Paris is the capital city of France. It is situated on the River Seine, in northern France. The City of Paris has an estimated population of 2,153,600 within its administrative limits. Paris is an area of unbroken urban growth that extends well beyond the administrative city limits and has a population of 9.93 million. A commuter belt around the urban area completes the Paris metropolitan area that, with its population of 12 million, is one of the most heavily populated areas in Europe.

An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centre, 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. The Paris Region is France's foremost centre of economic activity. With 500.8 billion EU (US$628.9 billion), it produced more than a quarter of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France in 2006. The Paris Region hosts 36 of the Fortune Global 500 companies in several business districts, notably La Defense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe. Paris also hosts many international organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD, the ICC and the informal Paris Club.

Paris is the most popular tourist destination in the world, with over 30 million foreign
visitors per year. There are numerous iconic landmarks among its many attractions,
along with world famous institutions and popular parks

"Modern" Paris is the result of a vast mid-19th century urban remodelling. For centuries it had been a labyrinth of narrow streets and half-timber houses, but beginning in 1852, the Baron Haussmann's vast urbanisation levelled entire quarters to make way for wide avenues lined with neo-classical stone buildings of bourgeoise standing; most of this 'new' Paris is the Paris we see today. These Second Empire plans are in many cases still in effect, as the city of Paris imposes the then-defined "alignement" law (imposed position defining a predetermined street width) on many new constructions. A building's height was also defined according to the width of the street it lines, and Paris' building code has seen few changes since the mid-19th century to allow for higher constructions. It is for this reason that Paris is mainly a "flat" city.

Paris' unchanging borders, strict building codes and lack of developable land have together contributed in creating a phenomenon called museification (or "museumification") as, at the same time as they strive to preserve Paris' historical past, existing laws make it difficult to create within city limits the larger buildings and utilities needed for a growing population. Many of Paris' institutions and economic infrastructure are already located in, or are planning on moving to, the suburbs. The financial business district, the main food wholesale market (Rungis), major renowned schools (Ecole Polytechnique, HEC, ESSEC, INSEAD, etc.), world famous research laboratories , the largest sport stadium (Stade de France), and some ministries (namely the Ministry of Transportation) are located outside of the city of Paris. The National Archives of France are due to relocate to the northern suburbs before 2010. The need for a larger Paris is largely acknowledge by the French government. As of November 2007, discussions for such a larger Paris have begun, though which suburbs should be included in this larger Paris is unresolved. In any case, such an extension will not occur before the French city-hall elections, scheduled in the spring of 2008.

With a 2005 GDP of EU478.7 billion (US$595.3 billion), the Paris Region has one of the highest

The Paris Region's most intense economic activity through the central Hauts-de-Seine departement and suburban La Defense business district places Paris' economic centre to the west of the city, in a triangle between the Opera Garnier, La Defense and the Val de Seine. Paris' administrative borders have little consequences on the limits of its economic activity: although most workers commute from the suburbs to work in the city, many commute from the city to work in the suburbs. At the 1999 census, 47.5% of the 5,089,170 people in employment in the Paris urban area worked in the city of Paris and the Hauts-de-Seine departement, while only 31.5% worked exclusively in Paris.

Although the Paris economy is largely dominated by services, it remains an important manufacturing powerhouse of Europe, especially in industrial sectors such as automobiles, aeronautics, and electronics. Over recent decades, the local economy has moved towards high value-added activities, in particular business services.

The 1999 census indicated that of the 5,089,170 persons employed in the Paris urban area, 16.5% worked in business services, 13.0% in commerce (retail and wholesale trade), 12.3% in manufacturing, 10.0% in public administrations and defense, 8.7% in health services, 8.2% in transportation and communications, 6.6% in education, and the remaining 24.7% in many other economic sectors. Among the manufacturing sector, the largest employers were the electronic and electrical industry (17.9% of the total manufacturing workforce in 1999) and the publishing and printing industry (14.0% of the total manufacturing workforce), with the remaining 68.1% of the manufacturing workforce distributed among many other industries. Tourism and tourist related services employ 6.2% of Paris' workforce, and 3.6% of all workers within the Paris Region.