France

B

Political Divisions

Metropolitan France, including Corsica, is composed of 22 regions, which are subdivided into 96 departments. The regions are Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Brittany, Burgundy, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corsica (which became a territorial collectivity in 1991), Franche-Comté, Haute-Normandie, Île-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrénées, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardy, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and Rhône-Alpes.

C

Principal Cities

The capital and largest city of France is Paris, which has a population of 2,153,600 (2005 estimate)/metropolitan area 9,794,337 (2003 estimate). Marseille, 820,900 (2005 estimate)/1,349,772 (1999), is a chief port, and Lyon, 466,400 (2005 estimate)/1,348,832 (1999), is an industrial centre, specializing in textiles. Other major cities include Toulouse, 435,000 (2005 estimate)/761,090 (1999), an industrial and trade centre; Nice, 347,900 (2005 estimate)/888,784 (1999), a resort; Strasbourg, 272,700 (2005 estimate)/427,245 (1999), a Rhine port and industrial and commercial centre; Nantes, 281,800 (2005 estimate)/544,932 (1999), noted for sugar-refining, shipbuilding, and a variety of other industries; Bordeaux, 230,600 (2005 estimate)/753,931 (1999), a seaport and wine and industrial centre; and Montpellier, 244,300 (2005 estimate)/287,981 (1999), a commercial and manufacturing centre.

D

Religion

Roman Catholicism is the faith of more than 90 per cent of French churchgoers. Islam, Protestantism, and Judaism are the next most important religions. During the 19th century, the Christian and Jewish religions were subsidized by the State. In 1905, because of popular opposition to the political influence of the Roman Catholic Church and to Catholic control of public education, legislation prohibited the payment of public funds to the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish clergy. By the provisions of that and subsequent legislation, the French government withdrew official recognition of religious denominations.

E

Language

French, the official language, is spoken by the great majority of people in France. Regional languages remain in some areas. For example, Breton is the language of daily interaction for many in Brittany, and there is a call for it to be officially recognized. Basque and Catalan are spoken in the Pyrénées mountain region near to the Spanish border. Provençal is used in south-eastern France, particularly Provence; Flemish is spoken in Flanders; and Gascon in the Gascogne Province, from Médoc to the Pyrénées, and from the Atlantic to the Spanish border. Alsatian is spoken by quite large numbers in north-eastern France, particularly Alsace and Lorraine. Other regional languages include Auvergnat, Franco-Provençal, Languedocien, Limousin, and Picard.

Italian, Portuguese, and Dutch are mother tongues for some minorities. Many non-indigenous languages are spoken by certain immigrant groups, including Algerian Spoken Arabic, Moroccan Spoken Arabic, Central Khmer, Lesser Antillean Creole French, Kabyle, and Central Atlas Tamazight.

F

Education

French centres of learning, beginning with the French universities of the Middle Ages, particularly in the University of Paris, founded in the 12th century, and continuing down to the modern universities and technical schools, have served as academic models throughout the world. Among the French educators who had notable influence are Peter Abelard in the 12th century, Michel de Montaigne in the 16th century, François Fénelon and Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the 18th century, and Victor Cousin in the 19th century.

The centralization of school administration, with the state as the fundamental power in education, evolved under the leadership of Napoleon between 1806 and 1808. The modern educational system is based on laws enacted between 1881 and 1886 under the influence of Jules Ferry, Minister of Education. These laws provided for free, compulsory public education entirely under government control. Among later modifications were the establishment of free tuition in secondary and technical schools; the separation of Church and State in education in 1905; the legislation of aid to private schools, including those with religious affiliations, in 1951 and 1959; and, in 1959, the extension of compulsory school attendance to the age of 16. In response to strong student demands, educational reforms were approved in 1968 by President Charles de Gaulle and his Cabinet. Specifically, the new system did away with the control of budgets, curricula, and employment of teachers throughout the nation by the Ministry of Education. Instead, it established educational units at various levels, gave faculties control of staff, and gave students a greater voice in university life. The authority of university professors occupying lifetime chairs to vote on new appointments was abolished, and the establishment of more democratic departmental structures on a subject basis was indicated for universities. Several of the large universities were restructured into smaller units, and the number of French universities increased from 23 to about 70 in the 1990s. Around 5.6 per cent of the country’s gross national product (GNP) was spent on education in 2002–2003.

For administrative purposes, the country is divided into 25 educational districts called académies. In 2000 3,837,902 pupils attended about 41,244 primary schools. In addition, about 5,876,047 students attended around 11,212 secondary schools.

Some 2,029,179 students were enrolled at university and college facilities in France in 2001–2002. Besides the Universities of Paris I-XIII, noted French institutes of higher education include the Universities of Aix-Marseille I-III, the Universities of Lille I-III, the Universities of Lyon I-III, the Universities of Nancy I-II, and the Universities of Strasbourg I-III.