1. France & the Benelux

2. French Economy Overall economy relies of both agriculture & manufacturing Manufacturing Steel, chemicals, textiles, computers. Most people work in the service industries Banking, commerce, tourism, communications

3. French Government Paris- Capital & largest city The 5 th Republic (1958) President serves 5 year terms- handles foreign affairs Currently Francois Hollande Appoints Prime Minister for day-to-day affairs Currently Manuel Valls Bicameral Legislature Senate & National Assembly

4. French Land & Climate Various Climate Zones Alpine/Mountain: French Alps Oceanic (Warm Summer & Cool Winters) West & Northwest: Normandy & Paris Mediterranean (Hot Summer & Cold Winters) Mediterranean Coast Includes some beautiful beaches Overall Mild Climate

5. French Agriculture Climate & Fertile Soil make France ideal for Agriculture Beef & Dairy Grains, fruits, vegetables Olives World Famous Grapes (Wine)

6. French Culture High Fashion Palaces & Museums Artists (Monet, Renoir) Paris (City of Light) Eiffel Tower Cathedral of Notre Dame Roman Catholic

7. European Union European Economic Alliance Originated as Common Market Established as EU in 1993 (12 members) France, Belgium, Netherlands, & Luxembourg all members

8. Vocabulary Navigable Rivers (Ex- Seine & Loire) are wide & deep enough for shipping Multinational Companies: Firms that do business in several countries (Ex-McDonalds, Coca-Cola, IBM) Multilingual Ability to speak multiple languages Polders: Water pumps drain land, drained lands good for farming Republic: Strong representative national government.

9. Belgium Size of Maryland Few natural resources themselves, but central location between resource rich lands makes ideal for manufacturing & trade. Densely populated, urban country. Brussels- Capital & largest city. Roman Catholic Country split North (Flemish) South (French)

10. Netherlands Small country half size of Maine. Country also known as Holland, People are the Dutch. Half country below sea level! System of trench's, wall, dikes Polders and high tech farming = highly valuable agriculture Most people work in services, manufacturing, trade. Amsterdam capital & largest city. Diary of Anne Frank

11. Luxembourg Tiny country (smaller than Rhode Island) Highly prosperous economy Many multinational companies headquarters Major banking center. People are multilingual