Paris (French pronunciation: the capital and most populous city of France, with an

administrative-limits area of 105 square kilometres (41 square miles) and a

2015 population of 2,229,621.[2] The city is a commune and department, and the
capital-heart of the 12,012-square-kilometre (4,638-square-mile) le-de-France
region (colloquially known as the 'Paris Region'), whose 12,142,802 2016
population represents roughly 18 percent of the population of France.[5] By the
17th century, Paris had become one of Europe's major centres of finance,
commerce, fashion, science, and the arts, a position that it retains still today.
The Paris Region had a GDP of 649.6 billion (US $763.4 billion) in 2014,
accounting for 30.4 percent of the GDP of France.[6] According to official
estimates, in 2013-14 the Paris Region had the third-highest GDP in the world
and the largest regional GDP in the EU.
The City of Paris' administrative limits form a horizontal oval centred on its
historical-heart le de la Cit island; this island is near the peak of an arc of
Seine river that divides the city into southern Rive Gauche (Left Bank) and
northern Rive Droite regions. Paris is but the core of a built-up area that
extends well beyond its limits: commonly referred to as the agglomration
Parisienne, and statistically as a unit urbaine (a measure of urban area), the
Paris agglomeration's 10,601,122 2013 population makes it the largest urban
area in the European Union.[3] City-influenced commuter activity reaches well
beyond even this in a statistical aire urbaine de Paris (a measure of
metropolitan area), that had a 2013 population of 12,405,426,[7] a number one-
fifth the population of France,[8] and one that makes it, after London, the second
largest metropolitan area in the European Union. The 2016 Metropole of Grand
Paris initiative, encompassing the City of Paris and its surrounding petite
couronne department communes, or area covering 814 square kilometers and
representing a population of 7 million,[9][10] aims to improve city-suburb
cooperation through a unique governing body.[11]
The city is a major rail, highway, and air-transport hub served by two
international airports: Paris-Charles de Gaulle (the second busiest airport in
Europe after London Heathrow Airport with 63.8 million passengers in 2014)
and Paris-Orly. Opened in 1900, the city's subway system, the Paris Mtro,
serves 5.23 million passengers daily,[12] and is the second busiest metro system
in Europe after Moscow Metro. Paris' Gare du Nord is one of the ten busiest
railway stations in the world, with 262 million passengers in 2015.[13]
Paris is especially known for its museums and architectural landmarks: the
Louvre was the most visited art museum in the world in 2016, with 7.4 million
visitors.[14] The Muse d'Orsay and Muse de l'Orangerie are noted for their
collections of French Impressionist art, and the Pompidou-center Muse
National d'Art Moderne has the largest collection of modern and contemporary
art in Europe. The historical district along Seine River in the city center is
classified as a UNESCO Heritage Site. Popular landmarks in the center of the
city include the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris and The Gothic royal chapel
of Sainte-Chapelle, both on the le de la Cit; the Eiffel Tower, constructed for
the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889; the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, built
for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900; the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs
Elysees, and the Basilica of Sacr-Coeur on the hill of Montmartre. Paris
received 22.2 million visitors in 2015, making it one of the world's top tourist
destinations, but the number of greater Paris visitors dropped by 11.5 percent
following the terrorist attacks the following year.[15]
The association football club Paris Saint-Germain and the rugby union club
Stade Franais are based in Paris. The 80,000-seat Stade de France, built for
the 1998 FIFA World Cup, is located just north of Paris in the neighbouring
commune of Saint-Denis. Paris hosts the annual French Open Grand Slam
tennis tournament on the red clay of Roland Garros. Paris hosted the Olympic
Games in 1900, 1924 and will host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The 1938 and
1998 FIFA World Cups, the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and the 1960, 1984, and
2016 UEFA European Championships were also held in the city, and every
July, the Tour de France bicycle race finishes in the city.