y is a country in East Asia, located on the southern

portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the China to the west, Japan to the east, and Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul , which is also its largest city. South Korea lies in a temperate climate region with a predominantly mountainous terrain. Its territory covers a total area of 99,392 square kilometers and has a population of 50 million.

y Like many democracies, South Korea's government is divided into three

branches: executive, judicial, and legislative. The executive and legislative branches operate primarily at the national level, although various ministries in the executive branch also carry out local functions. Local governments are semi-autonomous, and contain executive and legislative bodies of their own. The judicial branch operates at both the national and local levels. South Korea is a constitutional democracy. The South Korean government's structure is determined by the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. This document has been revised several times since its first promulgation in 1948 at independence. However, it has retained many broad characteristics and with the exception of the short-lived Second Republic of South Korea, the country has always had a presidential system with an independent chief executive.[The first direct election was also held in 1948. Although South Korea experienced a series of military dictatorships since the 1960s up until the 1980s, it has since developed into a successful liberal democracy. Today, the CIA World Factbookdescribes South Korea's democracy as a "fully functioning modern democracy"

y South Korea has a market economy which ranks 15th in the

world by nominal GDP and 12th by purchasing power parity (PPP), identifying it as one of the G-20 major economies. It is a high-income developed country and is a member of OECD. South Korea is one of the Asian Tigers, and is the only developed country so far to have been included in the group of Next Eleven countries. South Korea had one of the world's fastest growing economies from the early 1960s to the late 1990s, and South Korea is still one of the fastest growing developed countries in the 2000s, along with Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, the other three members of Asian Tigers. South Koreans refer to this growth as the Miracle on the Han River.[The South Korean economy is heavily dependent on international trade, and in 2009, South Korea was the eighth largest exporter and tenth largest importer in the world.

y Despite the South Korean economy's high growth potential and

apparent structural stability, South Korea suffers perpetual damage to its credit rating in the stock market due to the belligerence of North Korea in times of deep military crises, which has an adverse effect on the financial markets of the South Korean economy. However, renowned financial organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund, also compliment the resilience of the South Korean economy against various economic crises, citing low state debt, and high fiscal reserves that can quickly be mobilized to address any expected financial emergencies.South Korea was one of the few developed countries that were able to avoid a recession during the global financial crisis, and its economic growth rate will reach 6.1% in 2010, a sharp recovery from economic growth rates of 2.3% in 2008 and 0.2% in 2009 when the global financial crisis hit. The unemployment rate in South Korea also remained low in 2009 at 3.6%

y The KTX-II high-speed train can travel at 350 km/h (220 mph).

y Incheon International Airport is the largest airport in

South Korea.

y Banpo Bridge connects the southern and northern parts

of Seoul that are separated by the Han River.

y As of 2005, just under half of the South Korean population

expressed no religious preference.Of the rest, most are Buddhist or Christian according to the 2007 census, 29.2% of the population at that time was Christian (18.3% professed to being Protestants and 10.9% Catholics), and 22.8% were Buddhist.Other religions include Islam and various new religious movements such as Jeungism, Cheondoism and Wonbuddhism. The earliest religion practiced was Korean shamanism Today, freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, and there is no state religion

y is South Korea's largest religion, accounting for more than half of all South

Korean religious adherents. There are approximately 13.7 million Christians in South Korea today, with almost two-thirds of Christians belonging to Protestant churches, while about 37% belong to the Catholic Church. Roman Catholicism has been the fastest growing denomination in South Korea since the late 1980s.South Korea is also the second-largest missionarysending nation.

y was introduced to Korea in the year 372.[ According to the

national census as of 2005, South Korea has over 10.7 million Buddhists.Today, about 90% of Korean Buddhists belong to Jogye Order. Most of the National Treasures of South Korea are Buddhist artifacts. Along with NeoConfucianism, Buddhism was not being practiced during the periods from Three Kingdoms of Korea to Goryeo before suppression under the Joseon Dynasty.

y in South Korea has an estimated less than 30,000 native

followers, in addition to some 100,000 resident foreign workers from Muslim countries, particularlyBangladesh and Pakistan.

y Health Care is a very big issue. it is supposed to be socialized

however, if you cant pay. you are left on the floor in the emergency room to get your treatment. nobody is refused care however the conditions that you get the care are varied based upon your ability to pay.They are worried about North Korea attacking them and/or hurting their reputation. People there have difficulty finding work after graduating; much of their production is outsourced to Mainland China. Some families are forced to spend most of their time in Mainland China because that's where the work is. Children in these families have to attend costly, poor quality private schools. In fact, the Chinese treat them more poorly than any other foreign groop living there (the Japanese stay out). South Korea manufactures some of the best electronic equipment on the planet and maintains an enviable, balenced economy. They have a lot to be proud of.

France

y is a state in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands

located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans.[Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as lHexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is bordered (clockwise starting from the northeast) by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Monaco; with Spain and Andorra to the south. France is linked to the United Kingdom by the Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the English Channel. In addition to these borders on the European continent France has land borders with Suriname and Brazil through French Guiana as well as with The Netherlands through theCollectivity of Saint Martin. It is the largest west-European country and possesses the second-largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 mi2), just behind the one of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 mi2).

y The French Republic is a unitary semi-

presidential republic with strong democratic traditions. The constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by referendum on 28 September 1958. It greatly strengthened the authority of the executive in relation to parliament. The executive branch itself has two leaders: the President of the Republic, currently Nicolas Sarkozy, who is head of state and is elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a 5-year term (formerly 7 years),[and the Government, led by the president-appointed Prime Minister, currently Franois Fillon.

y it is ranked as the fifth largest economy .France has a mixed

economy which combines extensive private enterprise (nearly 2.5 million companies registered) with substantial (though declining) state enterprise and government intervention . The government retains considerable influence over key segments of infrastructure sectors, with majority ownership of railway, electricity, aircraft, nuclear power and telecommunications. It has been gradually relaxing its control over these sectors since the early 1990s. The government is slowly corporatising the state sector and selling off holdings in France Tlcom, Air France, as well as the insurance, banking, and defence industries.France has an important aerospace industry led by the European consortium Airbus, and has its own national spaceport, the Centre Spatial Guyanais.

y France derives 79% of its electricity from nuclear power,

the highest percentage in the world

y Vineyards near Carcassonne.

y La Dfense, just outside Paris, is the largest business district

in Europe

y The Palace of Versailles is one of the most popular tourist

destinations in France.

y The Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most visited sites of

France

y The Chteau de Chambord is one of the many French

royal residences of the Loire Valley.

y A TGV Sud-Est, which can reach a maximum speed of 300

km/h.

y Catholicism is the largest religion in France, which is

a secular country, and freedom of religion is a constitutional right. The French government does not keep statistics on religious adherence, nor on ethnicity or on political affiliation.

y Notre-Dame de Reims is theRoman

Catholic cathedral where the kings of France were crowned until 1825

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.

yEND

yThank you

:P

y 1.has a market economy which ranks 15th in the world by nominal GDP

and 12th by purchasing power parity (PPP), identifying it as one of the G-20 major economies.
y 2.is South Korea's largest religion, accounting for more than half of all

South Korean religious adherents.

y 3.is a unitary semi-presidential republic with

strong democratic traditions.

y 4.how many percent france derives of its electricity from nuclear

power?the highest percentage in the world. by the Han River.

y 5.connects the southern and northern parts of Seoul that are separated

y 1.SOUTH KOREA y 2. CHRISTIANITY y 3.FRANCE y 4.79% y 5.BANPO BRIDGE