Paris, the capital of France, is the largest city on the European continent and one of the most prosperous cities in the world.

It is located in northern France, on the west bank of the Seine River, 375 kilometers away from the river mouth (English Channel).

The Seine winds its way through the city, forming two islands (Site and Saint-Louis).

The urban population is 2.17 million.

The city itself is located in the center of the Paris Basin, with a mild maritime climate, warm in winter and cool in summer; the average temperature in January is 3°C, the average temperature in July is 18°C, and the annual average temperature is 10°C.

Rainfall is distributed evenly throughout the year, with slightly more rainfall in summer and autumn, with an average annual rainfall of 619 mm.

Historically, before the country "France" existed on the earth, nor before the people we call "Frances" today, there was ancient Paris more than 2,000 years ago.

However, at that time, Paris was just a small fishing village on the Ile de la Cité in the middle of the Seine River. The owners of the island were the "Parisians" of the ancient Gallic tribe.

In the first century BC, the Romans began to settle here and gradually developed it into a city named "Ludez" (French for "marsh").

In the 4th century AD, the city was named "Paris" in memory of the earliest owner of this place.

In 508 AD, the Frankish Kingdom established its capital in Paris.

At the end of the 10th century, King Hugh Capet built a royal palace here.

After another two or three centuries, the owner of Paris was changed to Philip Augustus (1165-1223).

At this time, Paris had developed to both sides of the Seine River, with churches and buildings everywhere, becoming the political and cultural center of the West at that time.

At the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century AD, the then King Henry IV greatly expanded Paris.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Paris was still gradually expanding, and a large amount of arable land was occupied by the city.

In the late period of the First French Empire, Paris had more than 700,000 residents and more than a thousand streets. After the establishment of the Second Empire, Paris annexed some surrounding villages. By the time of Napoleon III, some wide roads had been opened in Paris and some buildings had been built.

Many gardens and parks began to shape Paris into what it is today.

After the war, the French government spared no effort in the construction of Paris.

Although the development of Paris was suspended in 1970 in order to evacuate the French political and economic institutions that were overly concentrated in the capital, since the construction of the Pompidou Center and the new shopping underground mall in 1977, the construction of Paris has taken on new steps.

direction.

In order to make the development of the east and west areas of Paris more balanced, the French government with Mitterrand as president started the construction of ten major projects in 1981, including the Bastille Opera House and the National Library, which were completed before the end of 1996.

All finished.

Paris is France's largest industrial and commercial city.

The northern suburbs are mainly manufacturing areas.

The most developed manufacturing projects include automobiles, electrical appliances, chemicals, medicine, food, etc.

Luxury goods production ranks second and is mainly concentrated in downtown areas; products include precious metal utensils, leather products, porcelain, clothing, etc.

The outer urban area specializes in the production of furniture, shoes, precision tools, optical instruments, etc.

The printing and publishing industry is concentrated in the Latin Quarter and Rue Remy.

The greater Paris (metropolitan) area accounts for three-quarters of France's total film production.

The headquarters of most banks and insurance companies in Paris (including the Bank of France and the Stock Exchange) are located on the west side of the "Market" (the local central market from 1183 to 1969).

Paris is the center of French culture and education and a world-famous cultural city.

France's famous Académie Fran?aise, University of Paris, Comprehensive Engineering School, Ecole Normale Supérieure, école Nationale des Ponts et des Beaux-Arts and the National Scientific Research Center are all located in Paris.

The University of Paris is one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in 1253.

Paris also has many academic research institutions, libraries, museums, theaters, etc.

Paris has 50 theaters, 200 cinemas, and 15 concert halls.

The Paris Opera House is the largest opera house in the world. It is located on Haussmann Street in the city center and covers an area of ??110,000 square meters. The entire building has both Gothic and Romanesque styles.

The French National Conservatory of Music and Dance School are also located here.

"Street art" in Paris is very active. Place Tertre des Arts in the northwest of the city is a world-famous open-air gallery, where many painters paint impromptu paintings for sale every day.

In places such as Place de Chatelet and Place de Saint-Germain in the city center, young students and citizens often bring their own musical instruments to hold concerts and perform various programs.

Paris is a world-famous historical city with numerous places of interest, such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Elysée Palace, Versailles Palace, Louvre Museum, Place de la Concorde, Notre Dame Cathedral, Georges Pompidou National Cultural and Arts Center, etc., which are popular for domestic and foreign tourists.

A place to linger.

Both sides of the beautiful Seine River are dotted with parks and green spaces, and 32 bridges span the river, making the scenery on the river even more charming and colorful.

The island in the center of the river is the cradle and birthplace of Paris.

There is a second-hand book market stretching for several kilometers on the Boulevard Saint-Michel-sur-Seine. Every day, many domestic and foreign scholars and tourists come here to buy their favorite ancient books, forming a major feature of the Latin Quarter, an ancient cultural district on the Seine.

.

Paris is also a "world meeting city".

With its beautiful scenery, rich historical sites, colorful cultural activities and modern service facilities, it has welcomed many international conferences. According to statistics, 365 international conferences were held in Paris *** in 1987, more than

New York, London, Brussels and Geneva, ranking first in the world.