| Paris
is the capital and largest city of France. The city is built on an arc of the
River Seine, and is thus divided into two parts: the Right Bank to the north and
the smaller Left Bank to the south. The river is well known
for its tree-lined quais (walks along the river banks), open-air bookstalls and
historic bridges that connect the Right and Left banks. Paris is also famous for
its tree-lined boulevards such as the Champs-Élysées, and for its
many architectural gems. The city has about 2 million residents
(1999 census: 2,147,857). The Greater Paris metropolitan area (in French: aire
urbaine de Paris) has about 11 million residents (1999 census: 11,174,743). |