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Saturday, September 6, 2008

UN Rates Best, Worst Countries

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A mountain explorer surveys the scene over the Valley of Chamonix in the Arete Midi-Plan, France.

The UN rated France tenth on a list of the countries with the highest indicators of human development, such as life expectancy, literacy rates, and gender empowerment.

The largest country in Western Europe, France has one of the lowest rates of carbon dioxide emissions among advanced economies due to its heavy reliance on nuclear power, according to the Human Development Report 2007/2008.

The French, well known for their wine, food, and general joie de vivre, also benefit from government policies that give them 35-hour workweeks and five weeks of paid vacation.

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—Photograph by George F. Mobley/NGS