Submitted by Prof. Jocelyn M. Hicks, President, IFCC

France is, in area, about 80% of the size of Texas in the USA, that is, about 549,000 sq. km. Its population is approximately 61 million. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the West, Spain and the Mediterranean sea on the South, and Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and Italy on the East. It boasts the highest mountain in Western Europe-Mont Blanc, with a height of 4,810 meters. Its largest city and capital is Paris, with a population of almost 10 million persons.

France has been settled since the Paleolithic times.  The Celts, later called Gauls, migrated from the Rhine Valley in 600 BC. Greeks and Phoenicians settled along the Mediterranean. The Romans under Julius Caesar conquered this area in about 57-82 BC, and it remained Roman until the late 5th century AD.

During the 14th century AD France was the most powerful country in Europe. However, some French provinces were held by the Plantagonist King of England. There were many years of war between the French and British until, by 1453, the only possession still held by the British was Calais.

The First French Republic was formed in 1792, after the French revolution which occurred in 1789, and Napoleon Bonaparte was Emperor from 1804 to 1815. France did not fare well in either World War I or II, and was occupied by Germany in 1940.  In more recent years France has suffered some internal problems, mainly related to unemployment and immigration.

The official language is French, although there are regional dialects in Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan and Basque.

France's ethnicity is mixed: Celtic, Latin, Teutonic, Slavic, North African, African, Southeast Asian and Basque.

The religion is primarily Roman Catholic (83-88%), Islam (5-10%), Protestant (2%) and Jewish (1%).

The literacy rate is about 99%, and unemployment is high (9-10%). Life expectancy is about 80 y.

Its agricultural products are mainly wheat, cereals, wine grapes, cheese, beef, dairy products and fish.

Natural resources include coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, gypsum and timber.

The monetary unit is the Euro.

I like to think of France as the home of great wines and food, and great colleagues within the IFCC.

Vive La France!