Geography

Main article: Topography of Paris

Parisian hills and hydrology

Paris is located in northern central France. By road it is 450 kilometres (280 mi) south-east of
London, 287 kilometres (178 mi) south of Calais, 305 kilometres (190 mi) south-west of
Brussels, 774 kilometres (481 mi) north of Marseille, 385 kilometres (239 mi) north-east of
Nantes, and 135 kilometres (84 mi) south-east of Rouen.[75] Paris is located in the north-bending
arc of the river Seine and includes two islands, the le Saint-Louis and the larger le de la Cit,
which form the oldest part of the city. The river's mouth on the English Channel (La Manche) is
about 233 mi (375 km) downstream of the city, established around 7600 BC. The city is spread
widely on both banks of the river.[76] Overall, the city is relatively flat, and the lowest point is
35 m (115 ft) above sea level. Paris has several prominent hills, the highest of which is
Montmartre at 130 m (427 ft).[77] Montmartre gained its name from the martyrdom of Saint
Denis, first bishop of Paris, atop the Mons Martyrum, "Martyr's mound", in 250.
Excluding the outlying parks of Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes, Paris covers an oval
measuring about 87 km2 (34 sq mi) in area, enclosed by the 35 km (22 mi) ring road, the
Boulevard Priphrique.[78] The city's last major annexation of outlying territories in 1860 not
only gave it its modern form but also created the 20 clockwise-spiralling arrondissements
(municipal boroughs). From the 1860 area of 78 km2 (30 sq mi), the city limits were expanded
marginally to 86.9 km2 (33.6 sq mi) in the 1920s. In 1929, the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de
Vincennes forest parks were officially annexed to the city, bringing its area to about 105 km2
(41 sq mi).[79] The metropolitan area of the city is 2,300 km2 (890 sq mi).[76]