A top and major destination

Living in France means living in a country that is a member of the European Union. It gives you the opportunity to travel freely and without a visa in the twenty-six countries in the Schengen area. Also, within the Euro zone, which consists of nineteen European countries, you don’t need to change currency when you travel.

France shares borders with Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and the principalities of Andorra and Monaco. From Paris, many of the European capitals are accessible by train. The Thalys will take you to Brussels in one and a half hours, and to Amsterdam in three hours. The Eurostar makes London just two hours away from Paris. If you prefer the plane, Berlin, Rome and Madrid are less than a two-hour flight away from a many a French city.

In the earlier centuries France was largely an agricultural state. Things have changed since World War II and now there are many different industries that France is competent in. Around 35% of all of the land in France is occupied by orchards and vineyards. France leads the way in wine production as well. Forestry and fishing also rank highly as notable industries in the country, although this varies according to the location of France that you are in.  Other notable interests in the country include iron and coal, as well as transportation of equipment and machinery. As you may imagine, tourism accounts for a very large proportion of the economy in France.