Paris (pronounced /ˈpærɪs/ in English; [paʁi] (help·info) in French) 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 Île-de-France region (also known as the "Paris Region"; French: Région parisienne). The city of Paris, within its limits largely unchanged since 1860, has an estimated population of 2,167,994 (January 2006),[2] but the Paris aire urbaine (or metropolitan area) has a population of nearly 13 million,[3] and is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe.[4]

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, entertainment, media, fashion, science and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.[5] According to 2005 estimates, the Paris urban area is Europe's biggest city economy,[6] and is fifth in the world's list of cities by GDP.[7]

Paris and the Paris Region, with €533.6 billion (US$731.3 billion) in 2007, produces more than a quarter of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France.[8] The Paris Region hosts 37 of the Fortune Global 500 companies[9] in several business districts, notably La Défense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe.[10] 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.

Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with 45 million tourists every year in the Paris Region, 60% of whom are foreign visitors.[11] There are numerous iconic landmarks among its many attractions, along with world-famous institutions and popular parks.

The name Paris derives from that of its 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 (360–363) the city was renamed Paris.[12]

Others consider that the name of the Parisii tribe comes from the Celtic Gallic word parisio meaning "the working people" or "the craftsmen."[13] Since the early 20th century, Paris has been known as Paname ([panam]) in French slang (Moi j'suis d'Paname, i.e. "I'm from Paname"), a slang name that has been regaining favor with young people in recent years.

Paris has many nicknames, but its most famous is "La Ville-Lumière" (literally, "The Light City"; although most often translated as "The City of Lights" or as "The City of Light"),[14] a name it owes both to its fame as a centre of education and ideas and its early adoption of street lighting. [15]

Paris' inhabitants are known in English as "Parisians" (/pəˈrɪzɪənz/ or /pəˈriːʒənz/) and in French as Parisiens ( [paʁizjɛ̃] (help·info)). Parisians are often pejoratively called Parigots ( [paʁiɡo] (help·info)) (term first used in 1900[16] by those living outside the Paris region, but now the term may be considered endearing by Parisians themselves.