that sounds like an 80s jangly pop star, another that hardly makes any sense at first glance, and an apparent tax on rabbits that isn't…
- Is France a good country to grow old in?by The Local on May 3, 2024
The French population is ageing rapidly while the country remains a popular one to retire to - so we've taken a look at how good the quality of life is for older people in France.
- 5 things Brits in France need to know about swapping driving licencesby The Local on May 3, 2024
Now that the dust has settled from the somewhat chaotic post-Brexit period, the system for swapping a UK driving licence for a French one seems to be running fairly smoothly. There are, however, some things that UK licence holders need to know.
- How do you get a British passport for a baby born in France?by The Local on May 3, 2024
While French citizenship is not automatic for children born in France, those who are born to British parents are entitled to British nationality (and therefore a passport) from birth. Here's how to apply for the passport.
- Paris bakers attempt world's longest baguetteby The Local on May 3, 2024
A dozen French bakers have set their minds to beating the world record for the world's longest baguette - hoping to join a long list of French records from stretchiest aligot to biggest tarte tatin.
- Police remove pro-Palestinian student protesters from Paris's Sciences Po universityby NEWS WIRES (Latest news reports on FRANCE, French politics and culture - France 24) on May 3, 2024
Police entered Paris' Sciences Po university on Friday to remove dozens of students staging a pro-Gaza sit-in in the entrance hall, AFP journalists saw, as protests fire political debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Villagers in south-west France face months-long wait for road to reopen after cliff collapseby The Local on May 3, 2024
The 1,186 residents of a village in Dordogne will have a wait of almost a year for a main route out of their town to be reopened following a rock fall.
- Weather tracker: severe storms and tornadoes hit parts of USby Faye Hulton and Lauren Herdman for MetDesk (France | The Guardian) on May 3, 2024
One tornado in Oklahoma was the first of 2024 to be rated as EF-4, the second most severe categorySevere thunderstorms affected parts of the US last week, spawning at least 129 tornadoes across midwestern and southern states between 25 and 28 April. The majority occurred on 26 April, with most touching down in Nebraska and Iowa.Two that formed were […]
- French Expression of the Day: Simple comme bonjourby The Local on May 3, 2024
If you hear this French expression, then relax. Things should go smoothly.
- French MPs say ‘non’ to English at the Paris Olympicsby NEWS WIRES (Latest news reports on FRANCE, French politics and culture - France 24) on May 3, 2024
Having long battled the creeping use of English in advertising, music and film, French MPs have declared a new struggle: keeping their home Olympics this year free from anglicisms.
- Factcheck: Is France really trying to ban speaking English at the Paris Olympics?by The Local on May 3, 2024
A resolution by a group of French MPs to 'say non to English at the Paris Olympics' has generated headlines - but will athletes and visitors really be required to speak French?
- La Belle Vie: The benefits to working in France and 'new' French wordsby The Local on May 3, 2024
From new French words in the dictionary to tech and work-related lingo to memorise and adapting to life in France, this week's La Belle Vie newsletter offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like a French person.