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Paris is France's capital and largest city, straddling the river Seine in the north central part of the country. Paris is also capital and one of eight départements of the Île-de-France administrative région, also known as the Paris Region (French: Région Parisienne, or RP), whose territory encompasses Paris and its suburbs.

Paris is one of the major financial and business centres of the world, with the largest business district of Europe (La Défense)^[1], and the second-largest stock exchange in Europe (Euronext). The Paris Region alone produces over a quarter of France's wealth, with a GDP of nearly €450 billion (US$506.7 billion) in 2003^[2]. In addition to the head offices of nearly half of all French companies, and offices of many major international firms, Paris hosts the headquarters of many international trade and social organisations, including the OECD, ICC, and UNESCO. Paris is often listed as one of the four major global cities along with New York, London and Tokyo.

As one of the main cultural and political centres in Europe since the High Middle Ages, Paris contains many vestiges from its past including numerous art galleries, museums and theatres. Nicknamed "the City of Light" (la Ville Lumière) since the 19th century, Paris also has a reputation as a "romantic" city. The most recognisable symbol of Paris is the 324 metre (1,063 ft) brown metal Eiffel Tower located on the banks of the Seine. Paris is also internationally renowned for its defining neo-classical architecture and its influence in fashion and the arts. It is the most visited city in the world^[3], with more than 30 million visitors per year.

The city of Paris within its administrative limits has an estimated mid-2004 population of 2,144,700^[4], but over the last century the city has grown well beyond those boundaries. Today, Paris urban area (the contiguous built-up area) has a population estimated at 9.9 million in 2005^[5], and the population of Paris metropolitan area (including satellite cities) is estimated at 11.6 million people in 2006^[6].

Name

Paris is pronounced [ˈpʰæɹɪs] (RP) or [ˈpʰæɹəs] in English, and [paʀi] in French. The original Latin name of Paris was Lutetia (/lutetja/), or Lutetia Parisiorum, known in French as Lutèce (/lytɛs/). Lutetia was later dropped in favour of only Paris, based on the name of the Gallic Parisii tribe, whose name some researchers think may come from the Celtic Gallic word parios, meaning "caldron", but this is not certain. According to Georges Dottin in his book La langue gauloise (Paris, 1920), the name of the Parisii tribe comes from the Celtic Gallic word parisio in the plural and means "the working people, the craftsmen".

Traditionally, Paris was known as Paname (/panam/) in French slang, but this vulgar appellation is gradually losing currency. ("I'm from Paname" (help·info).) The inhabitants of Paris are known as Parisians /pəˈɹiː.ʒn̩z/ in English, and as Parisiens (/paʀizjɛ̃/) in French. The pejorative term Parigot (/paʀigo/) is sometimes used in French slang. Locally, inhabitants of the Paris suburbs are known colloquially as banlieusards (/bɑ̃ljøzaʀ/). Inhabitants of the Île-de-France région (Paris Region) are known officially as Franciliens /fʀɑ̃siljɛ̃/). Parisians tend to refer to those living outside of the Paris Region as provinciaux (i.e. from the provinces).

Geography and climate

Main article: Topography of Paris

Paris is located at 48°52′00″N, 2°19′59″E (48.866667, 2.333056). The city straddles a north-bending arc of the river Seine, which features two inhabited islands, the Île Saint-Louis and the larger Île de la Cité which is the heart and origin of the city. The altitude of Paris varies, with several prominent hills, of which the highest is Montmartre at 130 metres (426½ ft) above sea level. The highest elevation in the urban area of Paris is in the Forest of Montmorency (Val-d'Oise département), 19.5 km. (12 miles) north-northwest of the center of Paris as the crow flies, at 195 metres (640 ft) above sea-level.

The city (commune) of Paris proper has an area of 105.397 square kilometres (40.69 mi²), and is only the the 113th largest commune in France (out of 36,782). Excluding its outlying parks of Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes, the city's actual area is 86.928 square kilometres (33.56 mi²), in the form of an oval with a circumference of 35.5 kilometres (22 miles). This oval extends 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from north to south, and 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from east to west.

The administrative borders of the commune have remained largely unchanged since 1860, when Napoleon III and the prefect Haussmann doubled the size of the city to 78 km² (30.1 mi²) by annexing all the land enclosed within the city's then distant ring of fortifications. Several suburban communes such as Montmartre and Auteuil were incorporated in whole or in part. The city was divided into the twenty arrondissements which still exist today. The city limits have changed only marginally since then, reaching the 86.9 km² figure indicated above in the 1920s. In 1929 the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes were also officially incorporated into the city.

The urban area (unité urbaine) (contiguous built-up area) covers 2,723 km² (1,051.4 mi²) (INSEE 1999), or about 26 times as large as the commune of Paris. The metropolitan area (aire urbaine) (built-up area plus the commuter belt) reaches beyond the surrounding Île-de-France administative région to cover 14,518 km² (5,605.5 mi²) (INSEE 1999), or about 138 times as large as the commune of Paris.

The lowest temperature ever recorded in Paris (since meteorological records began in 1873) was on December 10, 1879: –23.9 °C (–11.0 °F) in central Paris and –25.6 °C (–14.1 °F) in the southeastern suburb of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés. The highest recorded temperature in central Paris was 40.4 °C (104.7 °F) in Parc Montsouris on July 28, 1947. During the European heat wave of 2003, which caused the death of many elderly people in France, the temperature in central Paris reached "only" 38.1 °C (100.6 °F) (Parc Montsouris) and 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) at Le Bourget Airport in the northern suburbs. The highest recorded minimum temperature at night in Paris was 25.5 °C (77.9 °F) in Parc Montsouris on August 11 and August 12, 2003.

History

Main article: History of Paris

The region around Paris was settled from about 250 BC, by the Celtic Parisii who were known as boatmen and traders. They established a settlement by the River Seine to control river commerce. There is dispute about the exact location of the settlement, traditionally assumed to be on the Île de la Cité, but now placed by many historians near Gare d'Austerlitz. Rome conquered the region in 52 BC and built the city of Lutetia on the Left Bank Sainte Geneviève Hill as this area was protected from river floods. Lutetia expanded and prospered during the ensuing period of peaceful Gallo-Roman cohabitation, but third-century Germanic invasions caused a period of decline. By 400 AD Lutetia had been reduced to a garrison town entrenched in the hastily fortified central island. The city reclaimed its original name of "Paris" towards the end of the Roman occupation.

From AD 512, Paris was the capital of the Frankish king Clovis I, who commissioned the first cathedral and abbey. On the death of Clovis, the Frankish kingdom was divided with Paris as the capital of a much smaller kingdom. By the time of the Carolingian dynasty (9th century), it was little more than a feudal county stronghold.

Middle Ages

During the Carolingian dynasty, the counts of Paris rose to prominence, eventually wielding greater power than the Kings of France. Odo, Count of Paris defended Paris during the siege of 885-886 by the Vikings Siegfried and Rollo. Odo was elected king after the deposition of the incumbent Charles the Fat. Paris became the city of French kings when Hugh Capet, Count of Paris, was elected King of France in 987, founding the Capetian dynasty whose rulers would raise Paris to become France's capital. The Counts of Paris gained fame by defending France against Viking attack in the ninth century, but the Vikings irreparably damaged the old Roman city on the Left Bank. Nearby marshlands were drained to allow Paris to grow on the Right Bank.

From 1190, King Philip Augustus enclosed Paris on both banks with a wall that had the Louvre as its western fortress; and in 1200 chartered the University of Paris which brought the city fame and visitors from across Europe. During this period the city's modern spatial distribution of activities appeared: the central island housed government and ecclesiastical institutions, the Left Bank became a scholastic centre with the University of Paris and colleges, while the Right Bank developed as the centre of commerce and trade around the central Les Halles marketplace.

Paris was occupied during the Hundred Years' War by the Burgundians, allies of the English. Although Joan of Arc failed to reconquer the city in 1429, a successful reconquest took place in 1437. However, the Kings of France abandoned Paris in favour of the Loire Valley. During the French Wars of Religion, Paris was a stronghold of the Catholic party, culminating in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (1572). King Henry IV re-established the royal court in Paris in 1594 after he captured the city from the Catholic party. During the Fronde, Parisians rose in rebellion and the royal family fled the city (1648). King Louis XIV then moved the royal court permanently to Versailles in 1682. A century later, Paris was the centre stage for the French Revolution, with the Storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the overthrow of the monarchy in 1792.

Nineteenth Century

The Industrial Revolution, the French Second Empire, and the Belle Époque 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 préfet Haussmann, who levelled entire districts of narrow-winding medieval streets to create the network of wide avenues and neo-classical façades of modern Paris.

Cholera epidemics in 1832 and 1849 affected the population of Paris (the 1832 epidemic alone claimed 20,000 of the then population of 650,000^[7]). Paris also suffered greatly from the siege ending the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), and the ensuing civil war Commune of Paris (1871) killed thousands and sent many of Paris' administrative centres (and city archives) up in flames.

Paris recovered rapidly from these events to host the famous Universal Expositions of the late nineteenth century. The Eiffel Tower was built for the French Revolution centennial 1889 Universal Exposition, as a "temporary" display of architectural engineering prowess but remained the world's tallest building until 1930, and today is the city's best-known landmark. The first line of the Paris Métro opened for the 1900 Universal Exposition and was an attraction in itself for visitors from the world over. Paris's World's Fair years also consolidated its position in the tourist industry and as an attractive setting for international technology and trade shows.

Twentieth Century

During World War I, Paris was at the forefront of the war effort, having been spared a German invasion by the French and English 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 inter-war period Paris was famed for its cultural and artistic communities, as well as its nightlife. Paris became a melting pot of artists from all around the world, from exiled Russian artists such as composer Stravinsky, to Spanish painters such as Picasso and Dalí), to US writers such as Hemingway.

In June 1940, five weeks after the start of the German attack on France, a partially-evacuated Paris fell to German occupation forces, who remained there until Free French troops of General Leclerc liberated the city in late August 1944. It was one of few European cities that suffered almost no war damage partly due to the refusal of the German military commander, General von Choltitz, to carry out Hitler's direct order to destroy all monuments before evacuating the city.

In the post-war era, Paris experienced its largest development since the end of the Belle Époque in 1914. The suburbs around the city proper began to expand considerably, with the construction of large social estates known as cités and the beginning of the business district La Défense. A comprehensive express subway network, the RER, was built to complement the Métro and serve the distant suburbs, while a network of freeways was developed in the suburbs, centered on the Périphérique, the expressway circling around the city. Many inner suburbs of Paris (especially the eastern ones) have experienced de-industrialisation since the 1970s, and the once-thriving cités have gradually become ghettos for immigrants and oases of unemployment. The widening social gap between these disadvantaged suburbs and the wealthier suburbs (especially the western ones) have led to periodic unrest since the mid-1980s, such as the 2005 riots.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Paris

The population of the city of Paris was 2,125,246 at the 1999 census, lower than the historical peak of 2.9 million in 1921. This decline was due to the relocation of people to the suburbs caused by de-industrialisation, high rent, the gentrification of many inner quarters and the transformation of living space into offices, although not on the scale seen in some Western cities. These tendencies are generally seen as negative for the city, and the current 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 reaching a total of 2,144,700 inhabitants.

The population of the whole Paris agglomeration, however, has been continuously increasing since the end of the late 16th-century French Wars of Religion, with brief setbacks only during the French Revolution and World War II. Modern suburban development is even accelerating, as with an estimated total of 11.6 million inhabitants for 2005 the Paris metropolitan area is showing a rate of growth double that of the 1990s (the population growth rate of Île-de-France was 0.62% per year between 1999 and 2005^[8] vs. 0.31% per year between 1990 and 1999^[9]).

At present the urban area (contiguously built-up area) covers entirely the city of Paris and the three closest petite couronne départements (Hauts-de-Seine (92), Seine-Saint-Denis (93) and Val-de-Marne (94)), and extends into the four grande couronne départements beyond (Val-d'Oise (95), Essonne (91), Yvelines (78) and Seine-et-Marne (77). Today the Paris region's fastest growth is in its grande couronne départements, although the growth rate discrepancy between the grande couronne and the petite couronne has been greatly reduced since the 1990s, with the suburban communes in the petite couronne growing now almost at the same rate as the more distant suburban communes in the grande couronne^[10].

The metropolitan area of Paris is one of the most multi-cultural in Europe, with 19.4% of the total population of the metropolitan area being born outside of metropolitan France^[11]. In comparison, 19.5% of the total population of the metropolitan area of London was born outside of the (metropolitan) United Kingdom^[12], and 27.5% and 31.9% of the total populations of the New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas respectively were born outside of the United States^[13]. As of 1999, 4.2% of the population of the metropolitan area of Paris were recent migrants (i.e. people who were not living in France in 1990) mainly from mainland China and Africa.

Density

At the 1999 French census the population density of the city of Paris, excluding the outlying Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes woodland parks, was 24,448 inh. per km² (63,321 inh. per sq. mile). As a matter of comparison, the density in Manhattan at the 2000 US census was 25,846 inh. per km² (66,940 inh. per sq. mile), and the density in Inner London at the 2001 UK census was 8,663 inh. per km² (22,438 inh. per sq. mile). The high density of the city of Paris results from its preserved role as a residential city, unlike many Western city centres that have become almost uninhabited business districts since the middle of the 20th century, frequented by workers commuting from suburbs. Paris has maintained a relatively balanced distribution of apartment residences, office spaces and commercial activities catering to both, although some districts have lost much of their apartment housing to office renovations, partly contributing to the population decline seen since the 1920's. Overall, this is a tendency progressing on a much smaller scale than many Western or Asian cities, as census predictions for 2004 indicate that the Paris city population is rising.

The lowest population density is in the monument-heavy and administration building-charged 1st and 7th arrondissements, and the office-dominated 8th arrondissement. The population density is highest in the northern and eastern arrondissements especially the 11th arrondissement which had a density of 40,672 inh. per km² (105,339 inh. per sq. mile) in 1999 and some of its eastern neighborhoods had densities close to 100,000 inh. per km² (260,000 inh. per sq. mile).

Muséification

A so-called "muséification" (museumification) of the city of Paris is feared by some in France. 81% of people in the Paris metropolitan area live outside of the city proper (1999 census figures), and many of Paris' institutions and economic infrastructure are either located in the suburbs or finding a new home there: the financial (La Défense) business district, the main food wholesale market (Rungis), major renowned schools (École Polytechnique, HEC, ESSEC, INSEAD, etc.), world famous research laboratories (in Saclay or Évry), the largest sport stadium (Stade de France), and even some ministries (namely the Ministry of Transportation) are located outside of the city of Paris. Emblematically, even the National Archives of France are due to relocate to the northern suburbs before 2010.

It is feared that the city of Paris is being slowly "embalmed" into a form pleasing to tourists and Amélie nostalgists, disconnected with the real 21st century economic activity happening elsewhere in the suburbs. Paris is subject to some of the most stringent architectural protection laws in the world; it is difficult to place large-scale or architecturally innovative buildings within city limits. Paris mayor's recent proposals to build skyscrapers to the inside of the city rim by loosening the strict laws governing the height of any new constructions have been met with strong opposition on all sides. The expected failure of these projects is interpreted in France as yet another sign of Paris' muséification.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Paris

Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France région form one of the engines of the global economy with the 2003 GDP calculated by INSEE at €448,933 billion ^[14], or US$506.7 billion (at real exchange rates, not at PPP). In 2003, the Île-de-France would have ranked as the fifteenth largest economy in the world, with a higher GDP than either Russia or Brazil.

The Île-de-France accounts for about 29% of the total GDP of metropolitan France, although its population is only 18.7% of the total population of metropolitan France (as of 2004). In 2002, according to Eurostat, the Île-de-France GDP accounted for 4.5% of the total GDP of the European Union (of 25 members), although its population is only 2.45% of the total population of the European Union.

The economic centre of the metropolitan area is located in the western half of the city proper and the central portion of the Hauts-de-Seine département, forming a triangle between the Opéra Garnier, La Défense and the Val de Seine. As a consequence some workers commute from the suburbs to work in the city, and others commute from the city to work in the suburbs. At the 1999 census 47.5% of the 5,089,170 people in employment in the metropolitan area worked in the city of Paris and the Hauts-de-Seine département (only 31.5% worked exclusively in the city proper).

The Paris economy is largely a service economy but although the Île-de-France's manufacturing base is in a period of decline, it is still an important manufacturing powerhouse of Europe. The economy of Paris and neighbouring départements have moved towards high value-added services, in particular business services.

The 1999 census indicates that of the 5,089,170 persons employed in the Paris metropolitan area, 16.5% worked in business services, 13.0% in commerce (retail and wholesale trade), 12.3% in manufacturing, 10.0% in public administrations and defense, 8.7% in health services, 8.2% in transportation and communications, 6.6% in education, and the remaining 24.7% in many other economic sectors. Among the manufacturing sector, the largest employers were the electronic and electrical industry (17.9% of the total manufacturing workforce in 1999) and the publishing and printing industry (14.0% of the total manufacturing workforce), with the remaining 68.1% of the manufacturing workforce distributed among many other industries. The tourism industry and tourist related services, employ 4.7% of the total workforce of Île-de-France (in 1999), and 7% of the total workforce of the city of Paris proper^[15].

Administration

Main articles: Paris mayors and Arrondissements of Paris

The city of Paris is a commune (municipality), divided into twenty municipal arrondissements numbered in a clockwise spiral outward from the Ier arrondissement at the centre. The two parks on the edge of the city proper, Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes, belong to the 16^th and 12^th arrondissements respectively. Each arrondissement has a directly-elected council (conseil d'arrondissement), which in turn elects the arrondissement mayor. A selection of members from each arrondissement council form the Council of Paris (Conseil de Paris), which elects the mayor of Paris, a position created in 1977.

Paris has yet to completely emerge from the centralised administrative system created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800: the State-appointed prefect of Police is in charge of public order and the Paris Fire Brigade). Although Paris has no municipal police force, it does have its own traffic wardens.

Paris département

The city of Paris is also département no. 75, which is a unique status solely introduced for the capital city. The Council of Paris, presided by the Mayor of Paris, is the single council for both entities, meeting either as municipal council (conseil municipal) or as departmental council (conseil général) depending on the issue to be debated.

The State appointed Prefect of Paris, not to be confused with the Prefect of Police, is the representative of the French State in the Paris département, in charge of the control of legality as in other French départements. The Prefect of Paris is at the same time regional Prefect of Île-de-France, in charge of some economic development and urban planning issues for the whole région of Île-de-France.

Number 75 was the official number of the Seine département, which encompassed the city of Paris and its nearest suburbs. In 1968, Seine was split into four new départements: the city of Paris proper (which retained no. 75) and the départements of Hauts-de-Seine (92), Seine-Saint-Denis (93), and Val-de-Marne (94). The latter départements form a ring around Paris often called petite couronne ("small ring"), as opposed to the grande couronne ("large ring") of the more distant suburbs.

The Prefecture of Police jurisdiction, formerly the whole Seine département, is now limited to Paris proper, but for some matters (such as fire protection or rescue operations), it still covers the three départements of the petite couronne. However, the jurisdiction of the Prefecture of Paris, called Prefecture of the Seine until 1968, is now strictly limited to the city of Paris.

Paris as the prefecture of Île-de-France

Paris is also the préfecture, or capital city, of the Île-de-France région which was created in 1976 to replace the District of the Paris Region created in 1961. Île-de-France encompasses eight départements: the Paris département, the three départements of the petite couronne, and the four larger départements of the grande couronne (Val-d'Oise (95), Yvelines (78), Essonne (91) and Seine-et-Marne (77)).

The Île-de-France région, the seven départements of petite couronne and grande couronne, and the hundreds of suburban communes around the city of Paris all have separate administrations, resulting in an extremely complex administrative grid. Proposals for a more efficient metropolitan structure to cover the city of Paris and some of the suburbs range from the socialist idea of a loose "metropolitan conference" (conférence métropolitaine) to the right-wing idea of a more integrated Grand Paris ("Greater Paris").

Transport

Main articles: Transport in Paris and Transport in France

Paris is served by two principal airports: Orly Airport, which is south of Paris, and the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in nearby Roissy-en-France, one of the busiest in Europe. A third and much smaller airport, at the town of Beauvais, 70 km (45 mi) to the north of the city, is used by charter and low-cost airlines. Le Bourget airport nowadays only hosts business jets, air trade shows and the aerospace museum.

Paris is a central hub of the national rail network of high-speed (TGV) and normal (Corail) trains, which interconnects with a high-speed regional network, the RER. Six major railway stations, Gare du Nord, Gare Montparnasse, Gare de l'Est, Gare de Lyon, Gare d'Austerlitz, and Gare Saint-Lazare connect this train network to the world famous and highly efficient underground metro system, the Métro network, with 380 stations (more than the London Underground) connected by 221.6km of rails.

There are two tangential tramway lines in the suburbs: Line T1 runs from Saint-Denis to Noisy-le-Sec, line T2 runs from La Défense to Issy. A third line along the southern inner orbital road is currently under construction.

The public transportation networks of the Paris region are coordinated by the Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France^[16] (STIF), formerly Syndicat des transports parisiens (STP). Members of the syndicate include the RATP, which operates the Parisian and some suburban busses, the Métro, and sections of the RER; the SNCF, which operates the rest of the RER and the suburban train lines; and other operators.

The city is also the hub of France's motorway network, and is surrounded by an orbital road, the Périphérique, which roughly follows the path of 19th-century fortifications around Paris. On/off ramps of the Périphérique are called 'Portes', as they correspond to the former city gates in these fortifications. Most of these 'Portes' have parking areas and a metro station, where non-residents can leave cars. Traffic in Paris is notoriously heavy, slow and tiresome.

Cultural Centres and Organisations

Monuments and Landmarks

Main article: Paris landmarks

Three of the most famous Parisian landmarks are the twelfth century cathedral Notre Dame de Paris on the Île de la Cité, 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 Sacré Cœur on the Montmartre hill.

The Historical axis is a line of monuments, buildings and thoroughfares that runs out from the centre of the city to the west. That perspective starts at the Louvre, continues through Tuileries Gardens, the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe and ends at La Défense business district, which is dominated by square-shaped Grande Arche and hosts among the tallest skyscrapers in Paris. The Arc de Triomphe monument is located at the centre of the Place de l'Étoile, a large circus where twelve different avenues are meeting. It was built to commemorate the victories of France and honour those who died in battle.

The Invalides museum is the burial place for many great French soldiers, including Napoleon, and the Panthéon church is where many of France's illustrious men and women are buried. The former Conciergerie prison held some prominent ancien régime members before their deaths during the French Revolution. Another symbol of the Revolution are the two Statues of Liberty located on the Île des Cygnes on the Seine and in the Luxembourg Garden. A larger version of the statues was sent as a gift from France to the United States in 1886 and now stands in New York City harbour.

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 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 Église de la Madeleine.

Museums

Main article: List of museums in Paris

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 Musée Picasso and Musée Rodin respectively, while the artistic community of Montparnasse is chronicled at the Musée du Montparnasse. Starkly apparent with its service-pipe exterior, the Centre Georges Pompidou, also known as Beaubourg, houses the Musée National d'Art Moderne. Lastly, art and artifacts from the Middle Ages and Impressionist eras are kept in Musée Cluny and Musée d'Orsay respectively, the former with the prized tapestry cycle The Lady and the Unicorn.

Districts and historical centres

Main article: Paris districts

• Place de la Bastille - former eastern stronghold and gate of Paris.
• Champs-Élysées - seventeenth century garden-promenade turned avenue connecting the Concorde and Arc de Triomphe.
• Place de la Concorde - at the foot of the Champs-Élysées, built as the "Place Louis XV", site of the infamous guillotine. The Egyptian obelisk it holds today can be considered Paris's "oldest monument".
• La Défense - one of the largest business districts in the world and a major destination for business tourism.
• Les Halles - shopping precinct around an important metro connection station.
• Quartier Latin - twelfth century scholastic centre formerly stretching between the Left Bank's Place Maubert and the Sorbonne campus.
• Le Marais - trendy Right Bank district with large gay and Jewish populations
• Montmartre - historic area on the Butte, home to the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur and the studios and cafés of many great artists.
• Montparnasse - historic Left Bank area famous for artists studios, music-halls, and café life.
• L'Opéra - shopping area with department stores such as Printemps and Galeries Lafayette

Parks, gardens and cemeteries

Main article: List of parks and gardens in Paris

Two of Paris's most famous gardens are the Tuileries Garden on the banks of the Seine next to the Louvre and the centrally-located Luxembourg Garden, which used to belong to a château built for the Marie de' Medici. During the Second Empire, Napoleon III created three vast gardens on the outskirts of Paris: Montsouris, Buttes Chaumont in the northeast, and Parc Monceau, formerly known as the folie de Chartres, in the northwest. On the western and eastern perimeters respectively are the two "forests", the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes. Many of Paris's illustrious historical figures have found rest in Père Lachaise Cemetery. Other notable cemeteries include Cimetière de Montmartre, Cimetière du Montparnasse, Cimetière de Passy and the Catacombs of Paris

Boutiques, Department Stores and Hotels

Paris is famous for gastronomical establishments like Fauchon (delicatessen), near the Église de la Madeleine, or Berthillon (ice cream) on Île-Saint-Louis. Its department stores, e.g. Galeries Lafayette, Samaritaine (currently closed) or Printemps, are remarkable not only for the wide range of items they sell but also for their 19th-century or Art Nouveau architecture. Paris also hosts a number of famous hotels. The most prestigious are probably the Hôtel de Crillon on Place de la Concorde, and the nearby Hôtel Ritz Paris on Place Vendôme. Paris is home to some of the most famous and luxurious brand names in the fashion industry like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès, Dior and Givenchy.

Nightlife

• Le Lido - cabaret on the Champs-Élysées famous for its exotic shows and where, as an American GI on leave with some army friends, Elvis Presley gave an impromptu concert.
• Moulin Rouge, Le Crazy Horse Saloon, Folies Bergères - other famous cabarets
• the Paris Olympia, le Zenith, Bercy, Bobino - concert halls
• The Buddha Bar, Barfly, Hotel Costes, Georges - trendy upscale restaurant / bars to see and be seen.
• Les Bains-Douches, le Man Ray, l'Elysée Montmartre, le Queen - famous and trendy nightclubs.
• The Rex Club, Le Tryptique, Le Batofar- good places for electro music (techno, electro-rock, D&B).
• Harry's New York Bar

Sports

Paris's main sports clubs are the football club Paris Saint-Germain, the basketball team Paris Basket Racing and the rugby union club Stade Français. The 80,000-seat Stade de France was built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and is used for football and rugby. Paris also hosted the 1900 and 1924 Olympic Games. 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-Elysées.

References

1. ^  ((French)) EPAD - "Presentation of La Défense". Retrieved March 10, 2006.
2. ^  ((French)) INSEE - Comptes régionaux - données 2003 semi-définitives en base 2 000. "Produit intérieur brut (PIB) à prix courants.". Retrieved December 1, 2005.
3. ^  MSN Encarta - "Paris (city, France) - B2 Tourism". Retrieved March 23, 2006.
4. ^  ((French)) INSEE - "Estimation de population pour certaines grandes villes". Retrieved January 23, 2005.
5. ^  ((French)) INSEE - "Population des villes et unités urbaines de plus de 1 million d'habitants de l'Union européenne". Retrieved February 10, 2006.
6. ^  World Gazetteer - "France: metropolitan areas". Retrieved March 10, 2006.
7. ^  Amicale-Genealogie.org on the cholera epidemics
8. ^  INSEE data 1999-2005
9. ^  INSEE data 1990-1999
10. ^  INSEE data on population growth
11. ^  France census 1999
12. ^  U.K. census 2001
13. ^  U.S. census 2000
14. ^  ((French)) INSEE - Comptes régionaux - données 2003 semi-définitives en base 2 000. "Produit intérieur brut (PIB) à prix courants.". Retrieved December 1, 2005.
15. ^  INSEE data on the workforce
16. ^  The Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France website
17. ^  ((French)) ORTIF - "Chiffres clés du tourisme 2004 en Île-de-France", page 5
18. ^  ((French)) France2 web article - "Ouverture du Parc Astérix pour sa 17e saison". Retrieved December 17, 2005.

Bibliography

History

• ((French)) Favier, Jean (avril 23, 1997). Paris, Fayard. ISBN 2213598746.
• ((French)) Hillairet, Jacques (avril 22, 2005). Connaissance du Vieux Paris, Rivages. ISBN 2869306482.

External links

Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews

• Travel guide to Paris from Wikitravel
• ((English)) Official Paris Website
• ((English)) Official Paris Tourism Website
• Google Maps of Paris

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