Paris is the capital and most populous city of France. Situated on the Seine River, in the north of the country, it is at the heart of the Île-de-France region, also known as the région parisienne.(“Paris Region” in English). Within its administrative limits largely unchanged since 1860 (the 20 arrondissements), the city of Paris has a population of 2,249,975 inhabitants (January 2011), but its metropolitan area is one of the largest population centres in Europe, with 12,292,895 inhabitants at the January 2011 census.
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