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Paris

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: European Geography

   Coordinates: 48°52′0″N, 2°19′59″E

   Ville de Paris
   Paris' Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro.

   Flag of Paris
   Coat of arms of Paris
   City flag City coat of arms
   Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur
   (Latin: "Tossed by the waves, she does not sink")
   Location

   Image:Paris_plan_pointer_b_jms.gif
   Map highlighting the commune of Paris
   Coordinates 48°52′0″N, 2°19′59″E
   Time Zone CET (GMT +1)
   Administration
   Country France
   Région Île-de-France
   Département Paris (75)
   Subdivisions 20 arrondissements
   Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  ( PS)
   (since 2001)
   City Statistics
   Land area¹ 86.9 km²
   Population² 1st in France
    - 2004 estimate 2,144,700
    - Density 24,672/km² (2004)
   Urban Spread
   Urban Area 2 723 km² (1999)
    - Population 9 644 507 (1999)
   Metro Area 14,518.3 km² (1999)
    - Population 11,174,743 (1999)
   ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1
   km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
   ² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of
   multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).
   France

   Paris is the capital city of France and a French département ( 75).
   Situated on the banks of the river Seine in north-central France, it is
   also the capital of the Île-de-France région (also known as "Paris
   Region"), which encompasses Paris and its suburbs. Paris had an
   estimated mid-2004 population of 2,144,700. The Paris urban area,
   extending well beyond the city boundaries, has today an estimated
   population of 9.93 million. The Paris metropolitan area (including
   satellite towns) stood at 11.5 million in 1999 and is one of the most
   populated metropolitan areas in Europe.

   The Paris region is France's most dynamic centre of economic activity.
   It produces more than a quarter of France's wealth, with a GDP of
   €478.7 billion (US$595.3 billion) in 2005. With La Défense, the largest
   purpose-built business district in Europe, the Paris urban area ( unité
   urbaine) also hosts the head offices of almost half of the major French
   companies, as well as the offices of major international firms. Paris
   is a leading cultural, business and political centre and has an
   influence in fashion, gastronomy and the arts. It is regarded as one of
   the major global cities, with the headquarters of international
   organisations such as UNESCO, the OECD, the ICC, or the informal Paris
   Club.

   The city, which is renowned for its defining neo-classical
   architecture, hosts many museums and galleries and has an active
   nightlife. The most recognisable symbol of Paris is the 324 metre
   (1,063  ft) Eiffel Tower on the banks of the Seine. Dubbed "the City of
   Light" (la Ville Lumière) since the 19th century, Paris is regarded by
   many as one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world.. It
   is also the most visited city in the world with more than 30 million
   foreign visitors per year.

History

Origin of the name

   Paris is pronounced as [ˈpʰæɹɪs] in English and as [paʀi] in French.
   The city derives its name from the Gallic Parisii tribe. The city,
   known as Lutetia (/lutetja/) during the Roman Empire, began to adopt
   its present-day name towards the end of the Roman era. Since the early
   20th century, Paris has been known in French slang as Paname ([panam];
   Moi j'suis d'Paname , i.e. "I'm from Paname"), a slang name that has
   been regaining favour with young people in recent years. Another
   sobriquet for Paris is 'The City of Light' (La Ville-lumière), owing to
   its early adoption of street-lighting.

   The inhabitants of Paris are known as Parisians [pʰəˈɹɪzɪənz] or
   [pʰəˈɹiːʒn̩z] in English and as Parisiens ( [paʀizjɛ̃] ) in French.
   Parisians are sometimes called Parigots ( [paʀigo] ) in French slang, a
   term often used pejoratively by people outside the Paris Region, but
   sometimes considered endearing by Parisians themselves.

Early beginnings

   The earliest signs of permanent habitation in the Paris area date from
   around 4200 BC. Celtic migrants began to settle the area from 250 BC,
   and the Parisii tribe of these, known as boatmen and traders,
   established a settlement near the river Seine from around then.

   Westward Roman conquest and the ensuing Gallic War overtook the Paris
   basin from 52 BC, and by the end of the century Paris' Île de la Cité
   island and Left Bank Sainte Geneviève Hill had become the Roman town of
   Lutetia. Gallo-Roman Lutèce would expand over the following centuries,
   becoming a prosperous city with palaces, a forum, baths, temples,
   theatres and an amphitheatre.

   As other Roman cities, early Lutetia was structured as a regular grid
   (300 feet squares), with the cardo maximus (main North-South axis)
   being the current Rue Saint-Jacques, and the decumani (East-West axis)
   were parallel to current Bd Saint-Germain and Rue des Ecoles. The
   "point zero", or groma of this grid was probably located at the
   southwest corner of the forum, which corresponds to nos. 172 and 174 of
   Rue Saint-Jacques: the highest point on the Saint-Geneviève hill.

   The collapse of the Roman empire and third-century Germanic invasions
   sent the city into a period of decline: by 400 AD Lutèce, largely
   abandoned by its inhabitants, was little more than a garrison town
   entrenched into its hastily fortified central island. The city would
   reclaim its original "Paris" appellation towards the end of the Roman
   occupation.

Middle ages

   Around AD 500, 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, and Paris became the capital of a much
   smaller sovereign state. By the time of the Carolingian dynasty (9th
   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,
   namely for the fame he gained in his defence of Paris during the Viking
   siege of 885-886. Although the Cité island had survived the Viking
   attacks, most of the unprotected Left Bank city was destroyed; rather
   than rebuild there, after drying marshlands to the north of the island,
   Paris began to expand onto the Right Bank. In 987 AD, Hugh Capet, Count
   of Paris, was elected King of France, founding the Capetian dynasty
   which would raise Paris to become France's capital.
   Storming of the Bastille by a Parisian mob on July 14, 1789
   Enlarge
   Storming of the Bastille by a Parisian mob on July 14, 1789

   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 visitors from across Europe. It
   was during this period that the city developed a spatial distribution
   of activities that exists even 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.

   Paris lost its position as seat of the French realm while occupied by
   the English-ally Burgundians during the Hundred Years' War, but
   regained its title when Charles VII reclaimed the city in 1437;
   although Paris was capital once again, the Crown preferred to remain in
   its Loire Valley castles. 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 Trocadéro Palace built for the Exposition Universelle of 1878,
   demolished and replaced by the Palais de Chaillot for the Exposition
   Internationale of 1937
   Enlarge
   The Trocadéro Palace built for the Exposition Universelle of 1878,
   demolished and replaced by the Palais de Chaillot for the Exposition
   Internationale of 1937

   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 leveled 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. 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's 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 and Today

   Nighttime view of Rue de Rivoli
   Enlarge
   Nighttime view of Rue de Rivoli

   During World War I, Paris was at the forefront of the war effort,
   having been spared a 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
   inter-war period Paris was famed for its cultural and artistic
   communities and its nightlife. The city became a melting pot of artists
   from around the world, from exiled Russian composer Stravinsky and
   Spanish painters Picasso and Dalí to American writer 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
   until the city was liberated by the 2nd Armored Division of General
   Leclerc in late August 1944. Central Paris endured WW II practically
   unscathed, as there were no strategic targets for bombers (train
   stations in central Paris are terminal stations; major factories were
   located in the suburbs), and also because German General von Choltitz
   refused to carry out Hitler's order that all Parisian monuments be
   destroyed before any German retreat.
   View over Paris from the Eiffel Tower
   Enlarge
   View over Paris from the Eiffel Tower

   In the post-war era, Paris experienced its largest development since
   the end of the Belle Époque in 1914. The suburbs 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 expressway
   circling around the city.

   Since the 1970s, many inner suburbs of Paris (especially the eastern
   ones) have experienced deindustrialization, and the once-thriving cités
   have gradually become ghettos for immigrants and oases of unemployment.
   At the same time, the City of Paris (within its Périphérique ring) and
   the western and southern suburbs have successfully shifted their
   economic base from traditional manufacturing to high value-added
   services and high-tech manufacturing, generating great wealth for their
   residents whose per capita income is among the highest in Europe. The
   resulting widening social gap between these two areas has led to
   periodic unrest since the mid-1980s, such as the 2005 riots which
   largely concentrated in the northeastern suburbs.

Geography

Topography

   View from the top of the Eiffel tower toward North
   Enlarge
   View from the top of the Eiffel tower toward North

   Paris is located on a north-bending arc of the river Seine and includes
   two inhabited islands, the Île Saint-Louis and the larger Île de la
   Cité which is the heart and origin of the city. Paris has several
   prominent hills, of which the highest is Montmartre at 130 metres (426½
   ft) above sea level.

   The City of Paris, excluding the outlying parks of Bois de Boulogne and
   Bois de Vincennes, covers an oval measuring 86.928 square kilometres
   (33.56 mi²) 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-spiralling arrondissements it still has today. From
   its 1860 78 km² (30.1 mi²), these limits changed marginally to 86.9 km²
   in the 1920's, 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 mi²).

   The Paris agglomeration ( urban area) extends from the city limits to
   an area much greater than Paris itself (app. 26 times larger) in an
   irregular oval with tentacles of urban growth extending along the Seine
   and Marne river from the city's south-east and east, and along the
   Seine and Oise rivers to the city's north-west and north. Urban density
   drops sharply in the land surrounding; a mix of forest and agriculture
   dotted with a network of relatively evenly dispersed satellite towns,
   this couronne péri-urbaine (commuter belt), when combined with the
   Paris agglomeration, completes a Paris aire urbaine ( metropolitan
   area) that covers an oval 14,518 km² (5,605.5 mi²) in area, or an area
   about 138 times that of Paris itself.

Climate

   Paris has an Oceanic climate and is affected by the North Atlantic
   Drift, so the city enjoys a temperate climate that rarely sees
   extremely high or low temperatures. The average yearly high temperature
   is about 15 °C (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 10 December 1879. The Paris region has
   recently seen temperatures reaching both extremes, with the heat wave
   of 2003 and the 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 around
   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) 6 (43) 7 (45) 10 (51) 14 (57) 18 (64) 21 (70) 24 (75)
   24 (75) 20 (69) 15 (59) 9 (49) 7 (45) 15 (59)
   Avg low temperature °C (°F) -2 (28) -1 (30) 3 (38) 5 (42) 9 (49) 12
   (54) 14 (58) 14 (57) 11 (52) 8 (46) 4 (39) 2 (36) 7 (45)
   Source: Weatherbase

Cityscape

Urbanism and architecture

   Avenue de l'Opéra and its buildings typical of Haussmann's renovation
   of Paris
   Enlarge
   Avenue de l'Opéra and its buildings typical of Haussmann's renovation
   of Paris
   The Grande Arche in La Defense
   Enlarge
   The Grande Arche in La Defense

   "Modern" Paris is the result of a vast mid-19th-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 urbanisation levelled 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
   then-defined "alignement" law (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-19th
   century to allow for higher constructions. It is for this reason, save
   for a few 'pointed' examples, that Paris seems an essentially flat city
   when compared to some of the world's other metropoles.

   Paris' unchanging borders, strict building codes and lack of
   developable land have together contributed in creating a phenomenon
   called muséification (or "museumification") as, at the same time as
   they strive to preserve Paris' historical past, existing laws make it
   difficult to create within city limits the larger buildings and
   utilities needed for a growing population. Many of Paris' institutions
   and economic infrastructure are already located in, or are planning on
   moving to, the suburbs. 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 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.

   Paris has over 2,400 km of underground passageways dedicated to the
   evacuation of Paris' liquid wastes. Most of these even today date from
   the late 19th century, a result of the combined plans of the Préfet
   Haussmann and the civil engineer Eugène Belgrand to improve the then
   very unsanitary conditions in the Capital. Maintained by a
   round-the-clock service since their construction, only a small
   percentage of Paris' sewer réseau has needed complete renovation. The
   entire Paris network of sewers and collectors has been managed since
   the late 20th century by a computerised network system, known under the
   acronym "G.A.AS.PAR", that controls all of Paris' water distribution,
   even the flow of the river Seine through the capital.

Districts and historical centres

   View from the Montparnasse Tower (Tour Montparnasse) towards the Eiffel
   Tower. On the right Napoleon's tomb lies under the golden dome at Les
   Invalides. The towers of the office and entertainment centre La Défense
   are on the horizon.
   Enlarge
   View from the Montparnasse Tower ( Tour Montparnasse) towards the
   Eiffel Tower. On the right Napoleon's tomb lies under the golden dome
   at Les Invalides. The towers of the office and entertainment centre La
   Défense are on the horizon.
   The Eiffel Tower and the River Seine.
   Enlarge
   The Eiffel Tower and the River Seine.

   These are a few of Paris' major districts.
     * Champs-Élysées (8^th 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 (8^th arrondissement), next to the Champs-Elysées,
       is home to luxury brand labels such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton (
       LVMH), Dior and Givenchy.
     * Place de la Concorde (8^th arrondissement, right bank) is 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". On this place, on the two
       side of the Rue Royale live two identical stone buildings: the
       eastern houses the French Naval Ministry, the western the luxurious
       Hôtel de Crillon. Nearby Place Vendome is famous for its
       fashionable and deluxe hotels ( Hotel Ritz and Hôtel de Vendôme)
       and its jewellers. Many famous fashion designers have had their
       salons in the square.
     * Faubourg Saint-Honoré (8^th arrondissement, right bank) is one of
       Paris' high-fashion districts, home to labels such as Hermès and
       Christian Lacroix.
     * L'Opéra (9^th arrondissement, right bank) is the area around the
       Opéra Garnier is a 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
       Crédit Lyonnais and American Express.
     * Montmartre (18^th arrondissement, right bank) is a historic area on
       the Butte, home to the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur. Montmartre has
       always had a history with artists and has many studios and cafés of
       many great artists in that area.
     * Les Halles (1^st arrondissement, right bank) was formerly Paris'
       central meat and produce market, since the late 1970s a major
       shopping centre around an important metro connection station (the
       biggest in Europe). The past Les Halles was destroyed in 1971 and
       replaced by the current day Forum des Halles.
     * Le Marais (3^rd and 4^th arrondissements) is a trendy Right Bank
       district. With large gay and Jewish populations it is a very
       culturally open place.
     * Place de la Bastille (4^th, 11^th and 12^th arrondissements, right
       bank) being one of the most historic districts, being a location of
       an essential event of not only Paris, but the whole country of
       France. Because of its historical value the square is often used
       for political demonstrations, including the massive anti-CPE
       demonstration of March 28, 2006.
     * Quartier Latin (5^th and 6^th arrondissements, left bank) is a
       twelfth century scholastic centre formerly stretching between the
       Left Bank's Place Maubert and the Sorbonne campus. It is known for
       its lively atmosphere and many bistros. With various higher
       education establishments, such as the École Normale Supérieure, the
       École des Mines and the Jussieu university campus make it a major
       educational centre in Paris, which also contributes to its
       atmosphere.
     * Montparnasse (14^th arrondissement) is a historic Left Bank area
       famous for artists studios, music halls, and café life. The large
       Montparnasse - Bienvenüe métro station and the lone Tour
       Montparnasse skyscraper are located there.
     * La Défense (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 centres in the
       world, and is a major destination for business tourism. Built at
       the western end of a westward extension of Paris' historical axis
       from the Champs-Élysées, La Défense consists mainly of business
       highrises. Initiated by the French government in 1958, the district
       hosts currently 3.5 million m² of offices, making of it the largest
       district in Europe specifically developed for business. The Grande
       Arche (Great Arch) of la Defense, which houses a part of the French
       Transports Minister's headquarters, ends the central Esplanade
       around which the district is organized.
     * Plaine Saint-Denis (straddling the communes of Saint-Denis,
       Aubervilliers, and Saint-Ouen, immediately across the Périphérique
       ring road (which encircles Paris proper) north of the 18^th
       arrondissement) is a formerly derelict manufacturing area which has
       undergone massive regeneration in the last 10 years. It now hosts
       the Stade de France around which is being built the new business
       district of LandyFrance, with two RER stations (on RER line B and
       D) and possibly some skyscrapers. In the Plaine Saint-Denis are
       also located most of France's television studios as well as some
       major movie studios.

Parks and gardens

   Jardins du Palais Royal
   Enlarge
   Jardins du Palais Royal

   Two of Paris's oldest and famous gardens are the Tuileries Garden,
   created from the 16th 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 château built for the 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, Buttes Chaumont and Parc Monceau
   (formerly known as the "folie de Chartres"), were creations of Napoleon
   III's engineer Jean-Charles Alphand and the landscape . You will often
   see Pariseans having picnics at the parks, soaking up the warm
   sunshine, or simply enjoying the nature. They are peaceful escapes from
   the city and are enjoyed by all ages. Another project executed under
   the orders of Baron Haussmann
   Parc Monceau
   Enlarge
   Parc Monceau

   architect Barillet-Deschamps 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 lain to Paris' periphery along the
   traces of its former circular " Petite Ceinture" railway line.

Cemeteries

   Cemetery of Père Lachaise
   Enlarge
   Cemetery of Père Lachaise

   Paris' existing inner-city cemeteries were to its outskirts upon their
   1804 creation. Many of Paris' churches had their own parish cemeteries,
   but these by the late 18th century contributed to making living
   conditions quite unsanitary in an ever-growing Capital. Abolished from
   1786, all parish cemeteries were excavated their contents taken to
   abandoned limestone mines outside the southern gates of then Paris,
   today the 14e arrondissement's place Denfert-Rochereau. The latter are
   known today as the Paris Catacombes.

   Although Paris today has once again grown to surround all its former
   extra-muros cemeteries, these have become all-too-rare and
   much-appreciated oases of quiet, greenery and sculpture in a thriving
   city. 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.

   Paris created new suburban cemeteries for its dead from the early 20th
   century: the largest of these are the Cimitière Parisien de Saint-Ouen,
   the Cimitière Parisien de Bobigny- Pantin, the Cimitière Parisien d'
   Ivry and the Cimitière Parisien de Bagneux.

Water and sanitation

   Canal Saint-Martin
   Enlarge
   Canal Saint-Martin

   Paris in its early history had only the Seine and Bièvre rivers for
   water. Later forms of irrigation were: a first-century Roman aqueduct
   from southerly Wissous (later left to ruin); sources from the Right
   bank hills from the late 11th century; from the 15th-century an
   aqueduct built roughly along the path of the first; finally, from 1809,
   the canal de l'Ourcq began providing Paris with water from less
   polluted rivers away from the Capital. Paris would only have its first
   constant and plentiful source of drinkable water from the late
   19th-century: from 1857, under Napoleon III's Préfet Haussmann, the
   civil engineer Eugène Belgrand oversaw the construction of a series of
   new aqueducts that would bring sources from distant locations to
   reservoirs built in the highest points of the Capital. The new sources
   became Paris' principal source of drinking water, and the remains of
   the old system, pumped into lower levels of the same reservoirs, were
   from then dedicated to the cleaning of Paris' streets. This system is
   still a major part of Paris' modern water supply network.

   Paris has over 2,400 km of underground passageways dedicated to the
   evacuation of Paris' liquid wastes. Most of these even today date from
   the late 19th century, a result of the combined plans of the Préfet
   Haussmann and the civil engineer Eugène Belgrand to improve the then
   very unsanitary conditions in the Capital. Maintained by a
   round-the-clock service since their construction, only a small
   percentage of Paris' sewer réseau has needed complete renovation. The
   entire Paris network of sewers and collectors is been managed since the
   late 20th century by a computerised network system, known under the
   acronym "G.A.AS.PAR", that controls all of Paris' water distribution,
   even the flow of the river Seine through the capital.

Demography

                             CAPTION: Demographics within the Paris Region
                             (according to the official INSEE 1999 census)

                                Areas Population   Area
                                                  (km²) Density
                                                          (/km²) 1990-1999
                                                                    growth
                                                                     City
                        City of Paris
                    ( département 75)  2,125,246    105   20,240    -1.26%
                                                    Suburban Départements
                           Inner ring
                    (Petite Couronne)
                  (Depts. 92, 93, 94)  4,038,992    657    6,148    +1.27%
                           Outer ring
                    (Grande Couronne)
              (Depts. 77, 78, 91, 95)  4,787,773 11,249      426    +5.93%
                        Ile-de-France
                      (entire région) 10,952,011 12,011      912    +2.73%
                                                       Statistical Growth
                           Urban area
                (Paris agglomeration)  9,644,507  2,723    3,542    +1.85%
                           Metro area
                     ( agglomeration,
                       commuter belt) 11,174,743 14,518      770    +2.90%

   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
   because of 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; 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.

Density

   The City of Paris is the most densely populated area in the Western
   World after the island of Manhattan in New York City. Excluding the
   outlying woodland parks of Boulogne and Vincennes, its density was
   24,448 inh. per km² (63,321 inh. per sq. mile) in 1999 official census.
   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.

   Paris' most sparsely populated quarters are its western and central
   office and administration-charged arrondissements. The city is at its
   densest in its north and east arrondissements; its 11th arrondissement
   had a density of 40,672/km² (105,339/sq. mile) in 1999, and some of the
   same arrondissement's eastern quarters showed densities close to
   100,000/km² (260,000/sq. mile) the same year.

The Paris agglomeration

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

   The Paris agglomeration or urban area ( unité urbaine) covers 2,723 km²
   (1,051.4 mi²) , or 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 Île-de-France région, and combined with the
   Paris agglomeration, completes a metropolitan area ( aire urbaine)
   covering 14,518 km² (5,605.5 mi²) , or an area about 138 times that of
   Paris itself.
   View over the center of Paris with chinatown high buildings on the
   right
   Enlarge
   View over the centre of Paris with chinatown high buildings on the
   right

   The Paris agglomeration has shown a steady rate of growth since the end
   of the late 16th-century French Wars of Religion, save 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 Île-de-France région shows a rate of growth
   double that of the 1990s .

Immigration

   View over Ferrières, one of the multiple suburbs surrounding Paris
   Enlarge
   View over Ferrières, one of the multiple suburbs surrounding Paris

   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%
   of its total population was born outside of metropolitan France. At the
   same census, 4.2% 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
   in 1820 with the arrivals of German peasants fleeing the agricultural
   crisis in Germany. Several waves of immigration followed continuously
   until today : Italians and central European Jews during the 19th
   century; Russians after the revolution of 1917; colonial citizens
   during World War I and later; Poles between the two world wars;
   Spaniards, Portuguese and North Africans from the 1950's to the 1970's;
   North African Jews after the independence of those countries; Africans
   and Asians since then. The majority of these today are naturalised
   French without any distinction, in the name of the French Republic
   principle of equality among its citizens.

Economy

   With a 2005 GDP of €478.7 billion (US$595.3 billion), the Paris Region
   is 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 thus
   France's premier centre of economical activity: while its population
   accounted for 18.7% of the total population of metropolitan France in
   2005, its GDP was about 28.5% that of metropolitan France. Activity in
   the Paris metropolitan area, though diverse, has not found a
   specialization such as Los Angeles with entertainment industries or
   London and New York with financial industries. In recent decades,
   however, the Paris economy has been shifting towards high value-added
   service industries (finance, IT services, etc.) and high-tech
   manufacturing (electronics, optics, aerospace, etc.).

Organisation

   View over La Défense
   Enlarge
   View over La Défense

   The Paris Region's most intense economical activity through the central
   Hauts-de-Seine département and suburban La Défense business district
   places Paris' economical centre to the west of the city, in a triangle
   between the Opéra Garnier, La Défense and the Val de Seine. Paris'
   administrative borders have little consequences on the limits of its
   economical activity: although most workers commute from the suburbs to
   work in the city, many 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
   Paris metropolitan area (including commuter belt) worked in the city of
   Paris and the Hauts-de-Seine département, while only 31.5% worked
   exclusively in Paris.

Sectors

   Although the Paris economy is largely dominated by services, it remains
   an important manufacturing powerhouse of Europe, especially in
   industrial sectors such as automobiles, aeronautics and
   high-technologies. Over recent decades, the local economy has moved
   towards high value-added activities, in particular business services.

   The 1999 census indicated 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 3.6% of the total workforce of the Paris Region (in
   1999), and 6.2% of the total workforce of the city of Paris.

Administration

Paris, Capital of France

   Paris is the capital of France, and as such is the seat of France's
   national government.

   For the executive, the two chief officers each have their own official
   residences, which also serve as their offices. President of the
   Republic resides at the Elysée Palace in the VIIIe arrondissement,
   while the Prime Minister's seat is at the Hôtel Matignon in the VIIe
   arrondissement. Government ministries are located in various parts of
   the city - many are located in the VIIe, near the Matignon.

   The two houses of the French Parliament are also located on the Left
   Bank. The upper house, the Senate, meets in the Palais du Luxembourg in
   the VIe arrondissement, while the more important lower house, the
   Assemblée Nationale, meets in the Palais Bourbon in the VIIe. The
   President of the Senate, the second highest public official in France
   after the President of the Republic, resides in the "Petit Luxembourg",
   a smaller palace annex to the Palais du Luxembourg.

   France's highest courts are located in Paris. The Court of Cassation,
   the highest court in the judicial order, which tries most criminal and
   civil cases, is located in the Palais de Justice on the Ile de la Cité,
   while the Conseil d'État, which provides legal advice to the executive
   and acts as the highest court in the administrative order, judging
   litigation against public bodies, is located in the Palais Royal in the
   Ier.

   The Constitutional Council, which is an advisory body which is the
   ultimate authority on the constitutionality of laws and government
   decrees, also meets in the Palais Royal.

City government

   The arrondissements of Paris
   Enlarge
   The arrondissements of Paris

   Paris has been a commune (municipality) since 1834 (and also briefly
   between 1790 and 1795). At the 1790 division of France into communes in
   the beginning of the French Revolution, and again in 1834, Paris was a
   city only half its modern size, but in 1860 it annexed bordering
   communes, some entirely, to create the new administrative map of twenty
   municipal arrondissements the city still has today. These municipal
   subdivisions describe a clockwise spiral outward from its most central
   Ier arrondissement.

   Paris as a commune from 1790 became the préfecture (capital) of the
   Seine département that encompassed Paris and a number of neighbouring
   communes, but this département was split in 1968 into four smaller
   ones: the city of Paris became a département distinct from suburban
   communes in retaining the Seine département 's "75" number (originating
   from the Seine département's position in France's alphabetical list of
   départements), while the three new Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis
   and Val-de-Marne départements were attributed the numbers 92, 93 and 94
   respectively. The result of this division is that today Paris's limits
   as a département are exactly those of its limits as a commune, a
   situation unique in France.

Municipal offices

   Each of Paris's 20 arrondissements has a directly-elected council
   (conseil d'arrondissement), which in turn elects an arrondissement
   mayor. A selection of members from each arrondissement council form the
   Council of Paris (conseil de Paris), which in turn elects the mayor of
   Paris.
   The Sun setting over the Seine.
   Enlarge
   The Sun setting over the Seine.

   In mediaeval times Paris was governed by a merchant-elected
   municipality whose head was the provost of the merchants: in addition
   to regulating city commerce, the provost of the merchants was
   responsible for some civic duties such as the guarding of city walls
   and the cleanliness of city streets. This role was seconded from the
   13th century by the provost of Paris, a direct representative of the
   king responsible for law and order in the city and its surrounding
   prévôté (county). Many functions from both offices were transferred to
   the office of the crown-appointed lieutenant general of police upon its
   creation in 1667.

   Paris' last Prévôt des marchands was assassinated the afternoon of the
   14th of July 1789 uprising that was the French Revolution Storming of
   the Bastille. Paris became an official "commune" from the creation of
   the administrative division on December 14th the same year, and its
   provisional "Paris commune" revolutionary municipality was replaced
   with the city's first municipal constitution and government from
   October 9, 1790. Through the turmoil of the 1794 Thermidorian Reaction,
   however, it became apparent that revolutionary Paris's political
   independence was a threat to any governing power: the office of mayor
   was abolished the same year, and its municipal council one year later.

   Although the municipal council was recreated in 1834, Paris spent most
   of the 19th and 20th centuries, along with the larger Seine département
   of which it was a centre, under the direct control of the
   State-appointed préfet of the Seine, in charge of general affairs
   there; the State-appointed Prefect of Police was in charge of police in
   the same jurisdiction. Paris, save for a few brief occasions, would
   have no mayor until 1977, and the Paris Prefecture of Police is still
   under State control today.

   Despite its double existence as commune and département, Paris has a
   unique council to governing both; the Council of Paris, presided by the
   mayor of Paris, meets either as a municipal council (conseil municipal)
   or as a departmental council (conseil général) depending on the issue
   to be debated.

   Paris' modern administrative organisation still retains some traces of
   the former Seine département jurisdiction. The Prefecture of Police
   (also directing Paris' fire brigades), for example, has still a
   jurisdiction extending to Paris' petite couronne of bordering three
   départements for some operations such as fire protection or rescue
   operations, and is still directed by France's national government.
   Paris has no municipal police force, although it does have its own
   brigade of traffic wardens.
   The eight départements of the Île-de-France région
   Enlarge
   The eight départements of the Île-de-France région

Paris, Capital of the Île-de-France région

   As part of a 1961 nation-wide administrative effort to consolidate
   regional economies, Paris as a département became the capital of the
   new District of the Paris Region, transformed into the Île-de-France
   région in 1976, encompassing the Paris département and its seven
   closest départements. The regional council members are chosen by direct
   elections (since 1986). The prefect of the Paris département (known as
   the prefect of the Seine département before 1968) is also prefect of
   the Île-de-France région, although the office lost a lot of its powers
   with the creation of the office of mayor of Paris in 1977.

Intercommunality

   Few of the above changes have taken into account Paris's existence as
   an agglomeration. Unlike in most of France's major urban areas such as
   Lille and Lyon, there is no intercommunal entity in the Paris urban
   area, no intercommunal council treating the problems of the region's
   dense urban core as a whole; Paris's alienation of its suburbs is
   indeed a problem today, and considered by many to be the main causes of
   civil unrest such as suburban riots in 2005. A direct result of these
   unfortunate events were propositions for a more efficient metropolitan
   structure to cover the city of Paris and some of the suburbs, ranging
   from a socialist idea of a loose "metropolitan conference" (conférence
   métropolitaine) to the right-wing idea of a more integrated Grand Paris
   ("Greater Paris").

Transport

   Thalys trains with service to Belgium and the Netherlands
   Enlarge
   Thalys trains with service to Belgium and the Netherlands

   Paris's role as a centre of international trade and tourism has brought
   its transportation system many embellishments over the past centuries,
   and its development is still progressing at a rapid pace today. Only in
   the past few decades Paris has become the centre of an autoroute
   system, high-speed train network and, through its two major airports, a
   hub of international air travel.

Air travel

   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.

Railway

   Paris is a central hub of the national rail network of high-speed (TGV)
   and normal ( Corail) trains. 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 Métro network, with 380 stations connected by 221.6km
   of rails. Because of the short distance between stations on the Métro
   network, lines were too slow to be extended further in the suburbs as
   is the case in most other cities. As such, an additional express
   network, known as the RER, has been created since the 1960s to connect
   more distant parts of the conurbation.
   One of the most recent Métro stations, Gare Saint-Lazare
   Enlarge
   One of the most recent Métro stations, Gare Saint-Lazare

Public transport

   The public transport networks of the Paris region are coordinated by
   the Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France (STIF), formerly Syndicat
   des transports parisiens (STP). Members of the syndicate include the
   RATP, which operates the Parisian and some suburban buses, the Métro,
   and sections of the RER; the SNCF, which operates the suburban rail
   lines and the other sections of the RER ; and other private operators
   managing some suburban bus lines.

   The Métro is one of Paris' most important methods of transportation.
   The system comprises 16 lines, identified by numbers from 1 to 14, with
   two minor lines, 3bis and 7bis, numbered thus because they used to be
   branches of their respective original lines and only later became
   independent. In October 1998, the new line 14 was inaugurated after a
   70-year hiatus in inagurating fully new métro lines.

   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.

Autoroutes

   The city is also the hub of France's motorway network, and is
   surrounded by three orbital freeways : the Périphérique which follows
   the approximate path of 19th-century fortifications around Paris, the
   A86 autoroute motorway in the inner suburbs, and finally the
   Francilienne motorway, also known as the A104(north) and N104(south)
   (and N184), in the outer suburbs. Paris has an extensive road network
   with over 2000 kilometres of major roads and highways. By road Brussels
   can be reached in three hours, Frankfurt in 6 hours and Barcelona in 12
   hours.

Education

   In the early 9th century, the Emperor Charlemagne mandated all churches
   to give lessons in reading, writing and basic arithmetic to their
   parishes, and cathedrals to give a higher education in the finer arts
   of language, physics, music and theology. Paris, with its many churches
   and cathedral, began its rise as a scholastic centre around then.

   Twelve centuries later, education in Paris and the Paris region (
   Île-de-France région) employs approximately 330,000 persons, 170,000 of
   whom are teachers and professors teaching approximately 2.9 million
   children and students in around 9,000 primary, secondary, and higher
   education schools and institutions.

Primary and secondary education

   Paris is home to several of France's most prestigious high-schools such
   as Lycée Louis-le-Grand and Lycée Henri IV.

   Other high-schools of international renown in the Paris area include
   the Lycée International de Saint Germain-en-Laye and the Ecole Active
   Bilingue

Higher education

   In the academic year 2004-2005, there were 359,749 students registered
   in the 17 public universities located throughout the Paris region. This
   is the largest concentration of university students in Europe, ahead of
   the agglomerations of London (300,000 university students), Milan
   (280,000 university students), Madrid (250,000 university students),
   and Rome (230,000 university students). Beside these 17 public
   universities, 240,778 more students are registered in the prestigious
   grandes écoles, as well as in the preparatory classes to the grandes
   écoles, and in scores of private and public schools independent from
   universities, thus giving a grand total of 600,527 students in higher
   education in the academic year 2004-2005.

Universities

   Historical article: University of Paris Paris Notre-Dame Cathedral was
   the first centre of higher education before the creation of the
   University of Paris. The universitas, a corporation status granting
   teachers (and their students) the right to rule themselves
   independently from crown law and taxes, was chartered by King Philip
   Augustus in 1200. Many classes then were held in open air. Non-Parisian
   students and teachers would stay in hostels, or "colleges", created for
   the boursiers coming from afar. Already famous by the 13th century, the
   Universty of Partis had students from all of Europe. Paris's Rive
   Gauche scholastic centre, or " Latin Quarter" as classes were taught in
   Latin then, would eventually regroup around the college created by
   Robert de Sorbon from 1257. The University of Paris in the 19th century
   had six faculties: law, science, medicine, pharmaceutical studies,
   literature and theology.

   The 1968 student riots in Paris, in an effort to disperse the
   centralised student body, resulted in a near total reform of the
   University of Paris. The following year, the formerly unique University
   of Paris was split between thirteen autonomous universities ("Paris I"
   to "Paris XIII") located throughout the City of Paris and its suburbs.
   Each of these universities inherited only some of the departments of
   the old University of Paris, and are not generalist universities. Paris
   I, II, V and X, inherited the Law School; Paris V inherited the School
   of Medicine as well; Paris VI and VII inherited the scientific
   departments; etc.

   In 1991, four more universities were created in the suburbs of Paris,
   reaching a total of seventeen public universities for the Paris (
   Île-de-France) région. These new universities were given names (based
   on the name of the suburb in which they are located) and not numbers
   like the previous thirteen: University of Cergy-Pontoise, University of
   Évry-Val d'Essonne, University of Marne-la-Vallée and University of
   Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

   In Paris there is also the English-speaking Westminster Centre for
   International Studies, department of London's University of
   Westminster, as well as the The American University of Paris, a private
   higher-education Institution.

Grandes écoles

   The Paris region hosts France's highest concentration of grandes
   écoles, or prestigious centres of higher specialised education outside
   the public university structure. Most of the grandes écoles were
   relocated to the suburbs of Paris in the 1960s and 1970s, in new
   campuses much larger than the old campuses within the crowded City of
   Paris, though the École Normale Supérieure has remained on rue d'Ulm in
   the Ve arrondissement. The Paris area has a high number of engineering
   schools, led by the prestigious École Polytechnique, École des Mines,
   École des Ponts et Chaussées, and École Centrale, forming future actors
   of France's engineering and industry. Business schools are also many,
   including world-famous HEC, ESSEC, INSEAD, and ESCP-EAP European School
   of Management. Although Paris' former elite administrative school ENA
   was relocated to Strasbourg, the famous political science school
   Sciences-Po is still located in Paris' Left bank VIIe arrondissement.

Culture

Monuments and landmarks

   The Arc de Triomphe by day
   Enlarge
   The Arc de Triomphe by day

   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 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-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe centred
   in the Place de l'Étoile circus. From the 1960s the line was prolonged
   even further west to the La Défense business district dominated by
   square-shaped triumphal Grande Arche of its own; this district hosts
   most of the tallest skyscrapers in the Paris urban area.
   Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
   Enlarge
   Basilica of the Sacré Cœur

   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.
   The Mona Lisa, one of the Louvre's most famous treasures.
   Enlarge
   The Mona Lisa, one of the Louvre's most famous treasures.

Museums

   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.

Entertainment

   Opera
   Paris' largest Opera houses are the 19th-century Opéra Garnier and
   modern Opera 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 today, although, perhaps strangely, many of its most
   popular actors today are also stars of French television. A few of
   Paris' major theatres are Bobino, Théâtre Mogador and the Théâtre de la
   Gaîté-Montparnasse. Some Parisian theatres also doubled as concert
   halls.

   Many of France's greatest musical legends such as Édith Piaf, Maurice
   Chevalier, Georges Brassens and Charles Aznavour found their fame in
   Paris concert halls: legendary yet still-showing examples of these are
   Bobino, l'Olympia, la Cigale and le Splendid.

   The below-mentioned Élysées-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 the same also specialises in
   'Indy' 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.
   Opéra Garnier
   Enlarge
   Opéra Garnier

   Dancehalls/Discotheques
   Guinguettes and Bals-concerts were the backbone of Parisian
   entertainment before the mid-20th century. Early to mid-19th century
   examples were the Moulin de la Galette guinguette and the
   Élysées-Montmartre and Chateau-Rouge dancehalls-gardens. Popular
   orchestral fare gave way to the Parisian accordionists of lore whose
   music moved the Apollo and le Java faubourg du Temple and Belleville
   dance-hall crowds. Out of the clubs remaining from this era grew the
   modern discothèque: 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, Le Cab which are highly selective.
   Electronic music oriented clubs such as Le Rex, the Batofar (a boat
   converted into a club) or The Pulp are quite popular and the world's
   best DJs play there.

   Cinema
   Parisians tend to share the same movie-going trends as many of the
   world's global cities, that is to say with a dominance of
   Hollywood-generated film entertainment. French cinema comes a close
   second, with major directors (réalisateurs) such as Claude Lelouch,
   Jean-Luc 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:
   on a given week the movie fan has the choice between around 300 old or
   new movies from all over the world.

   Many of Paris' concert/dance halls were transformed into movie theatres
   when the media became popular from the 1930s. Later most of the largest
   cinemas were divided into multiple, smaller rooms: Paris' largest
   cinema today is by far le Grand Rex theatre with 2800 seats, while
   other cinemas all have less than 1000 seats. There is now a trend
   toward modern complexes with more than 10 or 20 screens in the same
   building.

Cafés, restaurants and hotels

   A scene of a Parisian Café, painted by Henri Gervex, 1877
   Enlarge
   A scene of a Parisian Café, painted by Henri Gervex, 1877

   Cafés quickly became an integral part of French culture from their
   appearance, namely from the opening of the left bank Café Procope in
   1689 and the café Régence at the Palais-Royale one year earlier. The
   cafés in the gardens of the latter locale became a quite popular
   through the 18th-century, and can be considered Paris' first "terrace
   cafés"; these would not become widespread until sidewalks and
   boulevards began to appear from the mid-19th century. Cafés 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-19th-century railways and ensuing
   industrial revolution came a flood of migration that brought with it
   all the gastronomical diversity of France's many different regions, and
   maintained through 'local speciality' restaurants catering to the
   tastes of people from all. "Chez Jenny" is a typical example of a
   restaurant specialising in the cuisine of the Alsace region, and "Aux
   Lyonnais" is another with a traditional fare originating from its city
   name's region. Of course migration from even more distant climes meant
   an even greater culinary diversity, and today, in addition to a great
   number of North African and Asian establishments, in Paris one can find
   top-quality cuisine from virtually the world over.

   Hotels were another result of widespread travel and tourism, especially
   Paris' late-19th century Expositions Universelles (World's Fairs). Of
   the most luxurious of these, the Hôtel Ritz appeared in the Place
   Vendôme from 1898, and the Hôtel de Crillon opened its doors to the
   north of the place de la Concorde from 1909.

Tourism

   View over the downtown of Disneyland Resort Paris
   Enlarge
   View over the downtown of Disneyland Resort Paris
   Notre Dame de Paris seen from the East
   Enlarge
   Notre Dame de Paris seen from the East

   Paris had always been a destination for traders, students and those on
   religious pilgrimages, but its 'tourism' in the proper sense of the
   term began on a large scale only with the appearance of rail travel,
   namely from state organisation of France's rail network from 1848. One
   of Paris' first 'mass' attractions drawing international interest were,
   from 1855, the above-mentioned Expositions Universelles that would
   bring Paris many new monuments, namely the Eiffel tower from 1889.
   These, in addition to the Capital's 2nd Empire embellishments, did much
   to make the city itself the attraction it is today.

   Paris' museums and monuments are by far its highest-esteemed
   attractions, and tourist interest has been nothing but a benefit to
   these; tourism has even motivated both city and State to create new
   ones. The city's most prized museum, the Louvre, sees over 6 million
   visitors a year. Paris' cathedrals are another main attraction: its
   Notre-Dame cathedral and Sacré-Coeur basilica receive 12 million and 8
   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 to Europe as well, with 12.4 million visitors in 2004.

   Many of Paris' once-popular local establishments have metamorphised
   into a parody of French culture, in a form catering to the tastes and
   expectations of tourist capital. The Moulin Rouge cabaret-dancehall,
   for example, is a staged dinner theatre spectacle, a dance display that
   was once but 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. Much of Paris' hotel, restaurant
   and night entertainment trades have become heavily dependent on
   tourism, with results not always positive for Parisian culture.

Sport

   Inside the Stade de France during a rugby union match.
   Enlarge
   Inside the Stade de France during a rugby union match.

   Paris's main sport clubs are the football club Paris Saint-Germain, the
   basketball team Paris Basket Racing and the rugby union club Stade
   Français 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 Français rugby
   team. Racing Metro 92 Paris (who now play in Rugby Pro D2) is another
   rugby team, which actually contested the first ever final against Stade
   Français 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-Elysées. 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 Centre 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 will host the 2007 Rugby World
   Cup final at Stade de France on 20 October 2007.

Sister cities

   The following places are sister cities to Paris:

   Twin city:

   Italy Rome, Italy, 1956

   Partner cities

   Algeria Algiers, Algeria, 2003
   Jordan Amman, Jordan, 1987
   Greece Athens, Greece, 2000
   People's Republic of China Beijing, China, 1997
   Lebanon Beirut, Lebanon, 1992
   Germany Berlin, Germany, 1987
   Egypt Cairo, Egypt, 1985
   United States Chicago, Illinois, United States, 1996
   Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland, 2002
   Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia, 1995
   Japan Kyoto, Japan, 1958
   Portugal Lisbon, Portugal, 1998
   England London, England, United Kingdom, 2001
   Spain Madrid, Spain, 2000
   Mexico Mexico City, Mexico, 1999
   Russia Moscow, Russia, 1992
   Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic, 1997
   Canada Québec City, Québec, Canada, 1996
   Saudi Arabia Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1997
   Russia Saint Petersburg, Russia, 1997
   Yemen Sanaa, Yemen, 1987
   Brazil São Paulo, Brazil, 2004
   United States San Francisco, California, United States, 1996
   Chile Santiago, Chile, 1997
   South Korea Seoul, South Korea, 1991
   Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria, 1998
   Australia Sydney, Australia, 1998
   Georgia (country) Tbilisi, Georgia, 1997
   Japan Tokyo, Japan, 1982
   Poland Warsaw, Poland, 1999
   United States Washington, D.C., United States, 2000
   Armenia Yerevan, Armenia, 1998

   Trivia:

   England Whitwell, Rutland, United Kingdom claims to be twinned with
   Paris.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris"
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