and serves as president of France today. Chirac was a conservative who enjoyed popular support of both houses of Parliament, and he chose the high rate of unemployment as one of his chief issues.
France has longed viewed itself as independent and isolationist. Amazingly, in the modern world, 94% of the inhabitants are native-born within a largely white population. In 1995, the population of France was estimated at 58,027,300 with 73 percent living in urban areas (Encarta 3). France encompasses 22 regions divided into 96 departments, with Paris being the largest city, Marseille the largest port, and Lyon the chief industrial center (Encarta 3-4). Two-thirds of the French population are of the Roman Catholic faith, but the French government does not recognize religious denominations in the twentieth century. While regional dialects are spoken, the official language of France remains French.
French academic institutions have long served as role models for a great deal of the world. The schools a
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