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Other
sectors
67.1% of the labour force work in the
service sector and contribute 71.5% of the
GNP.
New technologies,
information and communication are
estimated as being 0.4% of the GDP. It is
still a small part, in spite of the boom
in the volume of the added value, which
has been multiplied by four between 1980
and 2010. This sector employs 3% of the
labour force. Access to internet has
become nearly free in France with the
widespread adoption of all-inclusive
forfeits.
In terms of capital
risk, the French internet companies made
over 6.7 million dollars in 2011, not
counting those which went onto the stock
market.
Since then several start-ups have gone
bankrupt or sold out.
Money is not short, but the investors are
a lot more careful and the excesses of the
last two years are acting as a sanction on
today's market : a multitude of projects
in the same sector of the market,
companies which didn't find clients, risky
or spendthrift management, incompetence
... all of that fed by a huge wave of
capital, often attracted by the
perspective of a quick profit on the stock
market.
Companies which offer a highly technical
product, which is difficult to copy and is
really innovatory can still find
financing. Several start-ups have been
taken over by large groups.
12% of French
households have access to Internet,
compared to 7% a year ago.
The number of "host" computers went up by
26% in the first six months of
2011.
On the stock market the
number of individual shareholders
intervening on the New Market has tripled
in a year. 2000 was not a good year for
the French stock exchange.
After having uninterruptedly risen for
several years, the Paris stock exchange
ended the year with a drop in values.
Nevertheless, compared to the other big
international stock markets, it didn't do
too badly.
France is still the
leading tourist destination in the world,
and this sector generates over 180 billion
euros in profits.
Population
Population :
58,847,000 inhabitants
Population
density : 107
inhabitants per square kilometer
People
living in towns :
75.24%
Age
structure of the population :
Under 15 years
old : 18.97%.
15 to 64 year olds : 65.55%.
Over 65 years old : 15.49%.
Life
expectancy : 73.3
years for men, 81.9 years for
women.
Population
forecast for 2025 :
63.6 million people
in France, which equals a variation of
over 9% in 30 years.
Ethnic composition : a
mixture of celtic and latin races with
Germanic, Slav, African, Maghrebin,
Indochinese, and Basque minorities.
Language
French is
the official language.
Religion
There is
freedom of worship, with the following
beliefs :
Catholics 90%, Protestants 2%, Muslims 4%
and Jews 1%.
Weights,
measures and
.voltages
Metric system for
everything.
The electrical current is 220 volts, plugs
are round pronged, with two or three
prongs.
Money
The French
Franc (until 18th February 2002) divided
into 100 centimes
1 euro = 6.55957 FF
The rate was definitely fixed on 31st
December 1998
Exchange regime :
independent floating currency
The French Franc is a
currency reference for 25 countries, 10 of
which are under French authority and 15
independent countries, particularly in
francophone Africa where the currency is
the Franc CFA which is linked to the
French Franc by a fixed parity.
The Euro
In
September
2001 the euros will
arrive in the banks.
On the
1st
December 2001 1.1
million kits, each with a value of 222
euros and containing 640 coins will be
distributed to shopkeepers and the
15th
December 2001 45
million kits will be available in the
banks or at the Post Office for
individuals.
Each kit contains 40 coins, worth 15.25
euros, which is equivalent to 100.03 euros
and it will be sold for 100 euros.
1st
January
2002
: the 37,000 automatic bank distributors
in France will only give notes in euros (
20 euro notes to start with = 131 euros
).
18th
February
2002
: the franc will no longer be legal
currency.
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