Long-form name: French Republic

Type: republic

Capital: Paris

Administrative divisions: metropolitan France--22 regions (regions, singular--region); 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, Rhone-Alpes; note--the 22 regions are subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the territorial collectivities (Mayotte, St. Pierre and Miquelon)

Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna

Independence: unified by Clovis in 486, First Republic proclaimed in 1792

Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962

Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts

National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Branches: president chairs the Council of Ministers, which is formally responsible to National Assembly; bicameral legislature--National Assembly (577 members), Senate (317 members)--restricted by a delaying action; judiciary independent in principle

Leaders: @m5Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); @m5Head of Government--Prime Minister Michel ROCARD (since 10 March 1988)

Suffrage: universal over age 18; not compulsory

Elections: National Assembly--every five years, last election June 1988, two-round majority system reenacted in October 1986; Senate--indirect collegiate system for nine years, renewable by one-third every three years, last election September 1986; president, direct, universal suffrage every seven years, two ballots, last election May 1988

Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR, formerly UDR), Jacques Chirac; Union for French Democracy (UDF, federation of PR, CDS, and RAD), Valery Giscard d'Estaing; Republicans (PR), Francois Leotard; Center for Social Democrats (CDS), Pierre Mehaignerie; Radical (RAD), Andre Rossinot; Socialist Party (PS), Pierre Mauroy; Left Radical Movement (MRG), Francois Doubin; Communist Party (PCF), Georges Marchais; National Front (FN), Jean-Marie Le Pen

Voting strength: 1988 presidential election--54% Francois Mitterrand

Communists: 700,000 claimed but probably closer to 150,000; Communist voters, 2.8 million in 1988 elections

Other political or pressure groups: Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail) nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail--CFDT) about 800,000 members est.; independent labor union (Force Ouvriere) about 1,000,000 members est.; independent white-collar union (Confederation Generale des Cadres) 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais--CNPF or Patronat)

Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, EIB, EMA, EMS, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, NATO (signatory), OAS (observer), OECD, South Pacific Commission, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Emmanuel de MARGERIE; Chancery at 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 944-6000; there are French Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico); US--Ambassador-Designate Walter J. P. CURLEY; Embassy at 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08 (mailing address is APO New York 09777); telephone Õ33å (1) 42-96-12-02 or 42-61-80-75; there are US Consulates General in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, and Strasbourg

Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the French @m5Tricouleur (Tricolor); the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags including Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Ivory Coast, and Luxembourg; the official flag for all French dependent areas

NOTE: The information regarding France on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of France Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about France Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.