Tradition and Modernity

France is the second best country in the world for quality of life, according to International Living’s 2011 Quality of Life index, which compares countries on the following criteria: cost of living, culture and leisure activities, economy, environment, freedom, health, security and risks, infrastructure and climate.

 

France’s art de vivre is well-known throughout the world. Over 75 million tourists come to sample the French way of life each year, making France the world’s number one tourist destination.

 

France is also Europe’s fourth largest recipient of job-creating foreign investment, proof if it were needed that the country knows how to reconcile tradition and modernity and remain competitive internationally.

 

France is the world’s fifth largest economy. It is a land of creativity and innovation encompassing 3.1 million businesses, 15 of which are among the world’s 200 largest, according to Forbes (2011): BNP Paribas (11th), Total (19th), GDF Suez (29th),  Société Générale (44th), Axa Group (48th), France Telecom (74th), Sanofi Aventis Group (81st), Crédit Agricole (99th), EDF Group (100th), Vivendi (146th), Vinci Group (150th), Renault (162nd), Saint-Gobain (186th), L’Oréal Group (193rd) and Schneider Electric (196th).