TOEFL Test Centers in France

EDU February 16, 2019

France Overview

France is the third largest country in Europe with the capital Paris. The landscape is very varied. Long coastlines extend to the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Mediterranean Sea in the south. Extensive lowlands lie in the north and south-west. The center is mountainous, as are the east and south-east with the Alps and the south with the Pyrenees. There are numerous rivers, but only a few lakes. The climate is humid, temperate in the north, Mediterranean in the south with lots of sunshine.

One fifth of the French population lives in the Paris metropolitan area. State and religion are strictly separated. A tenth of the population are immigrants and their descendants, most of whom come from North and West Africa. Many of them live on the outskirts of the big cities. Most of the French are Catholics, the second largest religious community is Islam.

France can look back on a national tradition that goes back to late antiquity. Politics and society have been oriented towards Paris, where the king resided, since the Middle Ages. French culture exerted great influence in Europe. In the age of the “Sun King” Louis XIV and Napoleon I , France was also a leading political power. Today, France belongs to the group of the largest industrial countries (Group of Seven, G 7). It has an efficient and very diverse agriculture. When it comes to viticulture and as a tourist destination, the country is at the top of the world. Important sectors are the automobile and aircraft construction, the chemical and pharmaceutical industry as well as the food and luxury goods processing.

The French Republic is a democratic state with a strong president at its head. It belongs to the European Union and the Eurozone. France is a member of the NATO Defense Alliance and has nuclear weapons.

Country facts

• Official name: French Republic
• License plate: F
• ISO-3166: FR, FRA (250)
• Internet domain:.fr
• Currency: 1 euro (€) = 100 cents
• Area: 549 087 km²
• Population (2018): 67 million
• Capital: Paris
• Official language (s): French
• Form of government: semi-presidential republic
• Administrative division: 13 regions with 96 departments
• Head of State: President Emmanel Macron
• Religion (s): Christians (Catholics; Protestants); Muslims
• Time zone: Central European Time
• National holiday: July 14th

Location and infrastructure

• Location (geographical): Western Europe
• Position (coordinates): between 41 ° 30 ‘and 51 ° north latitude and 5 ° 10’ west and 9 ° 30 ‘east longitude
• Climate: Oceanic climate, on the Mediterranean coast, Mediterranean winter rainy climate
• Highest mountain: Mont Blanc (4810 m)
• Road network: 951 200 km (paved)
• Railway network: 30 013 km

Population

• Annual population growth: 0.5%
• Birth rate (2017): 12.1 per 1000 residents.
• Death rate (2017): 9.4 per 1000 residents.
• Average age: 41.5 years
• Average life expectancy: 82.0 years (women 85.3; men 78.9)
• Age structure: 18% younger than 15 years, 20% older than 65 years
• Literacy rate (15 year olds and older):
• Mobile phone contracts (pre-paid and post-paid) (2017): 106.2 per 100 residents
• Internet users (2017): 80.5 per 100 residents

Economy

• GDP per capita (2017): US $ 38,477
• Total GDP (2017): US $ 2,583 billion
• GNI per capita (2017): US $ 37,970
• Education expenditure (2014): 5.5% of GDP
• Military expenditure (2017): 1.8% of GDP
• Unemployment rate (15 years and older) (2017): 9.4%