France
With 79.1 million foreign tourists in 2006, France is ranked as the first tourist destination in the world, ahead of Spain (55.6 million in 2005) and the United States (49.4 million in 2005).
France features cities of high cultural interest, Paris being the foremost, beaches and seaside resorts, ski resorts, and rural regions that many enjoy for their beauty and tranquility. Next to more casual tourism, France also attracts religious pilgrims to Lourdes which hosts a few million tourists a year.
With an estimated population of 64 million people, France is the 23rd most populous country in the world. France's largest cities are Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, and Nantes.
Vacation rentals in France are often offered by the owners of the properties or agents may also offer property for sale or rent. If you are considering buying real estate in France or anywhere else for that matter, the most widely used method of borrowing the funds to make the purchase is a mortgage. International Property Directory has agreements in place to offer the services of a well known mortgage company who will help at the required stages of a mortgage application. International Property Directory can also help you obtain great currency exchange rates with it's partner MoneyCorp which can save consideralble sums of money during the purchasing process.
Increasing numbers of investors using International Property Directory are buying real estate globally with a view to using them as a vacation rental or for capital appreciation. Returns on this investment can be very good and the prices in some emerging markets are very attractive. A mortgage can be used to fund the purchase of a house, home, apartment or villa in many cases.
If you are looking into purchasing or renting or trying to find a property for sale in France you may be limited to the type of alterations you can make to the property. You will benefit from living in the environment of your choice plus, in many cases, your improvements will add to the value or saleability of your home - but always ask the local authorities, developers or agents on the ground who you found through using International Property Directory's services. If you are looking to rent out a property in France or anywhere in the world - it is wise to find out the possible rent that can be achieved or if there are any comparables available. Rental yields will vary according to location, market conditions and the property conditions itself. Geography:
Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and North Sea, onto the Atlantic Ocean from the Rhine. Due to the territory’s geometric shape, the French refer to Metropolitan France as L’Hexagone.
It is bordered by a host of countries, including Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco and Spain. France also shares borders with Brazil and Suriname, both of which border French Guiana, and the Netherlands Antilles which borders Saint-Martin. Metropolitan France is also linked to the United Kingdom by the Channel Tunnel which passes underneath the English Channel.
Metropolitan France boasts a variety of landscapes. Coastal plains grace North and West, while mountain ranges of the Alps rein supreme in the South-East. These differing landscapes offer a wide range of climates within Metropolitan France. The North and North-West have a temperate climate; the South-East features a Mediterranean climate, and in the West the climate is Oceanic, with a high level of rain, cool summers and fairly mild winters. Further inland, the climate is more Continental – hot, stormy summers coupled with colder winters and less rain. The climate of the Alps and other mountainous regions are mainly Alpine – the numbers of days with temperatures below freezing are usually over 150 per year, with snow cover lasting for up to six months.
France possesses the second largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, which covers 11, 035, 000 square kilometers (4, 260, 000 sq. miles). An Exclusive Economic Zone is the area of sea for which a state has rights over the exploration and use of resources.
The natural resources of France include: coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, potash and zinc.
Government:
The French Republic is a unitary semi-presidential state with strong democratic traditions. The Executive branch has two leaders: the President of the Republic, who is elected by universal adult vote, and carries out a five year term, and a president-appointed Prime Minister who leads the government. The President stands as the Head of State and Government.
France is divided into regions, departments and communes which have local assemblies as well as an executive.
Economy:
France's economy combines extensive private enterprise (nearly 2.5 million companies registered) with substantial (though declining) government intervention. The government retains considerable influence over key segments of infrastructure sectors, with majority ownership of railway, electricity, aircraft, and telecommunication firms, although it has been gradually relaxing its control over these sectors since the early 1990s.
A member of the G8 group of leading industrialised countries, France is ranked as the sixth largest economy in the world in 2005, behind the United States, Japan, Germany, The People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom.
France joined 11 other EU members to launch the Euro on January 1, 1999, with euro coins and banknotes completely replacing the French franc in early 2002. According to the OECD, in 2004 France was the world's fifth-largest exporter and the fourth-largest importer of manufactured goods. In 2003, France was the 2nd-largest recipient of foreign direct investment among OECD countries at $47 billion.
Large tracts of fertile land, the application of modern technology, and EU subsidies have combined to make France the leading agricultural producer and exporter in Europe. Wheat, poultry, dairy, beef, and pork, as well as an internationally recognised foodstuff and wine industry are primary French agricultural exports. EU agriculture subsidies to France total almost $14 billion.
Despite figures showing a higher productivity per hour worked than in the US, France's GDP per capita is significantly lower than the US GDP per capita, being in fact comparable to the GDP per capita of the other European countries, which is on average 30% below the US level. The reason for this is that a much smaller percentage of the French population is working compared to the US, which lowers the GDP per capita of France, despite its higher productivity.
Foreign Relations:
France is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, WTO, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Indian Ocean Commission (COI). They are also a partial member of NATO, having withdrawn from the joint military command. France is an associate member of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), and is a leading member of the International Francophone Organisation. The country also hosts the headquarters of the OECD, UNESCO, Interpol and the International Bureau for Weights and Measures.
Transportation:
France has rail connections to all neighbouring countries in Europe, except Andorra. The railway network in France is the most extensive in Western Europe. There are also ten major ports in France – the largest of which is in Marseille. This is also the largest port to border the Mediterranean Sea.
Did You Know?
- The French drive on the right hand side of the road.
- The 24 hour clock is used and ‘h’ separates the hours and minutes. For instance, 5.30pm would be 17h30.
- The numeric form for dates is in the order of: day/month/year.
- The national holiday of France since 1880 is the Fête Nationale (National Holiday), colloquially known as le 14 juillet, officially celebrating the Fête de la Fédération (14 July 1790) and not the storming of the Bastille (14 July 1789) as is often believed, even by a majority of French people, and is the reason why the holiday is referred to as Bastille Day in English. On the occasion of the Fête de la Fédération, celebrated exactly one year after the storming of the Bastille, all the representatives of the provinces of France gathered on the Champ de Mars in Paris in presence of the King Louis XVI and proclaimed the national unity of France. They vowed to remain faithful to "the Nation, the Law, the King".
© Written by E.J.Clarke.
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