France
Population: 59,024,000 Urban %: 74% Rural %: 26% Number of cities with
over one
million people: 1 (Paris) 2,175,200 Official Language: French How
often are
elections held for President: Every 7 years What are the major
political
parties: The Rassemblement pour la R?publique (Rally for the
Republic), or
RPR, founded in 1976 by Jacques Chirac, now the president
of France, espouses
affinity with the ideas of the former president Charles
de Gaulle. The Union for
French Democracy (UDF), a coalition built around
the Republican Party, is
closely tied to the former president Val?ry Giscard
d’Estaing. Socialist
Party, identified with Fran?ois Mitterrand, who held
the presidency from
1981 to 1995. French Communist Party, this party has
experienced a decline in
members in recent years. Legislative System:
Bicameral How many televisions and
radios exist in France: About 51 million
radios and 23 million
televisions.