The periodical scene is very lively in France. With 1,354 copies sold for every 1,000 inhabitants, France has the highest rate of magazine readership in the world. News Weeklies France’s major general news weeklies are Paris-Match, L’Express, Le Point, Le Nouvel Observateur, VSD, L’EvÈnement du Jeudi . The price of these periodicals ranges from 14 [...]
Blog
Renaissance
In the early 16th century, after a series of Italian wars, Francois I strengthened the French Crown and welcomed to France many Italian artists and designers such as Leonardo da Vinci. Their influence assured the success of the Renaissance style character
Foreign Trade
France is the world’s second largest exporter of services and farm products and fourth largest exporter of goods…
Regional Dailies
Enjoying a monopoly situation within a particular area, the regional press is stronger than the national press with 409 titles for a circulation of 2.2 billion copies annually.
Grand SiËcle
The 17th century was marked by a period of exeptional power and glamour for the French Monarchy…
Services
<!–^~^66|right|^~^–>SERVICE SECTOR Financial services Market capitalization of shares listed on the Paris stock exchange totals 2,400 billion francs ($480 billion), 31.5% of French GDP, ranking Paris fifth in the world. Four French banks are among the world’s top 25: CrÈdit Agricole (8th), Compagnie FinanciËre Paribas (20th), Groupe Caisses d’Epargne (21st) and Banque Nationale de Paris [...]
News Services
The AFP (Agence France-Presse) is one of the three largest news services in the world (along with its American counterpart Associated Press and the British Reuters).
Revolution Era
The 18th century’s Enlightment brought thinkers such as Voltaire and Rousseau to struggle against the principles of the old regime and absolutism…
Transportation
<!–^~^67|right|^~^–> Road network Densest in the world, longest in the EU with a total of 964,356 km of local, secondary and main roads and motorways, including 7,396 km of motorways (second in Europe). Rail network On 1 January 1996, the SNCF (National Railroad Company) was responsible for 31,940 km of track. France holds the world [...]
Television Stations
Private radio and television stations have only been authorized in France since 1982. In the following 14 years, the number of TV channels jumped from three to over 30.