Land use: arable land: 33% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 27% other: 18% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 16,300 sq km (1995 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding
Environment-current issues: some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff
Environment-international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography-note: largest West European nation; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral
@France:People
Population: 58,804,944 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19% (male 5,674,417; female 5,411,685) 15-64 years: 65% (male 19,243,919; female 19,182,933) 65 years and over: 16% (male 3,759,565; female 5,532,425) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.31% (1998 est.)