Jacques Chirac
President

(pronounced "ZHOCK sheer-ROCK")

"I would like all fellow citizens, more at ease about their future, to feel they are part of a collective destiny,…more patriotic and at the same time more European."

The French Republic is the largest west European country, encompassing 551,670 sq km (220,668 sq mi), including the Mediterranean island of Corsica. It is bounded to the west by the Atlantic Ocean; to the north by the English Channel; to the east by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy; and to the south by the Mediterranean Sea and Spain. The Republic also includes overseas territories and departments. The capital is Paris.

The population of almost 60 million is overwhelmingly nominally Roman Catholic (approximately 88%); fewer than 2% are Protestant, 1% are Jewish and 1% Buddhist; and recent immigration trends have created a Muslim community that is an estimated 8% of the total population. The...