creationist
2,347
edits
France: Difference between revisions
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
Jump to navigationJump to search
m
→Natural Resources
mNo edit summary |
Jzyehoshua (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 126: | Line 126: | ||
== Natural Resources == | == Natural Resources == | ||
France’s most valuable natural asset is its rich agricultural land. | France’s most valuable natural asset is its rich agricultural land. High-quality soils cover almost half the country’s surface, giving France an agricultural surplus that makes it an exporter of food. The country’s varied physiography, with beaches, rivers, forests, and mountains, is a draw for the tourism industry. France is not well endowed with indigenous energy supplies or other mineral resources. Hydroelectric production, although well developed, is inadequate to France’s needs. | ||
Endowed with a third of all the agricultural land in the [[European Union]] (EU) and a moderate and varied climate, France is the world's second largest agricultural producer (behind the United States) and the EU’s leading producer. Of France's land surface, about 33.46% is arable and in annually replanted crops, while 2.03% is in permanent crops, such as fruit trees and vines. According to a 1998 estimate, an area of about 20,000 square kilometers was irrigated. French agricultural production makes up a fourth of the EU total and accounts for 2.5% of French gross domestic product (2006 estimate). France has roughly 1 million farms, which benefit substantially from subsidies, especially EU subsidies. Wheat, corn, meat, wine, sugar beets, and dairy products are France’s main agricultural products.<ref name=loc /> | Endowed with a third of all the agricultural land in the [[European Union]] (EU) and a moderate and varied climate, France is the world's second largest agricultural producer (behind the United States) and the EU’s leading producer. Of France's land surface, about 33.46% is arable and in annually replanted crops, while 2.03% is in permanent crops, such as fruit trees and vines. According to a 1998 estimate, an area of about 20,000 square kilometers was irrigated. French agricultural production makes up a fourth of the EU total and accounts for 2.5% of French gross domestic product (2006 estimate). France has roughly 1 million farms, which benefit substantially from subsidies, especially EU subsidies. Wheat, corn, meat, wine, sugar beets, and dairy products are France’s main agricultural products.<ref name=loc /> | ||
France also has forest resources that are among the largest in Europe. The forests about two-thirds deciduous cover almost 17 million hectares | France also has forest resources that are among the largest in Europe. The forests are about two-thirds deciduous and cover almost 17 million hectares, accounting for a third of the country's land area. The average figure per capita is 0.3 hectares. Forest cover is growing by about 30,000 hectares, or 0.4 percent a year, through encroachment on former agricultural land. This expansion of forested land partly reflects the continuation of long-existing forest expansion and improvement policies. Since 1947, the government has subsidized the reforestation of 2.1 million hectares of forestland, for a growth of forestland by 35%. A quarter of the country’s forests are publicly owned, and 95 percent have free public access. State subsidies, amounting to some 90 million euros per year for the period 2000–9, have been earmarked for assisting communities and private owners to clear and regenerate their forests. | ||
France is not especially rich in natural mineral resources, although the coal deposits of northern France and the iron ore deposits in the east were important in the nation’s early industrialization. The country's limited iron ore is of poor quality, and the nearly depleted coal reserves are unsuitable for steel production. In 2004, coal mining in France by its state-owned company was phased out altogether in favor of limited imports. Deposits of petroleum and natural gas, small and largely tapped, each yield only 5% of France's consumption. France currently imports iron ore along with most other minerals important in industrial production. France remains a significant producer of uranium, a fuel used in nuclear reactors, and bauxite, from which aluminum is made.<ref name=loc /> | France is not especially rich in natural mineral resources, although the coal deposits of northern France and the iron ore deposits in the east were important in the nation’s early industrialization. The country's limited iron ore is of poor quality, and the nearly depleted coal reserves are unsuitable for steel production. In 2004, coal mining in France by its state-owned company was phased out altogether in favor of limited imports. Deposits of petroleum and natural gas, small and largely tapped, each yield only 5% of France's consumption. France currently imports iron ore along with most other minerals important in industrial production. France remains a significant producer of uranium, a fuel used in nuclear reactors, and bauxite, from which aluminum is made.<ref name=loc /> | ||
