Paris is the caipital ceety an lairgest ceety o Fraunce. It is situatit on the river Seine, in northren Fraunce, at the hert o the Île-de-France region (or Paris Region, French: Région parisienne). The ceety o Paris, athin its admeenistrative limits (the 20 arrondissements) lairgely unchyngit syne 1860, haes an estimatit population o 2,211,297 (Januar 2008), but the Paris metropolitan aurie haes a population o 12,089,098 (Januar 2008), an is ane o the maist populatit metropolitan auries in Europe. Paris wis the lairgest ceety in the Wastren warld for aboot 1,000 years, prior tae the 19t century, an the lairgest in the entire warld atween the 16t an 19t centuries.
Kent warldwide as the Ceity o Licht (la Ville Lumière), Paris haes been a major tourist destination for centuries. The ceity is weel-kent fae the beauty o its airchitectur, its urban perspectives an avenues, an the walth o its museums an aw. Biggit on an airc o the Watter Seine, it is dividit intil twa pairts: the Richt Baunk tae the north and the smawer Left Baunk tae the sooth.
Formerly the caipital o a colonial empire raxin ower five continents, Paris is yit regairdit as the hert o the French-speakin warld an haes hauden a strang international poseetion, hostin the heidquarters o the OECD an the UNESCO amang ithers. This, combined wi its financial, business, poleetical, and tourism acteevities, haes turned Paris intil ane o the major transportation hubs in the warld. New York, Lunnon, Tokyo, an Paris is aften listit as the fower major global ceeties.
