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France
Relevant information about France.France is a member state of the European Union, the largest one by area. It is also the third largest in Europe behind Russia and Ukraine. France has been a major power for many centuries with strong economic, cultural, military and political influence. It is considered one of the countries with highest quality of life.
France is a highly developed country economically and socially, with a high international dissemination of their culture and influence in geopolitical terms. It is the fifth world economy in GDP terms. Is the first world tourist destination, with 80 million foreign visitors per year. Paris is the main attraction, but also receives many visitors to the riviera. France is a country with multiple points of interest: besides having one of the greatest historical and artistic heritage of the world, is among the few countries that can offer beach activities, mountain and field.
In January 2010, the estimated population was of 65.447.374 inhabitants. Up to a 75% of them live in cities. Paris and its metropolitan area concentrate over 11.769.433 people. Life expectancy at birth is of 80 years. Official language is French. There are 75 regional languages spoken in the French territory (including over sea regions). Since 2006 they can be learned as a second language at school. The French Republic is a officially a secular state, and religious freedom is a constitutional right. A 2007 survey showed that an 80% declared themselves as Catholics, followed by a 10% that declared Agnostic or non religious, a 4% of Muslims, 2$ Protestants. The populations consist of descendants of various ethnic groups, mainly Celtic and Gauls. But since XIX century, France became a country of immigration. Main immigrants are North African, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Chinese, Turks, Vietnamese and Roma. In the XVIII century was the third most populated country of the world. In the XIX century a great number of French installed themselves in other regions of the world, in order with the country colonial expansion. After World War II and the famous Baby Boom that followed it, the stagnant growth rates have been less marked in France than the rest of Europe. They maintained an outstanding fertility rate, thanks to the social policies that encourage them. France is the country that more Literature Nobel Prizes won. Worldly recognized authors are: Montaigne, Molière, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Dumas, Baudelaire, Honoré de Balzac, Flaubert, Maupassant, Èmile Zola, Rimbaud, Sartre, Camus, Beauvoir, Beckett. There are also highly recognized fine artists: Poussin, Lorrain, Delacroix, Courbet, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin, Cézanne, and Matisse. Individual Sports are well established in France. The Tour de France, annually held since 1903, is the most prestigious cycling race in the professional calendar. The same happens with tennis and the Roland Garros tournament. France national Football team is one of the most important teams worldwide; they won the 1998 World Cup and were seconds in the 2006 edition. The rugby national team is the one, along with England, with more world cups. Great inventors were born in France: Montgolfier brothers (aerostatic balloon), Niépce (photographs), Clément Ader (airplanes), Lumière brothers (film projector), Louis Pasteur (pasteurization process) and others.
France is considered a first world country for its standard of living (HDI). It is the fifth world economy in nominal terms, and at European level is placed behind Germany. The French economy has a large base of private companies, but state intervention in large companies is higher than other economies of their size. Up to a 73% f the GPD is held by the services sector, 24% by industries and a 3% with agriculture. Solar energy is starting to have increasing importance in the country. Aerospace industry is also highly developed. Without oil production, France has relied on the development of nuclear energy, which now represents approximately 78% of the country's electricity production. It is the leading agricultural producer in the European Union, owning approximately one third of all agricultural land. Northern France is characterized by large wheat farms. Dairy products, pork and apple production are mainly in the western region. Beef production is located mainly in the central area, while production of fruits, vegetables and wine ranges from the center toward the south.
Paris, Saint-Etienne, Eiffel Tower, Triumphal arch, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Lille, Nice, Bordeaux, Montepellier, Nantes, Rennes, Notre Dame
Medical Tourism in France has been growing amongst other European countries. Visitors from the UK and its surroundings have found that visiting France for medical tourism can be a great opportunity to combine their visit with different medical care treatments. Highly recognized hospitals and doctors have made a good reputation for France as a popular medical tourism destination. Surgical costs in France are between 30% and 50% lower than in the United States and other European countries.
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