Paris is the most popular tourist destination in the world, with over 30 million foreign visitors per year. It is situated in Northern France on the Seine River. Paris has an estimated population of 2 million in the city, 12 million in its metropolitan area, and has been an important settlement for more than two millennia. The “city of light” credits its name to the city’s early introduction of streetlights along with its fame as a center of education.

Paris boasts of many iconic landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre Museum, Notre Dame cathedral and much more. Paris began life as a Celtic fishing village inhabited by the appropriately named Parisii tribe. The city’s roots reach to the 3rd century B.C., and influences as diverse as Celtic, Roman, Scandinavian, and English are woven into the city’s rich heritage.

Paris is the capital of France, and therefore the seat of France’s national government. During the 1790 French Revolution, Paris was a city only half its modern size. In 1860 it annexed bordering municipalities to create 20 arrondissements, subdivisions of administrative districts.