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India

History

The basis of nowadays India was set in the “Vedic period” which took place from 1500-500 BC. The “Vedas” which are old scriptures of Hinduism created this period. Buddhism and Jainism were also founded back then, which are also main religions of India. From the 6th to the 12th century regional kingdoms defined India. Later, in the 8th century, the Islam was brought to India through the “Arab War of Conquests”. In the 16th century, the big “Mughal Empire” was founded and was not replaced for one century. This stability was the reason for the first Indian economic expansion. In the 18th century, the European Trading Companies formed India. From that point on, India stopped exporting and gave its materials to the British Empire. This was the beginning of the colonial period of India. At that time, The British East India Company also influenced the non-economic areas of India. In 1947, India became independent after the non-violent movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi. With the independence came the separation into India and Pakistan.

Politics

India has a federal form of government and it is said to be the largest democratically elected government in the world. India has a multi-party system, which consists of 40 regional and six recognized parties. The two biggest parties are the conservative orientated “Bharatiya Janata Party” and the “Indian National Congress” which is liberal. The government exercises executive power. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of India. The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative. The president is the head of India and fulfills a representative role. The head of government is the prime minister. He has the political power and is appointed by the president. Since July 2012,Pranab Mukherjee is the president of India and Manmohan Singh is the current prime minister. Since August 15, 1947 India is independent and nowadays it has 28 states and seven union territories.

Population

The population of India is estimated at 1.2 billion and it is growing 1.3% a year.  Indian’s estimated GDP is $1.843 trillion with 7.8% growth. India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and software workers. But more than half of the population depends on agriculture for its live hood. India has a large and growing middle class. It is estimated that it will grow tenfold by 2025. The rapidly growing software sector is boosting service exports and modernizing India’s economy. The US is India’s largest investment partner. Proposals for direct foreign investments are considered by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board and generally receive government approval.

Culture 

The Indian culture has very old traditions and it is one of the oldest on the world. India is amulticultural and multiethnic country with a great variety of religions, languages, food etc. The influences of Hinduism and the tradition of the caste system have created a culture that emphasizes established hierarchal relationships. Indians are always conscious of social order and their status relative to other people, be they family, friends, or strangers. All relationships involve hierarchies. In school, teachers are called gurus and are viewed as the source of all knowledge. The boss is seen as the source of ultimate responsibility in business. The patriarch, usually the father, is considered the leader of the family. Every relationship has a clear-cut hierarchy that must be observed for the social order to be maintained. Indian people define themselves by the groups to which they belong rather than by their status as individuals. People belong to a specific state, region, city, family, career path, religion etc. This group orientation comes from the close personal ties Indians maintain with their family. Indian people do not like to say “no”. Rather than disappoint someone, for example, by saying something is not available, Indians will offer the response that they think the person wants to hear. This should not be considered as dishonest.

France

 Culture 

French national identity is based on the historical origins of the nation in Celtic, Gallo-Roman, and Frankish cultures. The name "France" originally was used to refer to several peoples in the lower Rhineland. It gradually was introduced as a more widespread term to denote that territory, formerly known as Gaul, after the Frankish invasion and the retreat of the Romans. The name "Francia" was applied to various territorial units until the Middle Ages, when it came to signify the kingdom of the French sovereign. Regional identities, such as Provencal and Breton have coexisted with political units of state control. The degree to which France is today a homogeneous nation is a highly contested topic. Political and linguistic unification, especially through mass education, has been an ongoing project of nationalism. The immigrant population comes mainly from Portugal and northern Africa, although there has been increasing immigration from eastern Europe. France takes a highly assimilationist approach to its immigrant populations. The social position of Beurs (the children of North African immigrants) is an ongoing issue. The population is divided by social class, political party affiliation, generation, ethnicity, and region. Having had a significant rural population well into the twentieth century, the country continues to be marked by a rural-urban split.

Location and Geography

 The French often refer to their nation as a hexagon to describe its six-sided shape, and this term is also a symbol for the country. Metropolitan France has an area of over 200,000 square miles (518,000 square kilometers), making it the largest Western European nation. It covers 5 percent of the European continent. Paris is the capital and cultural center, long dominating the rest of the nation. The older provinces, now reconfigured in what are officially called regions, have played an important role in the nation's history. There are currently twenty-two regions. The French Republic includes four overseas departments ( départements d' outre-mer DOMs): French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion. These DOMs operate primarily as departments within the national system. There are two territorial collectives: Mayotte and Saint Pierre-et-Miquelon. Overseas territories ( territoires d'outre-mer ) include French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis, and Futuna.

France borders Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, and Switzerland. While tied to the mainland of Europe, the country is open to the Atlantic to the west. It also has coasts on the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the English Channel to the north. France has a large range of terrain and a varied climate and geography. The major mountain ranges are the Alps in the east and the Pyrenees in the southwest. Each forms a natural boundary with other nations. The Massif Central is a large mountainous plateau in the central area, which includes the ancient volcanoes of the Auvergne region. While most of the country is in a temperate zone, the Mediterranean area is considered to have a subtropical climate. The four main rivers are the Seine, the Loire, the Garonne, and the Rhône. The winds that sweep across the territory have regional names and are connected to regional identity, the most famous being le Mistral in the Rhône valley.

Demography

In 1999, the population was 58,518,748. France has a low population density compared to other countries in Western Europe. In an attempt to keep the population up, family allowances are given to each family per child, with no income restriction.

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