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Basic Information
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more about
how Parisians live
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by David Applefield
Geography
Capital: Paris
Form of Government: Republic
Official Language: French (see our Wordbook)
Regional Languages: Basque, Breton, Catalan, Corsican
(corse), Provençal, Alsatian.
Surface Area: 551,965 square km
Gross National Product: 50 US per inhabitant.
Population: 56,630,000 (1990)
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City
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Metropolitan Area
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Paris:
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2,188,918
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9,060,000
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Marseille:
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800,550
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1,087,276
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Strasbourg:
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252,338
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388,483
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Lyon:
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415,487
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1,214,869
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Toulouse:
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358,688
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608,427
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Nice:
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342,391
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474,459
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Bordeaux:
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210,336
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685,456
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Lille:
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363,653
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950,265
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Religions
Catholic: 5 million (90%); 1 out of 5 French claims to be
"practicing."
Muslim: 1.7 million
Protestant: 1 million
Jewish: 0.7 million
Ethnic
Mix (Source:
Ministère de l´Intérieur et de
l´aménagement du territoire)
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Portuguese
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700,729
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Algerian
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585,846
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Moroccan
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441,000
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Italian
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268,047
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Spanish
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246,342
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Tunisian
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178,217
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Turkish
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147,558
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British
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59,790
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…
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…
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Belgians
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57,574
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Germans
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57,670
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Polish
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46,193
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Americans
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27,053
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…
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…
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Irish
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4,778
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Most
Common French Names
Of the 250,000 family names in France the most common
are:
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1 - Martin
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2 - Bernard
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3 - Moreau
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4 - Durand
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5 - Petit
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6 - Dubois
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7 - Michel
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8 - Marie
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Note that in French your name (nom) refers to your
last name; otherwise, you will be asked for your
prénom (first name). Many of the above "noms"
are also "prénoms" !
When asked to write their name on a form, French students
often follow the administrative formality of last name
first, e.g. DUPONT, Jean. Last names and city names are
almost always written in capital letters (majuscule).
Also, in France many people have noms
composés, attached first names, such as Jean-Marie,
Marie-Therèse or Jean-Claude, and numerous people,
usually as a result of marriage and mixed cultural
backgrounds, have attached last names joined by a
hyphen.
See also: Common
street Names
Common
References to France and its Institutions in the
Press
Le Quai d´Orsay : Ministry of Foreign Affairs
l´Hexagone : France
l´Elysée : the president´s official residence
Matignon : the Premier Ministre´s residence
le Quai des Orfèvres : Police headquarters
Place Vendôme : Ministry of Justice
La dame de fer : Eiffel Tower
Common
Symbols of the French Republic
Flag : blue, white, and red as three vertical stripes,
created by Lafayette in 1789.
RF: these stitched letters stand for la République
Française
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité: the
philosophic slogan of the country
La Marseillaise: the National Anthem
Marianne: the muse of the country whose portrait and bust
is found in every city hall in France and on many French
stamps
Le Coq: the cock, symbol of the French people, coming
from gallus and signifying the Gauls, the ancestors of
modern France.
French
Elections /Terms in Office
In France you have to be 18 years old and a French
citizen to vote. Women voted for the first time in France in
1945.
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Presidential
elections
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7 years
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National elections
(députés)
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5 years
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Senate elections (1/3 every 9
years)
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9 years
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Regional elections
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6 years
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Cantonale (county)
elections
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6 years
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Municipal elections
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6 years
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European elections
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5 years
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