Paris

This article is about the capital city of France. For other uses, see Paris (disambiguation).
"Parisien" redirects here. For other uses, see Parisien (disambiguation).

Paris
Capital city, commune, and department
Eiffel Tower and the Seine from Tour Saint-Jacques
Notre-Dame
Sacré-Cœur
Panthéon
Arc de Triomphe
The Louvre
Paris at night
Flag of Paris
Flag
Coat of arms of Paris
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Fluctuat nec mergitur
"Tossed by the waves but never sunk"
Paris in France
Paris in France
Location of Paris
Map
Paris is located in France
Paris
Paris
Paris is located in Île-de-France (region)
Paris
Paris
Coordinates: 48°51′24″N 2°21′8″E / 48.85667°N 2.35222°E / 48.85667; 2.35222
CountryFrance
RegionÎle-de-France
DepartmentParis
ArrondissementNone
IntercommunalityMétropole du Grand Paris
Subdivisions20 arrondissements
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Anne Hidalgo[1] (PS)
Area
1
105.4 km2 (40.7 sq mi)
 • Urban
 (2020)
2,853.5 km2 (1,101.7 sq mi)
 • Metro
 (2020)
18,940.7 km2 (7,313.0 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
2,102,650
 • Rank9th in Europe
1st in France
 • Density20,000/km2 (52,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
 (2019[3])
10,858,852
 • Urban density3,800/km2 (9,900/sq mi)
 • Metro
 (Jan. 2017[4])
13,024,518
 • Metro density690/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Parisian(s) (en) Parisien(s) (masc.), Parisienne(s) (fem.) (fr), Parigot(s) (masc.), "Parigote(s)" (fem.) (fr, colloquial)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
75056 /75001-75020, 75116
Elevation28–131 m (92–430 ft)
(avg. 78 m or 256 ft)
Websiteparis.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Paris (French pronunciation: [paʁi] ⓘ) is the capital and largest city of France. With an official estimated population of 2,102,650 residents in January 2023[2] in an area of more than 105 km2 (41 sq mi),[5] Paris is the fourth-largest city in the European Union and the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2022.[6] Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of the world's major centres of finance, diplomacy, commerce, culture, fashion, and gastronomy. For its leading role in the arts and sciences, as well as its early and extensive system of street lighting, in the 19th century, it became known as the City of Light.[7]

The City of Paris is the centre of the Île-de-France region, or Paris Region, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 inhabitants in January 2023, or about 19% of the population of France.[2] The Paris Region had a nominal GDP of €765 billion (US$1.064 trillion when adjusted for PPP)[8] in 2021, the highest in the European Union.[9] According to the Economist Intelligence Unit Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, in 2022, Paris was the city with the ninth-highest cost of living in the world.[10]

Paris is a major railway, highway, and air-transport hub served by two international airports: Charles de Gaulle Airport, the third-busiest airport in Europe, and Orly Airport.[11][12] Opened in 1900, the city's subway system, the Paris Métro, serves 5.23 million passengers daily.[13] It is the second-busiest metro system in Europe after the Moscow Metro. Gare du Nord is the 24th-busiest railway station in the world and the busiest outside Japan, with 262 million passengers in 2015.[14] Paris has one of the most sustainable transportation systems[15] and is one of only two cities in the world that received the Sustainable Transport Award twice.[16]

Paris is known for its museums and architectural landmarks: the Louvre received 8.9 million visitors in 2023, on track for keeping its position as the most-visited art museum in the world.[17] The Musée d'Orsay, Musée Marmottan Monet and Musée de l'Orangerie are noted for their collections of French Impressionist art. The Pompidou Centre, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Musée Rodin and Musée Picasso are noted for their collections of modern and contemporary art. The historical district along the Seine in the city centre has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.[18]

Paris is home to several United Nations organizations including UNESCO, as well as other international organizations such as the OECD, the OECD Development Centre, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, the International Energy Agency, the International Federation for Human Rights, along with European bodies such as the European Space Agency, the European Banking Authority and the European Securities and Markets Authority. The football club Paris Saint-Germain and the rugby union club Stade Français are based in Paris. The 81,000-seat Stade de France, built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, is located just north of Paris in the neighbouring commune of Saint-Denis. Paris hosts the annual French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament on the red clay of Roland Garros. Paris hosted the 1900, the 1924, and the 2024 Summer Olympics. The 1938 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, the 2007 Rugby World Cup, as well as the 1960, 1984 and 2016 UEFA European Championships were held in Paris. Every July, the Tour de France bicycle race finishes on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris.

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 16 December 2022. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference pop2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Comparateur de territoire: Unité urbaine 2020 de Paris (00851)" (in French). INSEE. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Comparateur de territoire: Aire d'attraction des villes 2020 de Paris (001)". INSEE. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Populations légales 2019: Commune de Paris (75056)". INSEE. 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  6. ^ "The World's Most Densely Populated Cities". WorldAtlas. 4 October 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Paris | Definition, Map, Population, Facts, & History | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  8. ^ Source: PPPs and exchange rates. "Conversion rates – Purchasing power parities (PPP) – OECD Data". Data.oecd.org. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices by metropolitan regions". ec.europa.eu. 10 March 2023. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  10. ^ "The world's most, and least, expensive cities". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  11. ^ "List: The world's 20 busiest airports (2017)". USA Today. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  12. ^ "ACI reveals the world's busiest passenger and cargo airports". Airport World. 9 April 2018. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Métro2030". RATP (Paris metro operator). Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  14. ^ "The 51 busiest train stations in the world – all but 6 located in Japan". Japan Today. 6 February 2013. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference ICLEI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Award was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "The Art Newspaper", 27 March 2023
  18. ^ "Paris, Banks of the Seine". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2021.