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| Aboutfrance.bravepages.com PARIS PAGE This site became About-France.com several years ago. Please visit the new site, with 200 pages of information about travel and tourism in France. Click here for travel and tourism in Paris But just in case you don't want to go any further, here is some basic information about Paris. Paris is a city of almost ten million inhabitants: that is the population of the Paris urban area, not of the actual city of Paris itself, which has 2.1 million inhabitants. It is one of the largest connurbations in Europe. The city of Paris occupies the whole of the French department of the Seine (no. 75). It is divided, administratively, into 20 districts, known as "Arondissements". The city is governed by an elected council, run by the Mayor of Paris. Each district also has a council and a mayor. Paris is the capital of France, and virtually all of the central services of the French state are located in Paris. The French government and French Parliament are also based in Paris. Paris has been the most important city in France for most of the time since the Roman period. It's main church, Notre Dame de Paris, is the most important church in France, and the see of France's leading archbishop. France's most famous university, the Sorbonne, is located in Paris. Today, the name Sorbonne is attached to three Paris universities, which have grown out of the historic seat of learning. Paris has long been a city of learning and culture, and today it houses some of the world's finest museums and art galleries, notably the Louvre. Paris stands on the river Seine, the second longest river in France. The Seine is navigable both upstream and downstream from Paris. Paris is at the heart of France's transport infrastructure, for railways, highways and air travel. It has two major airports, Charles de Gaulle to the north, and Orly to the south. |