PARIS
48.8567° N, 2.3508° E
Paris is the capital and most populous city of France.
It is situated on the River Seine, in the north of the
country, at the heart of the Ile-de-France region.
Within its administrative limits (the 20
arrondissements), the city had 2,234,105 inhabitants
in 2009 while its metropolitan area is one of the
largest population centres in Europe with more than 12
million inhabitants.
An important settlement for more than two millennia,
by the late 12th century Paris had become a walled
cathedral city that was one of Europe's foremost
centres of learning and the arts and the largest city in
the Western world until the turn of the 18th century.
Paris was the focal point for many important political
events throughout its history, including the French
Revolution. Today it is one of the world's leading
business and cultural centres, and its influence in
politics, education, entertainment, media, science,
fashion and the arts all contribute to its status as one
of the world's major cities. The city has one of the
largest GDPs in the world, €607 billion (US$845
billion) as of 2011.
Centuries of cultural and political development have
brought Paris a variety of museums, theatres,
monuments and architectural styles. Many of its
masterpieces such as the Louvre and the Arc de
Triomphe are iconic buildings, especially its
internationally recognized symbol, the Eiffel Tower.
Long regarded as an international centre for the arts,
works by history's most famous painters can be found
in the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay and its many other
museums and galleries. Paris is a global hub of
fashion and has been referred to as the "international
capital of style", noted for its haute couture tailoring,
its high-end boutiques, and the twice-yearly Paris
Fashion Week. It is world renowned for its haute
cuisine, attracting many of the world's leading chefs.
Many of France's most prestigious universities and
Grandes Ecoles are in Paris or its suburbs, and
France's major newspapers Le Monde, Le Figaro,
Liberation are based in the city, and Le Parisien in
Saint-Ouen near Paris.