PARIS

Paris is the capital city of France, situated on the River Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the le-de-France region ("Rgion parisienne"). The Paris "aire urbaine" (roughly: "metropolitan area") is one of the most populated areas of its kind in Europe., with a population of roughly 12 million including 9.93 million in the Paris urban area, plus the population of the commuter belt surrounding it. Paris has an estimated population of 2,153,600 within city limits (2005 estimate). An important settlement for more than two millennia, its location at a crossroads between land and river trade routes in lands of abundant agriculture had made it one of the principal cities of France by the tenth century, endowed with royal palaces, wealthy abbeys and a cathedral; by the twelfth century Paris had become one of Europe's foremost centers of learning and the arts. During the last nine hundred years Paris was the center of important Western philosophical and political developments: the University of Paris was home to many major medieval philosophers and early scientists; Paris was the site of the French Revolution; and its rich cultural milieu and wealthy patrons provided an intellectual environment in which innovative artists and thinkers flourished. Today Paris is one of the world's leading business and cultural centers, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, business, fashion and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the major global cities, along with London, New Yorkand Tokyo. Today, the city serves as an important hub of intercontinental transportation and is home to universities, sport events, opera companies and museums of international renown, making it the most popular tourist destination in the world with over 30 million foreign visitors per year.

Ville de Paris

City flag

City coat of arms

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadro.

Location
Coordinates Time Zone 48520N, 21959E CET (GMT +1) Administration Country Region Department Subdivisions Mayor France le-de-France Paris (75) 20 arrondissements Bertrand Delano (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land area Population - 2005 estimate - Density 86.9[1] km 1st in France 2,153,600 24,783/km (2005[1]) Urban Spread Urban Area - Population 2 723 km (1999) 9 644 507 (1999)

Metro Area - Population

14,518.3 km (1999) 12,067,000 (2007)

French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Etymology

The name Paris, pronounced [prs] in English and [pai] (helpinfo) in French, derives from that of its pre-Roman-era inhabitants, the Gaulish tribe known as the Parisii.The city was called Lutetia (/lutetja/) during the first- to sixth-century Roman occupation, but the present name began to take hold towards the end of that period. Paris has many nicknames, but its most famous is 'The City of Light' (La Ville-lumire), a name it owes both to its fame as a centre of education and ideas and its early adoption of street-lighting. Paris since the early twentieth century has also been known in Parisian slang as Paname ([panam]; (Moi j'suis d'Paname, "I'm from Paname"), a slang name that has been regaining favor with young people in recent years. Paris's inhabitants are known in English as "Parisians" ([pznz] or [pi nz]) and as Parisiens in French. Parisians are often pejoratively called Parigots ([paigo](helpinfo)) by those living outside the Paris Region, but this is a term sometimes considered endearing by Parisians themselves.

History
Early beginnings The earliest signs of permanent habitation in the Paris area date from around 4200 B.C.E. Known as boatsmen and traders, a sub-tribe of the Celtic Senones, the Parisii,settled the area near the river Seine from around B.C.E. The Roman westward campaigns had conquered the Paris basin in 52 B.C.E. A permanent Roman settlement began towards the end of the same century on Paris' Rive Gauche (Left Bank), Sainte Genevive Hill and le de la Cit island. The Gallo-Roman town, first called Lutetia, but

later becoming Gallicised Lutce, expanded greatly over the following centuries, becoming a prosperous city with palaces, a forum, baths, temples, theatres and an amphitheatre. The collapse of the Roman Empire and third-century Germanic invasions sent the city into a period of decline: by 400 C.E. Lutce, largely abandoned by its inhabitants, was little more than a garrison town entrenched on its hastily fortified central island. The city reclaimed its original "Paris" appellation towards the end of the Roman occupation.

Middle Ages
Around 500 C.E., Paris was the capital of the Frankish king Clovis I, who commissioned the first cathedral and its first abbey dedicated to his contemporary, later patron saint of the city, Sainte Genevive. On the death of Clovis, the Frankish kingdom was divided, and Paris became the capital of a much smaller sovereign state. By the time of the Carolingian dynasty in the ninth century, Paris was little more than a feudal county stronghold. The Counts of Paris gradually rose to prominence and eventually wielded greater power than the Kings of Francia occidentalis. Odo, Count of Paris was elected king in place of the incumbent Charles the Fat, because of the fame he acquired in his defense of Paris during the Viking siege (Siege of Paris, 885-886). Although the Cit island had survived the Viking attacks, most of the city on the unprotected Rive Gauche (Left Bank) was destroyed; rather than rebuild there, after dryingmarshlands to the north of the island, Paris began to expand onto the Rive Droite (Right Bank). In 987 C.E., Hugh Capet, Count of Paris, was elected King of France, founding the Capetian dynasty which raised Paris to become France's capital. From 1190, King Philip II of France (Philip Augustus) enclosed Paris on both banks by building a wall with the Louvre as its western fortress. In 1200 he chartered the University of Pariswhich attracted scholars and visitors from across Europe. During this period the city developed a spatial distribution of activities that can still be seen today: the central island housed government and ecclesiastical institutions, the left bank became a scholastic centre with the University and colleges, while the right bank developed as the centre of commerce and trade around the central Les Halles marketplace.

While occupied by the English-allied Burgundians during the Hundred Years' War, Paris lost its position as seat of the French realm, but regained its title when Charles VII of France reclaimed the city in 1437. Although Paris was once again the capital, the Crown preferred to remain in its Loire Valley castles. Paris was a stronghold of the Catholic League, during the French Wars of Religion, which culminating in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (1572). After capturing the city from the Catholic party, King Henry IV of France re-established the royal court in Paris in 1594. During the Fronde, (16481653) Parisians rose in rebellion and the royal family fled the city King Louis XIV of France moved the royal court permanently to Versailles in 1682. A century later, Paris became the center of the French Revolution, with the Storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the overthrow of the monarchy in 1792.

View of the Louvre castle from the fifteenth century Trs Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.

Nineteenth century
The Industrial Revolution, the French Second Empire, and the Belle poque brought Paris the greatest development in its history. From the 1840s, rail transport allowed an unprecedented flow of migrants into Paris,

attracted by employment in the new industries in the suburbs. The city underwent a massive renovation under Napoleon III and his prfet Baron Haussmann, who leveled entire districts of narrow, winding medieval streets to create the network of wide avenues and neo-classical faades of modern Paris, with the added incentive that in case of future revolts or revolutions, artillery and rifles could now be utilized efficiently to control crowds. Cholera epidemics in 1832 and 1849 affected the population of Paristhe 1832 epidemic alone claimed 20,000 of the then population of 650,000.[14] Paris also suffered greatly from the Siege of Paris which ended the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), and the ensuing civil war (Commune of Paris, 1871) killed thousands and sent many of Paris's administrative centers (and city archives) up in flames. Paris recovered from these events to host the famous Universal Expositions of the late nineteenth century. The Eiffel Tower was built for the French Revolution centennial Exposition Universelle (1889), as a "temporary" display of architectural engineering prowess, but remained the world's tallest building until 1930, and is the city's best-known landmark. The first line of the Paris Mtro opened for the [[Exposition Universelle (1900) and was an attraction in itself for visitors from the world over. Paris's World's Fairs helped to establish the city as a tourist destination and an attractive setting for international technology and trade shows.

Gare du Nord, a symbol of the Industrial Revolution. - Train stations have often been called the cathedrals of the nineteenth century.

Twentieth century
During World War I, Paris was at the forefront of the war effort, having been spared from German invasion by the French and British victory at the First Battle of the Marne in 1914. In 1918-1919, it was the scene of Allied victory parades and peace negotiations. In the period between the World Wars, Paris was famed for its cultural and artistic communities and its nightlife. The city became a gathering place for artists from around the world, from exiled Russian composer Stravinsky and Spanish painters Picasso and Dal to American writer Hemingway. In June 1940, five weeks after the start of the German attack on France, Paris fell to German Nazi occupation forces that remained there until the city was liberated by the Allies in August of 1944. After the Normandy invasion, Paris waited for liberation. Central Paris endured World War II practically unscathed, as it contained no strategic targets for bombers; the train stations in central Paris are terminal stations, and major factories were located in the suburbs. German General von Choltitz refused to carry out Hitler's order that all Parisian monuments be destroyed before any German retreat. During the post-war era, Paris experienced its largest development since the end of the Belle poque in 1914. The suburbs began to expand considerably, with the construction of large social estates known as cits and the beginning of the business district La Dfense. A comprehensive express subway network, the RER, was built to complement the Mtro and serve the distant suburbs, while a network of freeways was developed in the suburbs, centered on the Priphrique expressway circling around the city. Since the 1970s, many inner suburbs of Paris (especially the eastern ones) have experienced deindustrialization, and the once-thriving cits have gradually become ghettos for immigrants and oases of unemployment. At the same time, the City of Paris (within the Priphrique ring) and the western and southern suburbs have successfully shifted their economic

base from traditional manufacturing to high value-added services and hightech manufacturing, generating great wealth for their residents, whose per capita income is among the highest in Europe. The widening social gap between these two areas has led to periodic unrest since the mid-1980s, such as the 2005 riots which were largely concentrated in the northeastern suburbs.

The skyscraper business district of La Dfense.

Geography

Topography
Paris is located on a north-bending arc of the River Seine and includes two islands, the le Saint-Louis and the larger le de la Cit which forms the oldest part of the city. Paris has several prominent hills, of which the highest is Montmartre at 130 metres (426 ft) above sea level. Paris, excluding the outlying parks of Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes, covers an oval measuring 86.928 square kilometres (33.56 mi) in area. The city's last major annexation of outlying territories in 1860 not only gave it its modern form, but created the twenty clockwise-spiraling arrondissements (municipal boroughs). From its 1860 78 km (30.1 mi),

these limits expanded marginally to 86.9 km in the 1920s, and in 1929 the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes forest parks were officially annexed to the city, bringing its area to its present 105.397 square kilometres (40.69 mi). The Paris metropolitan area extends far beyond the city limits, forming an irregular oval with arms of urban growth extending along the Seine and Marne rivers from the city's south-east and east, and along the Seine and Oise rivers to the city's north-west and north. Further, beyond the central suburbs, population density drops sharply in the surrounding land; a mix of forest and agriculture dotted with a network of relatively evenly dispersed satellite towns, this commuter belt, when combined with the Paris agglomeration, completes a Paris aire urbaine (metropolitan area) that covers an oval 14,518 km (5,605.5 mi) in area, or about 138 times that of Paris itself.

Climate
Paris has an oceanic climate and is affected by the North Atlantic Drift, so the city has a temperate climate that rarely sees extremely high or low temperatures. The average yearly high temperature is about 15C (59 F), and yearly lows tend to remain around an average of 7 C (45 F). The highest temperature ever, recorded on 28 July 1948, was 40.4 C (104.7 F), and the lowest was a 23.9 C (11.0 F) temperature reached on December 10, 1879. The Paris region has recently seen temperatures reaching both extremes, with the European heat wave of 2003 and the European cold wave of 2006. Rainfall can occur at any time of the year, and Paris is known for its sudden showers. The city sees an average yearly precipitation of 641.6 mm (25.2 inches). Snowfall is a rare occurrence, usually appearing in the coldest months of January or February (but has been recorded as late as April), and almost never accumulates enough to make a covering that will last more than a day.
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Avg high C (F)

7 (45)

9 (49)

13 (56) 16 (61) 20 (68)

23 (73)

24 (75)

25 (77)

21 (71)

15 (59)

9 (49)

8 (47)

15 (59)

Avg low temperature

4 (39)

4 (39)

6 (45)

9 (49)

12 (54)

15 (60)

16 (61)

16 (61)

12 (54)

8 (46)

4 (39)

4 (36)

7 (45)

C (F)

Cityscape

Architecture
"Modern" Paris is the result of a vast mid-nineteenth-century urban remodelling. For centuries it had been a labyrinth of narrow streets and half-timber houses, but beginning in 1852, the Baron Haussmann's vast urbanization leveled entire quarters to make way for wide avenues lined with neo-classical stone buildings of bourgeoise standing; most of this 'new' Paris is the Paris we see today. These Second Empire plans are in many cases still actual, as the city of Paris imposes the " alignement" law of that time (imposed position defining a predetermined street width) on many new constructions. A building's height was also defined according to the width of the street it lines, and Paris' building code has seen few changes since the mid-nineteenth century to allow for higher constructions. For this reason, Paris is mainly a "flat" city. Paris' unchanging borders, strict building codes and lack of developable land have together contributed in creating a phenomenon called musification (or "museumification") as, at the same time as they strive to preserve Paris' historical past, existing laws make it difficult to create the larger buildings and utilities needed for a growing population within city limits. Many of Paris' institutions and economic infrastructure are already located in, or are planning on moving to, the suburbs. The financial (La Dfense) business district, the main food wholesale market (March d'Intrt National de Rungis), major renowned schools (cole Polytechnique, cole des Hautes tudes Commerciales, ESSEC, INSEAD, etc.), world famous research laboratories (in Saclay or vry), the largest sport stadium (Stade de France), and some ministries (namely the Ministry of Transportation) are located outside of the city of Paris. The National Archives of France are due to relocate to the northern suburbs before 2010.

Avenue de l'Opra and its buildings typical of Haussmann's renovation of Paris

Districts and Historical Centers

These are a few of Paris' major districts.

Champs-lyses (8th arrondissement, right bank) is a seventeenth century garden-promenade turned avenue connecting the Concorde and Arc de Triomphe. It is one of the many tourist attractions and a major shopping street of Paris. This avenue has been called "la plus belle avenue du monde" ("the most beautiful avenue in the world"). Avenue Montaigne (8th arrondissement), next to the Champs-lyses, is home to luxury brand labels such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton (LVMH), Dior and Givenchy.

Place de la Concorde (8th arrondissement, right bank) is at the foot of the Champs-lyses, built as the "Place Louis XV," site of the infamous guillotine. The Egyptian obelisk is Paris's "oldest monument." On the two sides of the Rue Royale, stand two identical stone buildings: the eastern houses the French Naval Ministry, the western the luxurious Htel de Crillon. Nearby Place Vendme is famous for its fashionable and deluxe hotels (Hotel Ritz and Htel de Vendme) and its jewellers. Many famous fashion designers have had their salons in the square. Faubourg Saint-Honor (8th arrondissement, right bank) is one of Paris' high-fashion districts, home to labels such as Herms and Christian Lacroix. L'Opra (9th arrondissement, right bank), the area around the Opra Garnier, is home to the capital's densest concentration of both department stores and offices. A few examples are the Printemps and Galeries Lafayette grands magasins (department stores), and the Paris headquarters of financial giants such as Crdit Lyonnais and American Express. Montmartre (18th arrondissement, right bank) is a historic area on the Butte, home to the Basilica of the Sacr Coeur. Montmartre has always had a history with artists and has many studios and cafs of many great artists in that area. Les Halles (1st arrondissement, right bank) was formerly Paris' central meat and produce market; since the late 1970s it has been a major shopping center around an important metro connection station (the biggest in Europe). The previous Les Halles was destroyed in 1971 and replaced by the Forum des Halles. The central market of Paris, the biggest wholesale food market in the world, was transferred to March d'Intrt National de Rungis, in the southern suburbs. Le Marais (3rd and 4th arrondissements) is a trendy and culturally diverse district on the Right Bank district. Place de la Bastille (4th, 11th and 12th arrondissements, right bank) is one of the most historic districts, being the site of an event that changed the history, not only of Paris, but the whole country of France. Because of its historical value, the square is often used for political demonstrations, including the massive labor protests of March 28, 2006. Quartier Latin (5th and 6th arrondissements, left bank) is a twelfthcentury scholastic center formerly stretching between the Left Bank's Place Maubert and the University of Paris(Sorbonne) campus. It is known for its lively atmosphere and many bistros. Various institutions of

higher education, such as the cole Normale Suprieure, ParisTech and the Jussieu university campus, make it a major educational center in Paris, and contribute to its atmosphere. Montparnasse (14th arrondissement) is a historic Left Bank area famous for artists studios, music halls, and caf life. The large Montparnasse - Bienvene mtro station and the lone Tour Montparnasse skyscraper are located there. La Dfense (straddling the communes of Courbevoie, Puteaux, and Nanterre, 2.5 km/1.5 miles west of the City of Paris) is a key suburb of Paris and is one of the largest business centers in the world. Built at the western end of a westward extension of Paris' historical axis from the Champs-lyses, La Dfense consists mainly of business high-rise buildings. Initiated by the French government in 1958, the district hosts 3.5 million m of offices, making it the largest district in Europe specifically developed for business. The Grande Arche (Great Arch) of la Dfense, which houses a part of the headquarters of the French Transport Minister, ends the central Esplanade around which the district is organized.

Winston Churchill and the Petit Palais

The Champs-lyses to the east from the Arc de Triomphe

The busy Rue de Buci in Saint-Germain-des-Prs.

Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois

Muse du Louvre, Pavillon Richelieu

The Arc de Triomphe by day

Basilica of the Sacr Coeur

Alexandre III Bridge

Jardins du Palais Royal

Parc Monceau

Cemetery of Pre Lachaise

Opra Garnier

Monuments and landmarks

Three of the most famous Parisian landmarks are the twelfth century cathedral Notre Dame de Paris on the le de la Cit, the nineteenth century Eiffel Tower, and the Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe. The Eiffel Tower was a "temporary" construction by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Universal Exposition but the tower was never dismantled and is now an enduring symbol of Paris. It is visible from many parts of the city as are the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper and the Basilica of the Sacr Cur on the Montmartre hill. The Axe historique (Historical Axis) is a line of monuments, buildings and thoroughfares that run in a roughly straight line from the city centre westwards: the line of monuments begins with the Louvre and continues through the Tuileries Gardens, the Champs-lyses and the Arc de Triomphe centered in the Place de l'toile circus. From the 1960s the line was prolonged even further west to the La Dfense business district

dominated by a square-shaped triumphal Grande Arche of its own; this district hosts most of the tallest skyscrapers in the Paris urban area. The Invalides museum is the burial place for many great French soldiers, including Napoleon, and the Panthon church is where many of France's illustrious men and women are buried. The former Conciergerie prison held some prominent ancien rgime members before their deaths during the French Revolution. Another symbol of the Revolution are the two Statues of Liberty located on the le des Cygnes on the Seine and in the Luxembourg Garden. A larger version of the statues was sent as a gift from France to America in 1886 and now stands in New York City's harbor. The Palais Garnier, built in the later Second Empire period, houses the Paris Opera and the Paris Opera Ballet, while the former palace of the Louvre now houses one of the most famous art museums in the world. The Sorbonne is the most famous part of the University of Paris and is based in the centre of the Latin Quarter. Apart from Notre Dame de Paris, there are several other ecclesiastical masterpieces including the Gothic thirteenth century Sainte-Chapelle palace chapel and the glise de la Madeleine.

Parks and gardens

Two of Paris's oldest and famous gardens are the Tuileries Garden, created from the sixteenth century for a palace on the banks of the Seine near the Louvre, and the Left Bank Luxembourg Garden, another formerly private garden belonging to a chteau built for Marie de' Medici in 1612. The Jardin des Plantes, created by Louis XIII's doctor Guy de La Brosse for the cultivation of medicinal plants, was Paris' first public garden. A few of Paris' other large gardens are Second Empire creations: the formerly suburban parks of Montsouris, Parc des Buttes Chaumont and Parc Monceau (formerly known as the "folie de Chartres"), were creations of Napoleon III's engineer Jean-Charles Alphand. You will often see Parisians having picnics at the parks, soaking up the warm sunshine, or simply enjoying nature. They are peaceful escapes from the city and are enjoyed by all ages. Another project executed under the orders of Baron Haussmann was the re-sculpting of Paris' western Bois de Boulogne forest-

parklands; the Bois de Vincennes, to Paris' opposite eastern end, received a similar treatment in years following. Newer additions to Paris' park landscape are the Parc de la Villette, built by the architect Bernard Tschumi on the location of Paris' former slaughterhouses, and gardens being laid to Paris' periphery along the traces of its former circular Petite Ceinture" railway line.

Cemeteries
Paris' cemeteries were on located on its outskirts in 1804. Many of Paris' churches each had their own cemetery, but, by the late eighteenth century, these were creating unpleasant living conditions for nearby residential areas. All parish cemeteries were abolished from 1786, and their contents were taken to abandoned limestone mines outside the southern gates of Paris, today the 14e arrondissement's place Denfert-Rochereau. They are known today as the Paris Catacombes. Although Paris today has once again grown to surround all its former cemeteries, these have become much-appreciated oases of quiet in a thriving city. Many of Paris's historical figures have found rest in Pre Lachaise Cemetery. Other notable cemeteries include Cimetire de Montmartre, Cimetire du Montparnasse, Cimetire de Passy and the Catacombs of Paris. New suburban cemeteries were created in the early twentieth century: the largest of these are the Cimetire Parisien de Saint-Ouen, the Cimetire Parisien de Bobigny-Pantin, theCimetire Parisien d'Ivry and the Cimetire Parisien de Bagneux.

Culture
Entertainment Opera
Paris' largest opera houses are the nineteenth-century Opra Garnier and modern Opra Bastille; the former tends towards the more classic ballets and operas, and the latter provides a mixed repertoire of classic and modern.

Theatre/Concert halls Theatre traditionally has had a large place in Parisian culture. This still holds true, although today many of its most popular actors today are also stars of French television. A few of Paris' major theaters are Bobino, Thtre Mogador and the Thtre de la Gat-Montparnasse. Some Parisian theaters also doubled as concert halls. Many of France's greatest musical legends such as dith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, Georges Brassens and Charles Aznavour found their fame in Parisian concert halls: legendary examples of these which are still in existence are Bobino, l'Olympia, la Cigale and le Splendid. The lyses-Montmartre, much reduced from its original size, is a concert hall today. The New Morning is one of few Parisian clubs still holding jazz concerts, but also specializes in 'indie' music. More recently, the Zenith hall in Paris' La Villette quarter and a "parc-omnisports" stadium in Bercy serve as large-scale rock concert halls.

Opra Garnier Dancehalls/Discotheques Guinguettes and Bals-concerts were the backbone of Parisian entertainment before the middle of the twentieth century. Early to midnineteenth century examples were the Moulin de la Galette guinguette and the lyses-Montmartre and Chateau-Rouge dance hall gardens. Popular orchestral fare gave way to the Parisian accordionists of lore whose music moved theApollo and le Java faubourg du Temple and Belleville dance-hall crowds. Out of the clubs remaining from this era grew the modern discothque: Le Palace, although closed today, is Paris' most legendary example. Today, much of the clubbing in Paris happens in clubs like Le Queen, L'Etoile, and Le Cab which are highly selective. Popular clubs such as Le Rex, the Batofar (a boat converted into a club) or The Pulp are devoted to electronic music

Cinema
Like many of the worlds city-dwellers, Parisians movie-goers favor Hollywood-generated film entertainment. French cinema comes a close second, with major directors (ralisateurs) such as Claude Lelouch, JeanLuc Godard, Claude Chabrol and Luc Besson, and the more slapstick/popular genre with director Claude Zidi as an example. European and Asian films are also widely shown and appreciated. A specialty of Paris is its very large network of small movie theaters: during any week the movie fan has a choice of approximately three hundred old and new movies from all over the world. Many of Paris' concert and dance halls were transformed into movie theatres when the media became popular starting in the 1930s. Later most of the largest cinemas were divided into multiple, smaller rooms: Paris' largest cinema today is by far le Grand Rex theater with 2800 seats, while other cinemas all have less than 1000 seats. There is now a trend toward modern multiplexes with more than 10 or 20 screens in the same building. Cafs, Restaurants and Hotels With the opening of the caf Rgence at the Palais Royal in 1688, and the left bank Caf Procope one year later, cafs quickly became an integral part of French culture. The cafs in the gardens of the Palais Royal became quite popular through the eighteenth-century, and can be considered Paris' first "terrace cafs;" these became widespread when sidewalks and boulevards began to appear in the mid-nineteenth century. Cafs are an almost obligatory stop on the way to or from work for many Parisians, and especially during lunchtime. Paris' culinary reputation has its base in the many origins of its inhabitants. With the early-nineteenth-century railways and ensuing industrial revolution came a flood of migration that brought to Paris all the gastronomical diversity of France's many different regions, maintained through 'local specialty' restaurants catering to the tastes of people from each region. "Chez Jenny" is a typical example of a restaurant specializing in the cuisine of the Alsace region, and "Aux Lyonnais" is another with traditional fare originating from the region of Lyons. Immigration from foreign countries meant an even greater culinary diversity, and today, in

addition to a great number of North African and Asian establishments, one can find top-quality cuisine from virtually the world over in Paris. Hotels were another result of widespread travel and tourism, especially Paris' late-nineteenth century Expositions Universelles (World's Fairs). Of the most luxurious of these, the Htel Ritz appeared in the Place Vendme from 1898, and the Htel de Crillon opened its doors on the north side of the place de la Concorde in 1909.

Tourism
Paris had always been a destination for traders, students and those on religious pilgrimages, but its 'tourism' began on a large scale only with the appearance of rail travel, when the government began organizing France's rail network in 1848. Paris' first 'mass' attractions, drawing international attention, were the Expositions Universelles, the first of which was held in 1855, and which inspired the construction of many new monuments, such as the Eiffel tower (1889). These Expositions, in addition to the Capital's Second Empire embellishments, did much to make the city into the attraction it is today. Paris' museums and monuments are its most sought-after attractions, and increasing tourism has motivated both city and State to create new ones. The city's most prized museum, the Louvre, has over 6 million visitors a year. Paris' cathedrals are another main attraction: its Notre-Dame cathedral and Sacr-Coeur basilica annually receive 12 million and eight million visitors respectively. The Eiffel Tower, by far Paris' most famous monument, averages over 6 million visitors per year. Disneyland Resort Paris is a major tourist attraction, not only for visitors to Paris, but for Parisians themselves, with 12.4 million visitors in 2004. The Louvre is one of the largest and most famous museums, housing many works of art, including the Mona Lisa (La Joconde) and the Venus de Milo statue. Works by Pablo Picasso and Rodin are found in Muse Picasso and Muse Rodin, and the artistic community of Montparnasse]] is chronicled at the Muse du Montparnasse. Starkly apparent with its service-pipe exterior, the Centre Georges Pompidou, also known as Beaubourg, houses the Muse National d'Art Moderne. Art and artifacts

from the Middle Ages, including the tapestry cycle The Lady and the Unicorn, are kept in Muse Cluny; and art from the Impressionist era is housed in the Muse d'Orsay. Many of Paris' hotel, restaurant and nighttime entertainment businesses have become heavily dependent on tourism, with sometimes detrimental results for Parisian culture. Many of Paris' once-popular local establishments have metamorphosed into a parody of French culture, in a form that caters to the tastes and expectations of foreign tourists. The Moulin Rouge cabaret-dancehall, for example, has become the site of a staged dinner theater spectacle with a dance display that was only one aspect of the cabaret's former atmosphere. All of the establishment's former social or cultural elements, such as its ballrooms and gardens, are gone today.

Front view of Les Deux Magots; one of the most famous Parisian cafs, in Saint-Germain-des-Prs.

Le Caf de Flore, another famous Parisian caf, in Saint-Germain-desPrs.

The Mona Lisa, one of theLouvre's most famous treasures.

Sports
Paris's main sport clubs are the football club Paris Saint-Germain, the basketball team Paris Basket Racing and the rugby union club Stade Franais Paris. The 80,000-seat Stade de France was built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and is used for football and rugby union, and is used annually for French rugby team's home matches of the Six Nations Championship and sometimes for big matches for the Stade Franais rugby team. Racing Mtro 92 Paris (who now play in Rugby Pro D2) is

another rugby team, which actually contested the first ever final against Stade Franais in 1892. Paris also hosted the 1900 and 1924 Olympic Games, and was venue for the 1938 and 1998 FIFA World Cups. Although the starting point and the route of the famous Tour de France varies each year, the final stage always finishes in Paris and since 1975, the race has finished on the Champs-Elyses. Tennis is another popular sport in Paris and throughout France. The French Open, held every year on the red clay of the Roland Garros National Tennis Center near the Bois de Boulogne, is one of the four Grand Slam events of the world professional tennis tour. The 2006 UEFA Champions League Final between Arsenal and FC Barcelona was played in the Stade de France. Paris hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup final at Stade de France.

Economy
The Paris region (le-de-France) is France's foremost centre of economic activity. With La Dfense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe, it hosts the head offices of almost half of the major French companies, as well as the headquarters of ten of the world's one hudnred largest companies. Paris is also considered to be the capital of the (EMEA) region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) with more EMEA headquarters than any other European city. Paris also hosts many international organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD, the ICC, and the informal Paris Club. With a 2005 GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of 478.7 billion (US$595.3 billion), the Paris region has one of the highest GDPs in Europe, making it an engine of the global economy: if it were a country, it would rank as the sixteenth largest economy in the world. The Paris Region is France's premier centre of economic activity: while its population accounted for 18.7 percent of the total population of metropolitan France in 2005, its GDP was about 28.5 percent that of metropolitan France. In recent decades, the Paris economy has been shifting towards high value-added service industries such as finance, and IT services; and high-tech manufacturing such as electronics, optics, and the aerospace industry. The Paris Region's most intense economic activity is in the central Hautsde-Seine dpartement]] and suburban La Dfense business districts,

placing Paris' economic center to the west of the city, in a triangle between the Opra Garnier, La Dfense and the Val de Seine. Paris' administrative borders have little effect on its economic activity: although most workers commute from the suburbs to work in the city, many commute from the city to work in the suburbs. The 1999 census indicated that of the 5,089,170 persons employed in the Paris metropolitan area, 16.5 percent worked in business services, 13.0 percent in commerce (retail and wholesale trade), 12.3 percent in manufacturing, 10.0 percent in public administrations and defense, 8.7 percent in health services, 8.2 percent in transportation andcommunications, 6.6 percent in education, and the remaining 24.7 percent in many other economic sectors. Among the manufacturing sector, the largest employers were theelectronic and electrical industry (17.9 percent of the total manufacturing workforce in 1999) and the publishing and printing industry (14.0 percent of the total manufacturing workforce), with the remaining 68.1 percent of the manufacturing workforce distributed among many other industries. Tourism and tourist related services employ 6.2 percent of Paris' workforce, and 3.6 percent of all workers within the Paris Region.

Street-level view of La Dfense .esplanade

Demography
The population of the city of Paris was 2,125,246 at the 1999 census, lower than its historical peak of 2.9 million in 1921. The city's population loss

mirrors the experience of most other core cities in the developed world that have not expanded their boundaries. The principal factors contributing to the loss of population were a significant decline in household size, and a dramatic movement of residents to the suburbs between 1962 and 1975. The movement to the suburbs was motivated by de-industrialization, high rent, the gentrification of many inner quarters, the transformation of living space into offices, and greater affluence among working families. Pariss population loss was one of the most severe among international municipalities and the largest for any that had achieved more than 2,000,000 residents. These losses are generally seen as a negative influence on the city; the city administration is trying to reverse them with some success, as the population estimate of July 2004 shows a population increase for the first time since 1954, to a total of 2,144,700 inhabitants.

Density
Paris is the most densely populated city of more than 1,000,000 in the Western world. Its population density, excluding the outlying woodland parks of Boulogne and Vincennes, was 24,448 inh. per km (63,321 inh. per sq. mile) in 1999 official census. Even including the two woodland areas its population density was 20,164 / km (52,224 / sq mi), the fifth most densely populated commune in France following Le Pr-SaintGervais, Vincennes, Levallois-Perret, and Saint-Mand, all of which are Paris' closest suburbs. Paris' most sparsely populated quarters are its western and central office and administration arrondissements. The city's population is at its densest in its north and east arrondissements; its 11th arrondissement had a density of 40,672/km (105,339/sq. mile) in 1999, and some of the same arrondissement's eastern quarters showed densities close to 100,000/km (260,000/sq. mile) the same year. Demographics within the Paris Region (according to the INSEE 2005 estimates)

Ile-de-France dpartements Areas City of Paris (dpartement 75) Inner ring (Petite Couronne) (Depts. 92, 93, 94) Outer ring (Grande Couronne) (Depts. 77, 78, 91, 95) Ile-de-France (entire rgion) Population Area Density 2005 est. (km) (/km) 2,153,600 105 20,433 1999-2005 pop. growth +1.33%

4,254,600

657

6,477

+5.34%

4,991,100 11,249

426

+4.25%

11,399,300 12,011

949

+4.08%

Statistical Growth (INSEE 1999 census) Areas Urban area (Paris agglomeration) Metro area (Paris aire urbaine) Population Area Density 1999 (km) (/km) census 9,644,507 2,723 11,174,743 14,518 3,542 770 1990-1999 pop. growth +1.85% +2.90%

The Paris Agglomeration

The city of Paris is much smaller than its urban area and metropolitan area. At present, the city's urban area (agglomeration) fills a ring of Paris' three neighboring dpartements - also known as petite couronne ("small ring") and extends into an "outer ring" of four grande couronne dpartements beyond. These eight dpartements together complete the le-de-France rgion.

The Paris agglomeration or urban area (unit urbaine) covers 2,723 km (1,051.4 mi),[22] or an area about 26 times larger than the city of Paris. Beyond this, the couronne peri-urbaine commuter belt region reaches well beyond the limits of the le-de-France rgion, and combined with the Paris agglomeration, completes a metropolitan area (aire urbaine) covering 14,518 km (5,605.5 mi), or an area about 138 times that of Paris itself. The Paris agglomeration has shown a steady rate of growth since the end of the late sixteenth-century French Wars of Religion, except for brief setbacks during the French Revolution and World War II. Suburban development has accelerated in recent years, as with an estimated total of 11.4 million inhabitants for 2005, the le-de-France rgion shows a rate of growth double that of the 1990s.

Immigration
French censuses, by law, ask no questions regarding ethnicity or religion, but do gather information concerning country of birth. From this it is still possible to determine that the Paris metropolitan area is one of the most multi-cultural in Europe: at the 1999 census, 19.4 percent of its total population was born outside of metropolitan France. At the same census, 4.2 percent of the Paris metropolitan area's population were recent immigrants (i.e, people who migrated to France between the 1990 and 1999 censuses), in their majority from mainland China and Africa. The first wave of international migration to Paris started as early as 1820 with the arrival of German peasants fleeing the agricultural crisis in Germany. Several waves of immigration followed continuously until today: Italians and central European Jews during the nineteenth century; Russians after the revolution of 1917; colonial citizens duringWorld War I and later; Poles between the two world wars; Spaniards, Portuguese and North Africans from the 1950s to the 1970s; North African Jews after the independence of those countries; and most recently, Africans and Asians in search of economic opportunity. The majority of these today are naturalized French without any distinction, in the name of the French Republic principle of equality among its citizens.