Facts about France

This section looks at some important facts about France - population, demographics, religion, geography of France etc

Population of France

The population of France at July 2006 is estimated at 60.9 million people, of a total world population of 6.5 billion people. This makes it the 23rd most populated country in the world. 16.4% of the population of France are 65 years old or more.

French flag

85% of the population of France are Roman Catholic.

(For comparison, the 22nd largest population is the Congo Republic, with a population of 62.7 million people, and in position 24 is the United Kingdom with 60.6 million people. China is the most populated country in the world, with 1.3 billion people. The European Union as a whole has a population of 456.9 million, ahead of the USA with 298.4 million people.)

Life Expectancy in France

The overall life expectancy in France is 79.3 years - male 76 and female 83.5 years.

Geography and Area of France

The surface area of France is 547,030 square kilometres. 1,400 square kilometres of this is water.

France shares borders with 8 countries: Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain and Switzerland

France has 3,427 kilometres of coastline.

France is divided into 22 administrative regions: Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur and Rhone-Alpes.

It is then further divided into 96 'departments', largely as established under Napoleon.

The Capital of France is Paris!

Highest Mountain: The highest mountain in France is Mont Blanc, at 4,807 metres high.

French language speakers - how many people speak french, and where they live

See a description of the France flag or the history of Marianne, symbol of Liberty

See a schedule of French public holidays

Return to main France Information