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French Republic
National name: République Française
President: Jacques Chirac (1995)
Prime Minister: Dominique de Villepin (2005)
Area: 211,208 sq mi (547,030 sq km)
Population (2005 est.): 60,656,178 (growth rate:
0.4%); birth rate: 12.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.3/1000;
life expectancy: 79.6; density per sq mi: 287
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Paris,
11,330,700 (metro. area), 2,110,400 (city proper)
Other large cities: Marseille, 820,700; Lyon,
443,900; Toulouse, 411,800; Nice, 332,000; Nantes, 282,300;
Strasbourg, 272,600; Bordeaux, 217,000
Monetary units: Euro (formerly French franc)
Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional
dialects (Provençal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan,
Basque, Flemish)
Ethnicity/race: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic,
Slavic, North African, Southeast Asian, and Basque minorities
Religions: Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%,
Islam 5%-10%, Jewish 1%
Literacy rate: 99% (1980 est.)
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