• Population: 63.46 million inhabitants in Metropolitan France (65.35 million in total) (forecast 2012) 
• GDP: €2.216 trillion (estimates 2011) 
• Growth rate: 1.5% (2010) 
• Inflation rate: 1.7 (2010) 
• French exports: €341.82 billion 
• French imports €398.68 billion 
• Ireland position: 6th client and 5th supplier 
• FDI (Foreign Direct Investments) at home: €869 billion (2010) 

France is located in Western Europe with terrains that vary from mostly flat plains in metropolitan France to low-lying coastal plains and mountains. Often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory, France is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2.

France is divided into 27 administrative regions 22 are in metropolitan France (21 are on the continental part of metropolitan France; one is the territorial collectivity of Corsica), and five are overseas regions.The capital of France and its largest city as well is Paris with a population of 12,089,098 inhabitants (January 2008).

France’s population is older than Ireland’s with 65% being between the age of 15 and 65. Religion is also less strong in the Hexagone with 58% of Christians, 31% of Atheists, 7% of Muslims, 1% of Jews and 3% other.

In 1957, after WWII, France, alongside Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium, founded the European Economic Community who later became the European Union.

Since 1st January 1999 France has adopted the Euro as its currency.

France Sector composition in the GDP (2010)

• Agriculture: 1.7%
• Industry: 18.6%
• Services: 79.7%

Source : www.indexmundi.com / www.coface.fr