PARIS

                                                                          PARIS

      Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France.The city of Paris, within its administrative limits largely unchanged since 1860, has an estimated population of 2,193,031  but the Paris metropolitan area has a population of 11,836,970  and is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe.

      In 2009 and 2010 Paris was ranked among the three most important and influential cities in the world, among the first three "European cities of the future" ,according to research published by the Financial Times and among the top ten cities in the world in which to live according to the British review Monocle . An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.Paris also ranks among the 10 greenest European cities in 2010^.

      Paris and the Paris Region, with €552.1  in 2009, produces more than a quarter of the gross domestic product of France.According to 2007 estimates, the Paris agglomeration is Europe's biggest city economy and the fifth largest in the world. The Paris Region hosts 37 of the Fortune Global 500 companies in several business districts, notably La Défense, the largest dedicated business district in Europe.Paris also hosts many international organizations such as UNESCO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the informal Paris Club. According to the latest survey from Economist Intelligence Unit in 2010, Paris is the world's most expensive city in which to live.

      Paris and its region are the most popular tourist destination in the world, with 45 million tourists annually, 27 million of whom are foreign visitors. The city and region contain numerous iconic landmarks particularly the Eiffel Tower ,as well as world-famous institutions and popular parks.

      The earliest archaeological signs of permanent settlements in the Paris area date from around 4200 BC.The Parisii, a sub-tribe of the Celtic Senones, inhabited the area near the riverSeine from around 250 BC. The Romans conquered the Paris basin in 52 BC with a permanent settlement by the end of the same century on the Left Bank Sainte Geneviève Hill and the Île de la Cité. The Gallo-Roman town was originally called Lutetia, but later Gallicised to Lutèce. It expanded greatly over the following centuries, becoming a prosperous city with a forum, palaces, baths, temples, theatres, and an amphitheatre.