France
Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy.[1]
Economical characteristics
- Currency: Euro (ISO code: EUR,)
- Central bank discount rate: 3% (31 December 2008)[1]
- Commercial banks lending rate: 8.13% (31 December 2008)[1]
- is part of the Eurozone
Statistics
| Statistic / Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (million USD)[2] | 1 457 450 | 1 327 960 | 1 339 760 | 1 457 330 | 1 800 020 | 2 061 320 | 2 146 580 | 2 266 250 | 2 593 130 | 2 856 560 |
| Govt. debt (% of GDP)[3] | 60.575 | 60.674 | 59.746 | 63.415 | 68.084 | 70.457 | 72.343 | 68.336 | 66.565 | |
| Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[4] | 43.677 | 42.831 | 42.972 | 42.388 | 41.939 | 42.085 | 42.767 | 42.539 | 41.787 | |
| Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[5] | 46.065 | 44.812 | 45.013 | 45.961 | 46.292 | 45.841 | 45.754 | 45.081 | 44.397 | |
| Debt to revenue (years) | 1.387 | 1.417 | 1.390 | 1.496 | 1.623 | 1.674 | 1.692 | 1.606 | 1.593 |
References
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCIA_FR - ↑ World Bank. "France: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29.
- ↑ World Bank. "France: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29.
- ↑ World Bank. "France: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29.
- ↑ World Bank. "France: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29.
External links
- France on Wikipedia
- Central bank of France
- BBC country profile