PARIS

Paris is the capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the River Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Ile-de-France region (also known as the "Paris Region"). The city of Paris within its administrative limits (largely unchanged since 1860) has an estimated population of 2,167,994 (January 2006). The Paris urban area extends well beyond the administrative city limits and has an estimated population of 9.93 million (in 2005). The Paris aire urbaine has a population of nearly 12 million, and is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe.

An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainement, media,fashion,science and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.

The Paris Region, with 500.8 billion (US$628.9 billion), produced more than a quarter of thegross domestic product (GDP) of France in 2006. The Paris Region hosts 37 of the Fortune Global 500 companies in several business districts, notablyLa Defense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe. Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with over 30 million foreign visitors per year.There are numerous iconic landmarks among its many attractions, along with world-famous institutions and popular parks.

The name Paris pronounced derives from that of its pre-Roman-era inhabitants, the Gaulish tribe known as the Parisii. The city was called Lutetia (/lutetja/) (more fully, Lutetia Parisiorum, "Lutetia of the Parisii"), during the first- to sixth-century Roman occupation, but during the reign of Julian the Apostate (361–363) the city was renamed as Paris.