Paris (French: [pa?

i] ( listen)) is the capital and the most populous city of Fr

ance. It has an area of 105 square kilometres (41 square miles) and a population
in 2013 of 2,229,621 within the city limits.[4] Paris is both a commune and dep
artment, and forms the centre and headquarters of the le-de-France, or Paris Regi
on, which has an area of 12,012 square kilometres (4,638 square miles) and a pop
ulation in 2014 of 12,005,077, comprising 18.2 percent of the population of Fran
ce.[5]
The agglomeration has grown well beyond Paris' administrative limits. The Paris
unit urbaine is a measure of Paris' continuous urban area for statistical purpose
s, including both the commune and its suburbs, and has a population of 10,601,12
2 (Jan. 2013 census) which makes it the largest in the European Union.[2] The ai
re urbaine de Paris, a measure of Paris' metropolitan area, spans most of the lede-France region and has a population of 12,405,426 (Jan. 2013 census),[6] const
ituting one-fifth of the population of France.[7] The Metropole of Grand Paris w
as created in 2016, combining the city and its nearest suburbs into a single are
a for economic and environmental cooperation. Grand Paris covers 814 square kilo
meters and has a population of 6.945 million persons.[8]
Paris was founded in the 3rd century BC by a Celtic people called the Parisii, w
ho gave the city its name. By the 12th century, Paris was the largest city in th
e western world, a prosperous trading centre, and the home of the University of
Paris, one of the oldest universities in history. By the 17th century it was one
of Europe's major centres of finance, commerce, fashion, science, and the arts,
and it retains that position still today.
The Paris Region had a
or 30.0 percent of the
gions in Europe; it is
the headquarters of 29
bal 500.

GDP of 624 billion (US $687 billion) in 2012, accounting f

GDP of France, and ranking it as one of the wealthiest re
the banking and financial centre of France, and contains
of the 31 French companies ranked in the 2015 Fortune Glo

The city is also a major rail, highway, and air-transport hub, served by the two
international airports Paris-Charles de Gaulle (the second busiest airport in E
urope after London Heathrow Airport with 63.8 million passengers in 2014) and Pa
ris-Orly. Opened in 1900, the city's subway system, the Paris Mtro, serves 5.23 m
illion passengers daily.[9] It is the second busiest metro system in Europe afte
r Moscow Metro. Paris is the hub of the national road network, and is surrounded
by three orbital roads: the Priphrique, the A86 motorway, and the Francilienne mo
torway.
Among Paris' important museums and cultural institutions are the most visited ar
t museum in the world, the Louvre, as well as the Muse d'Orsay, noted for its col
lection of French Impressionist art, and the Muse National d'Art Moderne in the P
ompidou Centre, the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe.
The Central area of Paris along the Seine River is classified as a UNESCO Herit
age Site, and includes many notable monuments, including Notre Dame Cathedral (1
2th century to 13th century [10]); the Sainte-Chapelle (13th century); the Eiffe
l Tower (1889); the Grand Palais and Petit Palais (1900); and the Basilica of Sa
cr-C ur on Montmartre (1914). In 2015 Paris received 22.2 million visitors, making
it one of the world's top tourist destinations.[11] and is also known for its fa
shion, particularly the twice-yearly Paris Fashion Week, and for its haute cuisi
ne, and three-star restaurants. Most of France's major universities and grandes c
oles are located in Paris, as are France's major newspapers, including Le Monde,
Le Figaro, and Libration.
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 commune of Saint-Denis. Pa
ris hosts the annual French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament on the red clay of

Roland Garros. Paris hosted the 1900 and 1924 Summer Olympics and is bidding to
host the 2024 Summer Olympics and thus become the second city to have hosted th
e Games three times. The 1938 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, the 2007 Rugby World Cup
and UEFA Euro 2016 were also held in the city, and every July, the Tour de Fran
ce of cycling finishes in the city.