France

france
France is the largest country in Western Europe and the third-largest in Europe as a whole, and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world. France has its mainideals expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence inEurope and around the world.[6] From the 17th to the early 20th century, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, SoutheastAsia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
France is one of the world's most developed countries,[7] it possesses the world's fifth largest economy measured by GDP, the ninth-largest economymeasured by purchasing power parity and is Europe's second largest economy by nominal GDP.[8] France is the wealthiest nation in Europe – and the fourth wealthiest in the world – in aggregate householdwealth.[9] France enjoys a high standard of living as well as a high public education level, and has also one of the world's longest life expectancies.[10] France has been listed as the world's "bestoverall health care" provider by the World Health Organization.[11] It is the most visited country in the world, receiving 79.5 million foreign tourists annually.[12]
France has the world's fifth largestnominal military budget,[13] as well as (in terms of personnel) the largest military in the EU, the third largest in NATO and one of the largest in the world.[verification needed] France alsopossesses the third largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world[14] – with around 300 active warheads as of 25 May 2010 – and the world's second largest diplomatic corps (second only to that of theUnited States).[15] France is a founding member of the United Nations, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and a member of the Francophonie, the G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, and...