En Francais / Bienvenue

Welcome to

        Eurofarms

Population and size

France is the largest country in Western Europe. The population is currently 62 million, and the country is about twice the size of the UK at approximately 550 000 square kilometres. (Nb The UK has a population of 62 million people inhabiting an area of 244 111 square kilometres.) The population density is 105 inhabitants per square kilometre but more than 50% of these live in towns of over 50,000 people. Many rural areas are underpopulated, some seriously so.

Climate

France has three  main climate types.  Brittany and Normandy and the west of the country have an oceanic climate, with mild winters and cool summers, changeable and with a fair amount of rain. The central areas have a continental climate with hotter summers and colder winters, with this becoming more marked the further east one progresses. The Mediterranean areas are sunny and dry, with winds and storms in the winters, and very hot summers.

France in the EU

France joined the EU in 1957. As part of the Eurozone, France will be using Euros from January 1st 2002, alongside francs for an initial changeover period. The national currency will be phased out in June 2002. One of the 'four freedoms' established by European Union legislation is the free movement of citizens within the Union (the other three are free movement of goods, services and capital), which means that anyone who is a citizen of one Member State has the right to take up residence in another.

The French economy and the role played by agriculture 

Amongst the 62 million inhabitants of France are 3.5 million foreign residents, of whom 1.4 million are EU citizens. Although the country is Europe's leading producer and exporter of farm products, only 3.9% of the total workforce is employed in agriculture. There are 735,000 farms and 997,000 farmers and farm workers.

France is the EU's main producer of sugar beet, and is the second largest wine producer in the world. She also produces more cereals and oilseeds than her European neighbours. 

Tourism is also important to the economy, with 62.4 million tourist visiting the country in 1996. France has 17.3 million tourist beds of which 16.1 million are in rural gites, camp sites and youth hostels. An increasing number of farmers are now offering tourist accommodation in the form of chambres d'hotes (bed and breakfast) or self-catering gites . Some have established themselves as fermes auberges , or farm restaurants, offering specialities of the region.