| Conventional long form: French | | | | president of the National Assembly, and three |
| Republicconventional short form: Francelocal long | | | | appointed by the president of the Senate; Council |
| form: République Françaiselocal short | | | | of State or Conseil d'Etat. |
| form: France | | | | Political parties and leaders: Citizens Movement or |
| Government type: republic | | | | MdC [Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT]; Communist, |
| Capital: Paris | | | | Republican, and Citizen or CRC (mainly PCF) |
| Administrative divisions: 22 regions (regions, | | | | [leader NA]; Democratic and European Social Rally |
| singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, | | | | or RDES (mainly RAD and PRG) [leader NA]; |
| Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, | | | | French Communist Party or PCF [Robert HUE]; |
| Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, | | | | Generation Ecology [Brice LALONDE]; Independent |
| Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, | | | | Ecological Movement or MEI [Antoine |
| Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, | | | | WAECHTER]; Left Radical Party or PRG |
| Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, | | | | (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the |
| Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote | | | | Left Radical Movement or MRG) [Jean-Michel |
| d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes.note: metropolitan France is | | | | BAYLET]; Liberal-Christian Right [Charles MILLON]; |
| divided into 22 regions (including the "territorial | | | | Liberal Democracy or DL (originally Republican |
| collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided | | | | Party or PR) [Alain MADELIN]; Movement for |
| into 96 departments; see separate entries for the | | | | France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS]; Movement |
| overseas departments (French Guiana, | | | | of Reformers [Jean-Pierre SOISSON]; National |
| Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the overseas | | | | Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; National |
| territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and | | | | Republican Movement [Bruno MEGRET]; Popular |
| Miquelon). | | | | Party for French Democracy or PPDF [Herve DE |
| Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton | | | | CHARETTE]; Radical Party or RP [Francois LOOS]; |
| Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia, French | | | | Rally for France or RPF [Charles PASQUA]; Rally |
| Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, | | | | for the Republic or RPR [Michelle ALLIOT-MARIE]; |
| Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin | | | | Republicans and Independents or RI (mainly DL) |
| Island, Wallis and Futuna.note: the US does not | | | | [leader NA]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois |
| recognize claims to Antarctica. | | | | HOLLANDE]; The Greens [Dominique VOYNET]; |
| Independence: 486 (unified by Clovis) | | | | Union for French Democracy or UDF (coalition of |
| National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | | | | DL, CDS, UDF, RP, and other parties) [Francois |
| Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended | | | | BAYROU]; Union for the |
| concerning election of president in 1962, amended | | | | Presidential Majority or UMP (includes RPR, DL, |
| to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht | | | | some UDF, and RPF) [Alain JUPPE]; Union of the |
| Treaty in 1992, Amsterdam Treaty in 1996, | | | | Center or UDC [leader NA]. |
| Treaty of Nice in 2000; amended to tighten | | | | Political pressure groups and leaders: |
| immigration laws 1993. | | | | Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation |
| Legal system: civil law system with indigenous | | | | Generale du Travail) or CGT, nearly 2.4 million |
| concepts; review of administrative but not | | | | members (claimed); independent labor union or |
| legislative acts. | | | | Force Ouvriere, 1 million members (est.); |
| Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal.elections: | | | | independent white-collar union or Confederation |
| president elected by popular vote for a five-year | | | | Generale des Cadres, 340,000 members |
| term (changed from seven-year term in 2001); | | | | (claimed); Movement of French Enterprises |
| election last held 21 April and 5 May 2002 (next to | | | | (Mouvement des entrprises de France) or MEDEF; |
| be held, first round NA April 2007, second round | | | | note - name used to be National Council of French |
| NA May 2007); prime minister nominated by the | | | | Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais) |
| National Assembly majority and appointed by the | | | | or CNPF or Patronat; Socialist-leaning labor union |
| president. | | | | (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail) |
| Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or | | | | or CFDT, about 800,000 members (est.). |
| Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (321 | | | | International organization participation: ACCT, |
| seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for | | | | AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, |
| overseas departments and territories, and 12 for | | | | CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA |
| French nationals abroad; members are indirectly | | | | (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, ESCAP, |
| elected by an electoral college to serve nine-year | | | | EU, FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, |
| terms; elected by thirds every three years) and | | | | ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, |
| the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale | | | | IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, InOC, |
| (577 seats; members are elected by popular vote | | | | Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, |
| under a single-member majoritarian system to | | | | MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, |
| serve five-year terms). | | | | NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, |
| Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour | | | | SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, |
| de Cassation, judges are appointed by the | | | | UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, |
| president from nominations of the High Council of | | | | UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, |
| the Judiciary; Constitutional Council or Conseil | | | | UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WEU, WFTU, |
| Constitutionnel, three members appointed by the | | | | WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC. |
| president, three members appointed by the | | | | |