France in Brief

• > Presidents’ Gallery

  Fifth Republic Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-Present) Jacques Chirac (1995-2007) François Mitterrand (1981-1995) Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (1974-1981) Georges Pompidou (1969-1974) Alain Poher (...)

• > French in the World

  Nearly 2 million French citizens live abroad : 59% in Europe 19.5% in America 14.2% in North Africa and the Middle East (8.2%) 9.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa 6.3% in Asia and Oceania The majority (...)

• > Foreign Policy

  France’s foreign policy is founded on several centuries of diplomatic tradition and some fundamental principles : the right of peoples to self-determination, respect for human rights and democratic principles, (...)

• > National Defense

  The 2007 French Defense Budget is $59.6 billion, not including pensions of security, it amounts to $45.4 billion (an increase of 2% from 2006). A total of 428,000 people are working for the French Defense (...)

• > French Foreign Legion

  What is the Foreign Legion ? As an integral part of the French army, the French Foreign Legion is a professional fighting unit using the same equipment and with the same missions as any other infantry, tank, or (...)