Paris (English /ˈpærɪs/, 
i/ˈpɛrɪs/; French: [paʁi] (
listen)) is the capital and most populous city of France. It is situated on the River Seine, in the north of the country, at the heart of the Île-de-France region. Within its administrative limits (the 20 arrondissements), the city had 2,234,105 inhabitants in 2009 while its metropolitan area is one of the largest population centres in Europe with more than 12 million inhabitants.
i/ˈpɛrɪs/; French: [paʁi] ( listen)) is the capital and most populous city of France. It is situated on the River Seine, in the north of the country, at the heart of the Île-de-France region. Within its administrative limits (the 20 arrondissements), the city had 2,234,105 inhabitants in 2009 while its metropolitan area is one of the largest population centres in Europe with more than 12 million inhabitants.
An important settlement for more than two millennia, by the late 12th
century Paris had become a walled cathedral city that was one of
Europe's foremost centres of learning and the arts and the largest city
in the Western world until the turn of the 18th century. Paris was the
focal point for many important political events throughout its history,
including the French Revolution.
Today it is one of the world's leading business and