Although the old historic provinces of France were abolished by the Revolution, the country's fundamental geographic, cultural, and economic divisions remain. These provinces reflect the natural geographic regions of France and, despite modern administrative centralization, retain their striking diversity. Agriculture plays an important role in French morphology. Since the beginning of the 1670s, sixty percent have disappeared in the agricultural sector (Andreas). Agriculture in France is a necessity, although there is only about 4% of the workforce and only 3% contributes to the GDP. France, whose farms export more agricultural products than any other EU country, is the only country in Europe to be completely self-sufficient in basic food production. France is one of the leaders in Europe by value of agricultural exports, particularly wheat, sugar, wine and beef. In 1998, 35% of the French surface was suitable for cultivation (Andreas). Since the 1950s, the number of agricultural holdings has decreased and the size of individual holdings has increased (Andreas). In 1983 there were approximately 1.13 million farms, up from 2.3 million in 1955, and the average farm size was approximately sixty-four acres (Andreas). The average farm size had grown to approximately one hundred and twenty-four acres by 2000 (Andreas). French law provides for equal inheritance rights, traditionally much agricultural land was divided into small, scattered fragments. One of the main objectives of post-war plans for rural improvement was their consolidation through reallocation. This consolidation also favors the growth of mechanization such as that of transport. The French transport system is one of the best in Western Europe (Mills). The French railways, which were na...... middle of paper ......and to the president. The bicameral legislative body consists of the National Assembly and the Senate. Deputies in the 577-seat National Assembly are elected to five-year terms from single-member districts (Pearson). The 348 senators are elected to a six-year term from each department by an electoral college composed of deputies, district council members and city council members from the department, with half of the Senate elected every 3 years (Pearson). France is the monarch country of Western Europe. The current French Constitution declares the country worldly and democratic, with power derived from the people. The nation's ideals are expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, one of the world's first human rights documents, formulated during the seminal French Revolution of the late 18th century.