France-+Ashley+Christensen

=France- Ashley Christensen= ==

__**The colors of the French flag**__

 * Blue-** is the color of Saint Martin, a rich Gallo-Roman officer who ripped his blue coat with his sword to give one half of it to a poor who was begging him in the snow. This is the symbol of care, of the duty that the rich had to help the poor.
 * White-** is the color of the Virgin Mary, to whom the Kingdom of France was consecrated by Louis XIII in the 17th century ; it is also the color of Joan of Arc , under whose banner the English were finally driven out of the Kingdom ( 15th century ). It became logically the color of Royalty. The King's vessels carried plain white flags at sea.
 * Red-** is the color of Saint Denis, the saint patron of Paris. The original oriflamme (war banner) of the Kings was the red oriflamme of Saint Denis.

__**Geography**__
 * Area**: 551,670 sq. km. (220,668 sq. mi.); largest west European country, about four-fifths the size of Texas.
 * Cities**: //Capital//--Paris. //Major cities//--Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Nice, Rennes, Lille, Bordeaux.
 * Terrain**: Varied.
 * Climate**: Temperate.[[image:dusk-before-dawn1-paris2-france-small3.jpg width="325" height="291" align="left"]]

__**People**__
 * Nationality**: //Adjective//--French.
 * Population** (January 1, 2010 est.): 64.7 million (including overseas territories); 62.8 million (metropolitan).
 * Population growth rate** (2009 est.): 0.5%.
 * Ethnic groups**: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Sub-Saharan African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities.
 * Religion**: Roman Catholic 85% (est.), Muslim 10% (est.), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%.
 * Language**: French.
 * Education**: //Years compulsory//--10. //Literacy//--99%.
 * Health**: //Infant mortality rate// (2009)--3.8/1,000.


 * __Government__**
 * Type**: Republic.
 * Constitution**: September 28, 1958.
 * Branches**: __//Executive//__--president (chief of state); __prime minister__ (head of government). __//Legislative//__--bicameral Parliament (577-member National Assembly, 319-member Senate). __//Judicial//__--Court of Cassation (civil and criminal law), __Council of State__ (administrative court), __Constitutional Council__ (constitutional law).
 * Subdivisions**: 22 administrative regions containing 96 departments (metropolitan France).


 * __Economy__**
 * GDP** (2009): $2.66 trillion.
 * Average annual growth rate** (2009): -2.5%, compared with 0.1% in 2008.
 * Per capita GDP at PPP** (2009): $33,678.
 * Agriculture**: //Products//-grains (wheat, barley, corn); wines and spirits; dairy products; sugar beets; oilseeds; meat and poultry; fruits and vegetables.

__**Trade**__ __**Major trading partners**__ EU and U.S.
 * //Exports//** (2009)--$482.3 billion; automobiles, aircraft and aircraft components, pharmaceuticals, automobile equipment, iron and steel products, refined petroleum products, cosmetics, organic chemicals, electronic components, wine and champagne.
 * //I////mports//** (2009)--$543.5 billion; oil and natural gas, automobiles, aircraft and aircraft components, refined petroleum products, automobile equipment, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel products, and computers/computer-related products.
 * Exchange rate**: U.S. $1=0.72 euro in 2009.

__**Culture**__
 * Sports-** Soccer is the most popular sport in Frace, it's there number one sport. Tennis comes in second to soccer, and then cycling is next on the list.
 * Clothing-** In France women tend to wear more dresses and skirts over pants. Men tend to wear just a basic shirt, and pants.[[image:50309154739972351_paris_arc_de_triomphe_night_n.jpg align="right"]]
 * Language-** French

__**National Holidays**__
 * January 1**- New Years Day
 * May 1**- Labor Day
 * May 8-** WWII Victory Day
 * July 14-** Bastille Day
 * August 15-** Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
 * November 1**- All Saints Day
 * November 11**- Armistice Day
 * December 25**- Christmas Day
 * December 26**- 2nd Day of Christmas

__**Problems**__ There is only one problem in France right now, and that is shortage of jobs. People are losing everything, and France doesn't have enough work places for all the people there. Since last year there has been a 10% change in unemployment in France. In my opinion thats alot of people that don't have jobs. __**Solutions**__ I would say get more companies and work oppertonities for the people that don't have a job. The government should be thinking about all the people that are unemployed and find places and things they could work at. There has to be some reason there isn't enough job oppertunities in France. They need to built more buildings, add more jobs at work places. This is how i would solve this problem in France.


 * __Questions__**
 * 1) What is the most popular sport in France?
 * 2) What is their largest city?
 * 3) What foods do french eat?
 * 4) What is their type of government?
 * 5) What does France's flag look like?
 * __Answers__**
 * 1) Soccer is their most popular sport in France. They love it more then any other game.
 * 2) France's largest city is Paris, which is also their capital.
 * 3) Typically they eat meat/fish and normal american foods that we eat.
 * 4) All of France is republic. They don't have any other type of gov.
 * 5) The flag of France is 3 strips, blue, white and red.

__**﻿Websites i used**__
France official site- this site is the official government site for France. France- another government website with alot of information. France Info- great site with tons of information about the country of France.