Paris

Paris is the capital of France and is as well the country's largest city. Other French large cities are Lyon, Lille, Marseille and Toulouse.

France is the most popular tourist destination in the world; as far as countries are concerned; and Paris is one of the most visited city in the world.
The city holds numerous iconic landmarks among its many attractions, along with world famous institutions and popular parks.
Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.

Geography

Situated on the River Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region.
The city of Paris within its administrative limits (largely unchanged since 1860) has an estimated population of 2,167,994 (2006).
The Paris unité urbaine (or urban area) extends well beyond the administrative city limits and has an estimated population of 9.93 million (2005).
The Paris aire urbaine (or metropolitan area) has a population of nearly 12 million, and is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe.

Monuments

Most of Paris charisma is in its monuments and architecture, such as its Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and neo-classic Haussmannian boulevards and buildings, but Paris also is a source of more modern attractions such as its suburban Disneyland Paris. Paris' many museums, operas and concert halls are also rich sources of Parisian culture and entertainment.

Tourism

Paris has always been a destination for traders, students and those on religious pilgrimages, but its 'tourist industry' began on a large scale only with the appearance of rail travel, namely from state organisation of France's rail network from 1848. Among Paris's 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 Second Empire embellishments, did much to make the city itself the attraction it is today.

Paris's museums and monuments are among its highest-esteemed attractions; tourism has motivated both the city and national governments to create new ones. The city's most prized museum, the Louvre, welcomes over 8 million visitors a year, being by far the world's most visited art museum. The city's cathedrals are another main attraction: its Notre Dame de Paris and the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur receive 12 million and eight million visitors respectively. The Eiffel Tower, by far Paris's most famous monument, averages over six million visitors per year and more than 200 millions since its construction. Disneyland Resort Paris is a major tourist attraction not only for visitors to Paris, but to Europe as well, with 14.5 million visitors in 2007.

Economy

With GDP of €478.7 billion in 2005 (US$ 595.3 billion), Paris metropolitan area has the highest GDPs in Europe, making it an engine of the global economy.
If it was a country, it would rank as the fourteenth largest economy in the world.
Paris metropolitan area is France's premier centre of economic activity: while its population accounted for 18.7% of the total population of metropolitan France in 2005, its GDP was about 28.5% of the same.
Activity in the Paris urban area, though diverse, doesn't have a leading specialized industry (such as Los Angeles with entertainment industries or London and New York with financial industries in addition to their other activities). Recently the Paris economy has been shifting towards high value-added service industries (finance, IT services, ...) and high-tech manufacturing (electronics, optics, aerospace, ...).