France, Paris

Paris is the capital of France and the fashion capital of the world. Paris is the city of lights and the home of croissants. There is no end to the breath-taking sites you can see in Paris. From the Louvre to the little coffee shops - it's all wonderful.

Paris, France is one of the most fascinating cities in Europe, and tourists to this wonderful city will find that things to see and do are almost limitless. Known as the 'City of Light', the beauty of Paris is overwhelming and architectural and artistic heritage combine to make any visit an unforgettable experience.

History

The city dramatically wears its history on its sleeve, and today it is still centred on the Ile de la Cité, where over 2,000 years ago Celtic tribes first eked out a living.

Built on the ruins of the Roman city of Lutecia, Paris was officially founded in 360 AD as a fortress on an Island on the Sienne River. Later was connected to the mainland on both sides by wooden bridges. The city began to flourish in the tenth century, when Paris became the capital and the most important city in France.

By the Middle Ages Paris was really beginning to take shape; and with the building of Notre-Dame Cathedr al and the Sorbonne University as the city had already established itself as France's intellectual and spiritual hub. The Hundred Years war put the brakes on Paris ' economic development and after defeat at Agincourt the English took control of the city in 1420.

With the ascension of Louis XIV to the throne in 1643 (at the worldly age of five) time was running out for the monarchy. Louis' lavish spending spree came to an end on July 14th 1643 with the storming of the Bastille prison triggering the French Revolution. Napoleon saw the ensuing mayhem as an opportunity to seize power and as a springboard to Empire building.

In the year 1789, The French Revolution began. Paris was turned into a bloodbath and the king was killed. After the revolution, Napolean Bonaparte led Paris in a surge of cultural expansion.

The capital found it difficult to get over this political and economic defeat, although its population underwent considerable growth, thanks to immigration from the north which allowed it to reach almost three million inhabitants in 1911.

Paris was not destroyed by the war, and numerous restorations of monuments and improvements were the order of the day from the 1960s. Many great artists and writers have come from Paris. Until this day Paris is one of the world centers of art and literature.

Geography & Demographics

Paris is located in the Western Europe, bordered by Belgium, and Germany in the North; Switzerland and Italy to the East, the Mediterranean Sea and Spain in the South; and the Atlantic Ocean on the West, Paris is divided by the Seine River to create the left and right banks of the city. The city enjoys cool winter months with occasional snows and temperatures in the 40s while summers are warm and pleasant with temperatures hovering in the mid-70s.

The City of Paris has a population of approximately 2,5 million. Including the outer limits the city is spread over 1800 square kilometers with a population of 11 million. Today’s inner-city Paris has a population of almost 2.2 million people of all different social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The balance between them, however, varies from one district to another.

Economy

Paris is at the center of the French economy and generates in the region of one-fifth of the national GDP. According to a report produced in 2001 by the wealth-management arm of Barclays Bank, the city's GDP is approximately 135 billion euros ($158.6 billion), making it Europe's 2nd wealthiest city after London.

Paris Region's economy is rich, dynamic, diversified, competitive, creative and innovative. The service sector, especially corporate services, dominates the economy of Paris and the wider Ile de France region, employing approximately four-fifths of the local workforce. The region is also France's premier industrial area and is characterised by large numbers of SMEs.

More than two thirds of the industrial sector is comprised of firms in high technology fields ranging from electronic manufacturing to the automotive and chemical industries.

Culture

Paris Region has preserved its natural, architectural and cultural heritage. The world's no. 1 tourist destination, attracting 42 million tourists in 2006 (including 30 million international), it is a good place in which to live and work. Three quarters of the area is made up of parks, woodland, extensive forests and rural areas. Local authorities are committed to putting protective measures in place to control urban development, reduce air and environmental pollution and protect the landscape heritage.

Paris is home to a remarkable array of cultural institutions. Hundreds of museums, libraries, concert halls, art galleries, theaters, cabarets, cinemas, and cafés offer a wealth of entertainment and educational offerings ranging from opera and ballet to art shows, poetry readings, and musical concerts.

Sports

There is an enormous amount of sports available to visitors in the city of Paris and being only minutes away from open countryside, it has many activities to tempt all lovers of the outdoors.

Gymnasiums are very popular throughout Paris and most offer aerobics classes, dance workouts and a variety of fitness programmes, as well as yoga, martial arts and t'ai chi.

There are many municipal and privately run swimming pools in Paris. Municipal pools are often closed at set times during the week, so that nearby schools can have exclusive use of the facilities and so you should always consult the timetables beforehand.

Transportation

Paris is a relatively easy city to get around. The centre is fairly compact and most of the sights are within walking distance of one another. In the city centre there is an excellent bus network and the local Metro underground railway runs an efficient service throughout the city. Alternatively, if you prefer to be driven around there are plenty of taxis, although these can prove an expensive way to travel.

The city of Paris features two airports, the biggest one being Charles de Galle airport, which is located in Roissy, 23 km from northeast Paris. The second is the Orly airport, located 14 km from south Paris. The two airports have good connections with the center of Paris.

There are 15 metro lines criss-crossing the city and this is a clean, fast, and efficient way of travelling around Paris, but there can be lots of walking and climbing stairs to change lines.

The city has double-deckers that offer tourist information. RATR represents Paris' public transport company that has 13 underground lines covering the entire city and the outskirts. Besides, there are 4 RER lines, urban trains.