Conventional Long Form Name ofFrance: French Republic Capital City(ies): Paris Type of Government: republic Date of Independence: no official date of independence: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 August 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14 July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 September 1792 (First French Republic founded); 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established) National Holiday(s) include date & event/celebration: Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July) Chief of State (official public face of government): President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012) Head of Government (actual leader of government): Prime Minister Manuel VALLS (since 1 April 2014) Description of Executive Branch/Powers:cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 22 April and 6 May 2012 (next to be held in the spring of 2017); prime minister appointed by the president Description of Legislative Branch/Powers: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (348 seats; 328 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for French Polynesia, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 1 for Wallis and Futuna, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms; one third elected every three years); and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; 555 for metropolitan France, 15 for overseas departments, 7 for overseas dependencies; members elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to serve five-year terms) Description of Judicial Branch/Powers: highest court(s): Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (consists of the court president, 6 divisional presiding judges, 120 trial judges, and 70 deputy judges organized into 6 divisions - 3 civil, 1 commercial, 1 labor, and 1 criminal); Constitutional Council (consists of 9 members) judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the president of the republic from nominations from the High Council of the Judiciary, presided by the Court of Cassation and 15 appointed members; judge term of appointment NA; Constitutional Council members appointed - 3 by the president of the republic and 3 each by the National Assembly and Senate presidents; members serve 9-year, non-renewable terms with one third of the membership renewed every 3 years subordinate courts: appellate courts or Cour d'Appel; regional courts or Tribunal de Grande Instance; first instance courts or Tribunal' d'instance Suffrage (who is allowed to vote): 18 years of age; universal Name of THEIR Ambassador to the U.S.: Ambassador Francois M. DELATTRE (since 18 February 2011) Location of THEIR embassy in the U.S.:4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 Location(s) of THEIR consulate(s) in the U.S. (just the name/s of city/ies is fine): Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco Name of U.S. Ambassador to THEM: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mark A. TAPLIN Location of U.S. embassy THERE: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08 Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) THERE (just the name/s of city/ies is fine): Marseille, Strasbourg Name of THEIR representative to UN: N/A Description of the Symbolism of flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the "Le drapeau tricolore" (French Tricolor), the origin of the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution when the "ancient French color" of white was combined with the blue and red colors of the Parisian militia; the official flag for all French dependent areas Video or audio of their national anthem being played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K1q9Ntcr5g National Symbol(s): Gallic rooster, fleur-de-lis, Marianne Descriptions of International Disputes: Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of New Caledonia Quantity of refugees inside country AND country(ies) of origin of refugees: 23,762 (Sri Lanka); 13,513 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 12,795 (Russia); 12,560 (Cambodia); 11,738 (Serbia); 10,867 (Turkey); 8,528 (Vietnam); 7,261 (Laos); 5,101 (Mauritania) (2013) Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: N/A Quantity of Stateless Persons: 1,210 (2012) Description of current human trafficking issues related to this country: N/A Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use: transshipment point for South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics