23 May 2013 Last updated at 06:17 ET

France profile

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles, a symbol of France's former monarchy
  • Full name: French Republic
  • Population: 63.5 million (UN, 2012)
  • Capital: Paris
  • Area: 543,965 sq km (210,026 sq miles)
  • Major language: French
  • Major religion: Christianity
  • Life expectancy: 78 years (men), 85 years (women) (UN)
  • Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
  • Main exports: Machinery and transport equipment, agricultural products, including wine
  • GNI per capital: US $42,420 (World Bank, 2011)
  • Internet domain: .fr
  • International dialling code: +33

More Europe stories

RSS

Features & Analysis

Elsewhere on the BBC

  • Florence’s Medici Chapel Art over politics

    Michelangelo managed to complete Florence’s Medici Chapel during a time of uprising

Programmes

  • A smartwatchClick Watch

    Marc Cieslak looks at the watches which are capable of doing more than just telling the time

BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.