FRANCE

France , officially the French Republic , is a unitary semi-presidential republic located mostly in Western Europe,[note 12] with several overseas regions and territories. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. From its shape, it is often referred to in French asl’Hexagone ("The Hexagon").

The logo of Freanch government

France is the largest country in Western Europe and the third-largest in Europe as a whole. It possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world. France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military, and political influence in Europe and around the world.[6] France has its main ideals expressed in the 18th-century Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the 

second-largest colonial empire of the time, ruling large portions of first North America and India and then Northwest and Central Africa;Madagascar; Indochina and southeast China; and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands. France is a developed country,[7] possessing the world's fifth-largest and Europe'ssecond-largest economy by nominal GDP. It is also the world's ninth-largest by GDP at purchasing power parity. France is 

The NationalEmbled Of France.

 the wealthiest nation in Europe – and the fourth-wealthiest in the world – in aggregate household wealth.[9] French citizens enjoy a highstandard of living, high public education level, and one of the world's longest life expectancies.[10] France has been listed as the world's "best overall health care" provider by the World Health Organization.[11] It is the most-visited country in the world, receiving 79.5 million foreign tourists annually.France has the world's fifth-largest nominal military budget,[13]

 as well as (in terms of personnel) the largest military in the EU,[citation needed] the third-largest deployable force in NATO, and the 26th-largest military in the world. 

The flag of france.

France also possesses the third-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world[14] – with around 300 active warheads as of 25 May 2010 – and the world's second-largest diplomatic corps (behind the United States).[15] France is a founding member of the United Nations, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council , and a member of theFrancophonie, the G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, and the Latin Union. It is also a founding and leading member state of the European Union and the largest EU state by area.[16] In 2013, France was listed 20th on the Human Development Index and, in 2010, 24th on the Corruption Perceptions Index.

ECONOMICAL ASPECTS

A member of the G8 group of leading industrialised countries, it is ranked as the world's fifth largest and Europe's second largest economy by nominal GDP;[144] with 39 of the 500 biggest companies of the world in 2010, France ranks world's 4th and Europe's 1st in theFortune Global 500 ahead of Germany and the UK. France joined 11 other EU members to launch the euro on 1 January 1999, with euro coins and banknotes completely replacing theFrench franc (₣) in early 2002.[145]

France has a mixed economy which combines extensive private enterprise (nearly 2.5 million companies registered)[147][148] with substantial (though declining[149]) state enterprise and government intervention (see dirigisme). The government retains considerable influence over key segments of infrastructure sectors, with majority ownership of railway, electricity, aircraft, nuclear power and telecommunications.[149] It has been gradually relaxing its control over these sectors since the early 1990s.[149]

the first completed Airbus A380 at the “A380 Reveal” event in Toulouse on 18 January 2005. Airbus is a symbol of the globalisation of the French and European economy.

The government is slowly corporatising the state sector and selling off holdings in France Télécom, Air France, as well as the insurance, banking, and defence industries.[149] France has an important aerospace industry led by the European consortium Airbus, and has its own national spaceport, the Centre Spatial Guyanais.

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), in 2009 France was the world's sixth-largest exporter and the fourth-largest importer of manufactured goods.[150] In

2008, France was the third-largest recipient of foreign direct investment among OECD countries at $117.9billion, ranking behind Luxembourg (where foreign direct investment was essentially monetary transfers to banks located in that country) and the United States ($316.1 billion), but above the United Kingdom ($96.9 billion), Germany ($24.9 billion), or Japan ($24.4 billion)

france derives 79% of its electricity from nuclear power, the highest percentage in the world

In the same year, French companies invested $220 billion outside of France, ranking France as the second most important outward direct investor in the OECD, behind the United States ($311.8 billion), and ahead of the United Kingdom ($111.4 billion), Japan ($128 billion) and Germany ($156.5 billion).[151][152] With 39 of the 500 biggest companies of the world in 2010, France ranks 4th in the Fortune Global 500, behind the USA, Japan and China, but ahead of Germany and the UK

Financial services, banking and the insurance sector are an important part of France's economy. The Paris stock exchange market (French: La Bourse de Paris) is an ancient institution, as it was created by Louis XV in 1724.[154] In 2000, the stock exchanges of Paris, Amsterdam and Bruxelles merged into Euronext.[155] In 2007, Euronext merged with the New York stock exchange to form NYSE Euronext,

the world's largest stock exchange.  Euronext Paris, the French branch of the NYSE Euronext group is Europe's second largest stock exchange market, behind the London Stock Exchange.French companies have maintained key positions in the Insurance and Banking industries:AXA is the world's largest insurance company, and is ranked by Fortune the ninth richest 

France is part of a monetary union, the Eurozone (dark blue), and of the EU single market.

corporation by revenues. The leading French banks are BNP Paribas and the Crédit Agricole, ranking as the world's 1st and 6th largest banks in 2010[156] (determined by the amount of assets), while the Société Générale group was ranked the world's eight largest in 2008–2009.France is the smallest emitter of carbon dioxide among the seven most industrialized countries in the world, due to its heavy investmen

in nuclear power.[157] As a result of large investments in nuclear technology, most of the electricity produced in the country is generated by 59 nuclear power plants (78% in 2006,[158] up from only 8% in 1973, 24% in 1980, and 75% in 1990). In this context, renewable energies (see the power cooperative Enercoop) are having difficulties taking off the ground

POLITICAL ASPECTS.France  is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, in which the President of France ishead of state and the Prime Minister of France is the head of government, and there is a pluriform, multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the government, Senate and National Assembly. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature

SOCIAL ASPECTS

Economically, France has a higher unemployement rate than most of the industrialized countries. Big companies are very efficient, a lot of them are leaders on their markets but France suffers from a lack of little and medium sized companies. 

Socially, poverty is increasing in France. There is also a lack of decent housings : a large part of the housing stock is unhealthy. 

The school system is considered to be deconnected with the labour needs. According to french, school is to make citizens, and not workers. 

The Health Care system is in persistent deficit. Life cost is high in France. Immigration can be a problem for some french, racism and xenophobia exists in France as in every country. 

Contrary to the common belief, France has few problems with religion. It is a secularist country, you are a french citizen before

being a Catholic, a Jew or a Muslim. And most of the french agree with that. Of course, there are hate crimes in France but justice consider them like every other crime. for example, the riots in 2005 were not Muslim riots but young people from "poor" suburds complaining about their conditions.

Made by: Kanwaljeet

KaurClass: VIII D