914 m: 108 (2010)
Heliports:
1 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 14,688 km; oil 2,943 km; refined products 5,080 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 29,213 km country comparison to the world: 9 standard gauge: 29,046 km 1.435-m gauge (15,164 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 1,027,183 km (metropolitan France; includes 10,958 km of expressways) country comparison to the world: 7 note: there are another 5,100 km of roadways in overseas departments (2007)
Waterways:
metropolitan France: 8,501 km (1,621 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons) country comparison to the world: 16 French Guiana: 3,760 km (460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft) (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 167 country comparison to the world: 38 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 8, chemical tanker 36, container 25, liquefied gas 12, passenger 11, passenger/cargo 44, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 11
foreign-owned: 57 (Belgium 7, China 5, Denmark 12, French Polynesia 12, Germany 1, New Caledonia 3, Norway 1, NZ 1, Singapore 3, Spain 1, Sweden 6, Switzerland 5)
registered in other countries: 146 (Bahamas 19, Belgium 5, Bermuda 1, Canada 1, Cyprus 16, Egypt 1, Hong Kong 3, Indonesia 1, Italy 2, Luxembourg 16, Malta 13, Morocco 4, Netherlands 2, Norway 4, Panama 13, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Singapore 3, South Korea 1, Taiwan 1, UK 33, US 4, unknown 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Calais, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Paris, Rouen
Military ::France
Military branches:
Army (Armee de Terre; includes Marines, Foreign Legion, Army Light
Aviation), Navy (Marine Nationale, includes Naval Air, Maritime
Gendarmerie (Coast Guard)), Air Force (Armee de l'Air (AdlA),
includes Air Defense), National Gendarmerie (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
17–40 years of age for male or female voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription; 12-month service obligation; women serve in noncombat military posts (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16–49: 14,591,656
females age 16–49: 14,285,551 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16–49: 12,053,912
females age 16–49: 11,763,951 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 389,956
female: 372,312 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.6% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 57
Transnational Issues ::France
Disputes - international:
Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India, Europa
Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims
Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute
between Suriname and the French overseas department of French
Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie
Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of
New Caledonia
Illicit drugs:
metropolitan France: transshipment point for South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics
French Guiana: small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe
Martinique: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe
page last updated on January 20, 2011
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@French Polynesia (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::French Polynesia
Background:
The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996. In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded.
Geography ::French Polynesia
Location:
Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean about half way between South America and Australia
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 S, 140 00 W
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls) country comparison to the world: 174 land: 3,827 sq km
water: 340 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
2,525 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical, but moderate
Terrain:
mixture
