When the word France is Mentioned

what comes to
Mind?
• Berets, Croissants, Class and style, hard
working people who's culture is admired
throughout the world, stylishly dressed
women in expensive clothes .

• Paris, "City of Lights" .

• Music, Food, Literature, Art and

Architecture.
 FRANCE AT A GLANCE
• Population: 61,500,000 (2007 estimate)

• Area: 543,965 km²

• Independence: July 14, Bastille Day, is France’s national holiday.

• Climate: Temperate climate in north and north-west;

• Languages: French

• President: Nicolas Sarkozy

• Government Type: Semi-presidential unitary republic

• Capital: Paris

• Currency: Euro
• Public Holidays: New Year’s Day (January 1); Easter Monday
(variable date in March or April); Labor Day (May 1); Ascension Day
(Thursday, 40 days after Easter); World War II Victory Day (May 8);
Bastille Day (July 14); Assumption (August 15); All Saints’ Day
(November 1); Armistice Day (November 11); and Christmas Day
(December 25).

• Flag: The French flag features three equal vertical bands of blue (on
the hoist side), white, and red. Known as the “Le drapeau tricolore”
(French Tricolor), the flag dates to 1790, in the era of the French
Revolution.

• Major cities: Paris, Orleans, Toulouse, and Reims

• Main airports: Charles de Gaulle (Paris); Paris-Orly, Bordeaux,

Lille, Marseille Provence, Nice, Nantes, Strasbourg, Toulouse-
Blagnac.
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, elected May 2007
Toulouse & Reims
 ABOUT FRANCE
• France is located on the southern part of the
continent of Europe.
• To it's northern border there is the North Sea,
England, Belgium, the English Channel and
Germany.
• In France's southern border is Spain and the
Mediterrian Sea ,Switzerland and Italy are to the
East.
The World’s Most Visited Country
• With over 75 million people visiting every
year(more that the country’s entire population),
France is, without doubt, the world’s most
popular tourist destination. Few countries can
combine the magnificence of Paris with the ever-
fashionable Côte d’Azur an beauty of Provence.
Home to world-famous art collections, 10 wine
regions and 350 cheeses, it’s no surprise that it
is a must-see destination for the international
tourist.
 A Global Economy…
• France is the seventh largest economy in the
world, and the third largest in Europe after the
UK and Germany. As a member of G8 group of
leading industrialized nations, it has a significant
influence on the world economic stage. In 2006,
France was ranked third – behind the US and
the UK – in levels of foreign direct investment,
according to United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development6. The country has
enjoyed steady growth and the forecast
economic liberalization now makes it an
attractive place for property investment.
… and a world political player
• Its economic stability is matched equally
with a political one, which gives you
another good reason to invest here. As a
founding member of the European Union,
France is one half of the key political
partnership of the union, with Germany. It
has significant world influence reflected
through its status as a permanent member
of the United Nations Security Council.
 CITIES
• The major cities are Paris, Orleans, Toulouse, and
Reims.
• Paris, Capital and also "City of Lights", views are an
absolutely breathtaking sight.
• Paris is the country's heart of economy. It's location is on
the Rhine River.
• Orleans is the site of "Siege of Orleans".
• Toulouse is home to many museums.
• Reims is an old city dating all the way back to the time of
the Roman Empire.
• Reims has a role in French history also since this is the
site were the kings of France were crowned.
 GEOGRAPHY
• Major land features of France are mountains,
rolling plains river valleys, ridges and hills.
• The major mountain are the Alps and the
Pyrenees.
• Some rivers are the Loire, Rhine, Rhone, and
Garonne.
• France is not rich in natural resources.
• Deposits of coal, iron ore, bauxite and other
minerals.
Coastline of NICE
City of Cannes at Dusk
River Seine in Paris
The French Riviera
Sunflower fields in Provence
 NATURAL RESOURCES
• France is not rich in natural resources and makes
most of its money through manufacturing various
products.
• People make money in France by manufacturing a
variety of products.
• A large part of the industry is making cars.
• France has the 6th largest automobile industry, after
the United States, Japan, China, Germany and
South Korea.
• Mining is a part of the economy too, 20 million tons
of steel are mined each year.
• Weaving wool into cotton, silk and synthetic fibers
into cloth are popular jobs.
 The Sarkozy Effect
• The election of Nicolas Sarkozy as president in May
2007 opened a new era in French politics.
• A keen driver of economic liberal policies, he is looking
to reform the French economy through a programme of
lower taxation, government reform and privatization
policies.
• One of his key plans is to create a homeowners
revolution with tax breaks to create ‘a nation of property
owners’ .
• This support for property ownership by the government
should push demand in the market and have a positive
effect on property price growth.
 ECONOMY
• With a gross domestic product (GDP) in 2006 of
US$2,124 billion, France is the sixth largest
economy in the world in U.S. dollar terms, after
the United States, Japan, Germany, China, and
the United Kingdom (UK).
• Per capita GDP was US$33,894.
• GDP Growth 1.9 %
• France’s 2005 revenues totaled US$1,060 billion,
while its expenditures totaled US$1,144 billion,
including capital expenditures of US$23 billion.
FDI inflows(% of GDP) – 3.4
• In 2006 the inflation rate was 1.8 percent.
 TAXATION
• The standard rate of corporation tax is
33.3%. The standard rate of value-added
tax (VAT) was cut from 20.6% to 19.6% in
April 2000. Rates of income tax have been
falling for several years (particularly at the
top end). In 2008 the maximum tax as a
share of personal income was reduced to
50%, from 60%.
 INDUSTRY
• Another major industry is perfume and fashion.
• French industry still provides 22 percent of jobs, compared to
11 percent in the United States.
• The key industrial sectors are chemicals and pharmaceuticals,
automobiles, metallurgy, telecommunications and electronics,
and aircraft.
• France has been particularly successful in developing dynamic
telecommunications, aerospace, and weapons sectors.
• Some familiar French names may be Louis Vuitton, Christian
Dior, Yves St Lauren, and Chanle.
• France is also one of the world's leading agricultural countries.
• Tourism is a large part of the economy.
 SERVICE INDUSTRY
• France’s dynamic services sector accounts for an
increasingly large share of economic activity.
• The services sector is dominated by financial
services, insurance, and tourism.
• The banking system, which accounts for 3
percent of GDP, is the third largest private-sector
employer in France, with about 500,000
employees.
• PNB Paribas, which became the largest bank in
France and the second largest in the Euro-zone
in terms of market capitalization.
• Crédit Agricole ranks second in profits among the
top 25 West European banks.
• The French insurance sector, which provides nearly
200,000 jobs, was the fifth largest in the world.
• The tourism sector, another major contributor to the
French economy, generates 900,000 jobs and a
trade surplus of well over US$10 billion yearly.
• France is the number-one tourist destination in the
world, receiving more than 75 million tourists in a
year.
• The country has more than 17 million tourist beds,
including more than 1 million in 40,000 hotels and
16 million in rural lodging, campsites, and youth
hostels
 AGRICULTURE
• Each region of France produces its own cheese.
• A leading producer of milk and cheese. In northern
France there are many wheat farms.
• Dairy, pork, poultry, and apples are grown in the
west.
• Beef is mostly found in central France.
• Fruits, vegetables, and wine are produced from
central and southern France.
• Some famous French dishes are crepes, escargot,
frogs legs, and goose pate.
• Cuisine of France is world renowned, with 365
cheeses
and 450 wines it has a large variety of tastes for a
variety of pallets.
 Foreign Economic Relations
• France was the main driving force behind the economic
integration of Europe and remains a powerful force in the
European Union (EU).
• France plays a major role in many other international economic
bodies.
• Like, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) and the Group of Eight (G8) and
numerous regional trade blocs and customs unions.
• France, plays an advisory role in African economic blocs and
organizations, such as the African Development Bank and the
Central African States Development Bank.
• France is one of the world’s most important donors of
development aid and loans, through multinational agencies,
such as the European Development Fund, the World Bank, and
the International Monetary Fund.
 Imports and Exports
• The French economy is very open to foreign trade.
• France is the second-largest trading nation in Western
Europe (after Germany).
• France, the world’s fourth largest exporter of goods and the
third largest exporter of services, sends 70 percent of its
trade to European Union partners.
• Its main customers are Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom,
Belgium, and Spain, along with the United States.
• France’s chief exports are machinery and transportation
equipment, chemicals, iron and steel products, agricultural
products, and textiles and clothing.
• The chief imports are crude oil, machinery and equipment,
chemicals, and agricultural products.
• In 2006 the value of goods imports reached US$473.3
billion, while exports came to only US$443.4 billion.
 Membership in Major
International Organizations
• A charter member of the United Nations (UN).
• France was a founding member of European Union (EU)
in 1992.
• France is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO)
• The Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD),
• The Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE),
• The World Trade Organization (WTO),
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF),
• The International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD) or World Bank, and
• The International Labor Organization (ILO).
 Football fever…
• The French national football team represents the nation of France
in international football. It is fielded by the
French Football Federation and competes as a member of UEFA
• France was one of the four European teams that participated at the
inaugural World Cup in 1930. In the 1980s, led by midfielder and
captain Michel Platini, the team reached semi-finals at both the
1982 and 1986 World Cups, and won the 1984 European
Championship.
• France then reached an even higher status in international football
by being especially successful at the end of the 1990s and in the
2000s; they won the World Cup as the host nation in 1998, and the
European Football Championship two years later, while also placing
second at the 2006 World Cup tournament. Midfielder Zinédine
Zidane was particularly instrumental in achieving those honors.
 TRANSPORTATION AND
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
• A total of about 985,000 kilometers of local, secondary,
and main surfaced roads.
• France the second most extensive superhighway
network in Europe.
• France’s railroad system has a total of about 32,000
kilometers of track, including 167 kilometers of narrow (1
meter) gauge.
• The country has about 15,000 kilometers of waterways,
8,500 kilometers of which are heavily traveled.
• Because of its numerous urban and industrial centers,
France has a particularly high number of airports.
• Of its 878 airports and airfields, 801 are paved, including
476 with runways more than 3,047 meters long.
• France’s pipeline system carries crude oil over
3,059 kilometers of pipeline, petroleum products
over 4,487 kilometers, and natural gas over
24,746 kilometers.
• The French telephone system, with some
39,200,000 telephones, is highly developed.
• France Télécom, acquiring the British company
Orange, secured its leading position in the highly
competitive domestic mobile phone market.