World Country France

About the world country France, its location, size, population, and who is in power.

NATIONS OF THE WORLD

FRANCE

Location: In western Europe, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, including the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Size: 211,207 sq. mi. (547,026 sq. km.). Population: 53,844,000.

Who Really Rules: Center-right parties held the presidency and National Assembly for 23 years until Socialist Party leader Francois Mitterrand was elected president in May, 1981 and the left wing won a legislative majority the following month. France operates as a capitalist nation, but the government owns controlling shares of leading corporations in industries such as auto production, banking, and petroleum.

Though a member of NATO, France maintains an independent foreign policy and has its own nuclear weapons program. It is a major supplier of sophisticated arms to much of the third world.