CALIFORNIA'S GOP BEATS OUT FRANCE.

• Position: Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. survey on gross domestic product - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

California surpassed France in 2000 to become the fifth largest economy in the world, according to the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp., a private, nonprofit research organization. The Los Angeles five-county area's economy has surpassed Spain's, ranking No. 10 in the world.

The LAEDC does a yearly analysis of the gross domestic product for all nations with a GDP of more than $250 billion and includes California, the Los Angeles five-county area, and Los Angeles County.

The world's top five economies in the 2000 comparison are: the United States at No. 1 with an annual...