Unemployment rates

Here is a graph of the unemployment rate in France compared to just Metropolitan France:

The unemployment rate in France as of 2010 is 9.5%

The labor force division by occupation is as follows:

Agriculture: 3.8%

Industry: 24.3%

Services: 71.8

6.2% of the population is below the poverty line

Since I cannot figure out how to post this image of the US and Mississippi unemployment rates I will share this link for comparison

US and MS unemployment graph

"Insee - Indicator - Decrease in the Unemployment Rate in Q4 2010." INSEE - Institut National De La Statistique Et Des Etudes Economiques - National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies - France. Web. 21 May 2011.<http://www.insee.fr/en/themes/info-rapide.asp?id=14&date=20100902>

"Unemployment - Google Public Data." Google. Web. 21 May 2011. <http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=usunemployment&ctype=l&strail=false&nselm=h&met_y=unemployment_rate&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=state&idim=state:ST280000&tdim=true&tstart=631152000000&tunit=M&tlen=255&hl=en&dl=en>

Inequalities

As health was the topic I chose at the beginning of this project, I find it interesting that healthcare is one of the main inequalities in France.  From 1980 to the present there have been many major changes to the origination of jobs and employment in France, which has led to concern for healthcare inequalities. One of the main changes to note is that those people working in "'precarious'" positions have had cost-free medical care extended to them by the government. Most Frenchmen are covered by some form of insurance; however, when in need of medical attention, visits to the the doctor and prescriptions must be paid in part up front. About 70% is paid back by the government and the rest by the medical insurance which is taken out by both the individual and the employer. This point is where inequality is introduced because of those unemployed, "'sans domicile fixe'" or "people with no stable residence," and others in similar situations. However, since 1998 France has begun to deal with this problem as it began to increase greatly. The main ways France has dealt with this problem is by instituting new laws on the insurance and creating some new institutions to deal with this. 


"Health Inequalities in France." Oxford Journals | Medicine | International Journal of Epidemiology. Web. 21 May 2011. <http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/30/3/628.full>

Interesting Facts/ important extra info

France is the most visited country in the World and has the third highest income in the world from Tourism



Le Cordon Bleu is the best culinary school in the world and its main location is in Paris



The first TV chef,  Julia Child, trained at Le Cordon Bleu





The median age is 39.9 with a life expectancy of 81.19



Literacy rate: 99%



fertility rate: 1.96 children/ woman



"CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 19 May 2011. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html>



http://change-production.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/wordpress_copies/gayrights/2009/08/julia-childz.jpg

Closure

France has always been one of the global powers of the world. Although its economy has struggled throughout its history, mainly after wars and during the recent global recession, France has for the most part been on the rise economically. Being the tourism capital of the world, France has always been a popular country both politically and from the perspective of the layman.

Major Cities!

Paris is the capitol of France:

The population of Paris is 10.41 million

Another major city in France is Marseille-Aix-en-Provence:

Population: 1.457 million

The third largest city in France is Lyon:

Population: 1.456 million

For comparison The Population of New York City is 19.3 million

"Paris France | World Restaurants Travel Guide." Top of the World Restaurant. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.worldrestaurantsp.com/paris-france/>

"Aix-en-Provence Attractions and Sightseeing Nearby: Attractions Near Aix-en-Provence Area, France." Aix-en-Provence Tourism and Tourist Information: Holiday Information about Aix-en-Provence Area, France. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.aix-en-provence.world-guides.com/aix_provence_attractions2>.

"City of Lyon, France." Our World Travels | Travel with Us. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.ourworldtravels.com/lyon/sightseeing/view-of-the-lyon.html>.

"CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 11 May 2011. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html>

"CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 11 May 2011. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html>

Currency

The currency used in France is the Euro with an exchange rate of .755 euros per one US dollar. The current inflation rate in France is .1%. The GDP Per Capita is 33,300 US dollars.

"CIA - The World Factbook." Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 11 May. 2011. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html

Gross Domestic Product

A graph of the flux of GDP in France over 20 years shows the following:

History of France!

France has almost always been one of the prominent developed nations. During the reign of Louis XIV, France was the dominant power. However, because Louis XIV was overambitious France had many economic problems during the 18th century. Many economic problems were brought upon France during World War I and II because the French military system was not strong enough to support the country. On May 13, 1958, the government system collapsed which caused France to pick up the democratic political system. France has played a prominent role in counterterrorism efforts since the September 11th attack on the United States. 

"France History | GlobalEDGE." GlobalEDGE - Your Source for Global Business Knowledge. Michigan State University. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/france/history/>.