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A 112-year-old woman living in Cannes has become France's oldest citizen, the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) said Tuesday.
The woman, Marie-Simone Capony, took over the title after the death Saturday of Camille Loiseau, aged 114 and six months.
France has a reputation for being home to some of the longest-living people on the planet.
The world's oldest person on record was the Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122.
Jean-Marie Robine of Inserm said Capony, born March 14, 1894, now officially holds the national mantle as France's oldest living person after verifications.
He said: "Madame Capony's father was a doctor and was 28 at her birth. Her mother was 20. Madame Capony has never been married."
According to the Guinness World Records website and Wikipedia, the oldest person alive today is Maria Esther de Capovilla of Ecuador, born on September 14, 1889, and currently aged 116.
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AFPLifestyle-France-society-senior
AFP 220955 GMT 08 06
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