France

Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy.
==Economical characteristics==
* Currency: Euro (ISO code: EUR,)
* Central bank discount rate: 3% (31 December 2008)
* Commercial banks lending rate: 8.13% (31 December 2008)
* is part of the Eurozone 
===Statistics===
Statistic / Year 	1999 	2000 	2001 	2002 	2003 	2004 	2005 	2006 	2007 	2008
GDP (million USD)World Bank. "France: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29. 	1 457 450	1 327 960	1 339 760	1 457 330	1 800 020	2 061 320	2 146 580	2 266 250	2 593 130	2 856 560
Govt. debt (% of GDP)World Bank. "France: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29. 	60.575 	60.674 	59.746 	63.415 	68.084 	70.457 	72.343 	68.336 	66.565 	
Govt. revenue (% of GDP)World Bank. "France: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29. 	43.677 	42.831 	42.972 	42.388 	41.939 	42.085 	42.767 	42.539 	41.787 	
Govt. expenses (% of GDP)World Bank. "France: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29.	46.065 	44.812 	45.013 	45.961 	46.292 	45.841 	45.754 	45.081 	44.397 	
Debt to revenue (years) 	1.387 	1.417 	1.390 	1.496 	1.623 	1.674 	1.692 	1.606 	1.593 	
==References==
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
==External links==
* France on Wikipedia
* Central bank of France
* BBC country profile
* Peasants, Rise Up! The Croquants of the 17th Century; Jean-Baptiste Colbert; Jean-Baptiste Colbert and Louis XIV; Down with Collectivism: Merchants and Nobles in 17th-Century France; Louis XIV: Apogee of Absolutism; The Grandiose Failure of François du Noyer; The Skeptic as Absolutist: Michel de Montaigne by Murray N. Rothbard, from An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought, vol. 1, Economic Thought Before Adam Smith
* Money, Bank Credit and Economic Cycles (pdf), Jesus Huerta de Soto, John Law and Eighteenth-Century Banking in France, p.109-111, on impact of financial crises
* How to Bully a Country into Bankruptcy by Cristian Gherasim, November 2010
Category:Countries