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Geography
Where to live in France? France is large encompassing everything from mountains to the
Mediterranean. Paris, the capital, is the centre of the French
transport network and quite a cosmopolitan city. Having said that,
France is largely agricultural (hence their intense interest in
the Common Agricultural Policy). You even have a choice of the
"overseas departments" in the Caribbean and elsewhere
which, although remote, really are a part of France.
.In practice, you will find that work is
quite scarce in the countryside and, as elsewhere, most jobs are
in the cities.
Climate
France is large and therefore encompasses a
wide range of different climates. For areas around the coasts you
will experience an oceanic climate ie relatively mild winters and
summers, though on the Mediterranean coastline the summers are
rather hot; the Atlantic coastline can experience quite wet
weather as it is the first piece of land after American.
Continental climates are the norm for the regions far from the
coastlines with quite cold winters in the northern half of the
country, not to mention several mountain ranges.
Economy
France is part of Europe but, as in the
other European countries, the economic performance is still
largely dictated by national interests, notably the large
agricultural community in France. There is a value added tax (TVA)
applied to most goods (included in the prices quoted in shops).
There is a complex tax and social security system which will be described
in more detail here in a few months time. Payments to
the health system are separate: in general, the French state pays
70% of health costs with the remaining 30% being met by mutual
insurance companies (mutuelles), membership of which is,
of course, in essence another tax. The currency is the euro
although you will generally find that large transactions are
still spoken about in terms of French francs. The education
system is excellent and free up to age 18.
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