| Ninety-two per cent of people who live in France are of French descent, although
there are also many people of North and West African, German, and Vietnamese origin.
France is made up of several regions, each with its own traditions and identity. In
particular, people in Brittany, Alsace, and the Basque country, see themselves as having
their own very distinct identity, which they are very keen to preserve. Although France
is the world’s fourth-largest economic power, it currently faces a decline in the
economy, and unemployment has reached an all-time high. Six million people are living on
or below the poverty line. Many immigrants and unemployed people live in deprived suburbs
known as"la banlieue" where violence and drug addiction are on the
rise. The number of homeless people who are forced to sleep rough and to beg on the
streets, is growing.
While France is a predominantly Christian, Catholic
country, there are people of many races and religions, including several million Muslims,
the offspring of North African immigrants who settled in France in the 1950s. Although
there has been a history of discrimination against immigrants, since the 1980s, many young
French people have supported protests against racism.
Culture and the arts are extremely important in everyday French life. In recent years
the French government put laws in place to restrict the broadcast of English-speaking
movies and songs, and English vocabulary in general, in an attempt to resist
Americanisation and to protect French cultural identity.
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