Here are some facts about Paris.
- Paris is the capital of France and has a population of over 12 million. It is located in the north of the country, on the River Seine.
- The city is divided in two by the River Seine. In addition, Paris is also divided into 20 arrondissements, or neighbourhoods, numbered from 1 to 20.
- Paris is home to the Louvre, which attracts over 8 million visitors every year. The huge museum covers 60,000 square metres and displays almost 40,000 works of art.
- The city’s famous Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World Fair, was not intended to be a permanent structure. The 342 metre tall building was the world’s tallest until the 1930s.
- There are more dogs in Paris than children, about 300,00 of them.
- About 45 million people visit Paris every year, making it one of the most visited places anywhere.Artists and writers have been attracted to the city for years, giving Paris the nickname City of Light. Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Hemingway and Gertrude Stein all lived and worked here.
- Paris has been settled since Roman times, and the city’s name comes from a local tribe called the Parisii.
- About 6 million people are buried in catacombs under the city’s streets.
- Paris has about 400 parks and squares, and over half a million trees.
- Every year, over 200 films are shot on location in the city, making Paris one of the most filmed cities in the world.
- The famous Paris Metro was built in 1900 and carries over 6 million people every day. The network is so efficient that no station is more than 500 metres from any other station.
- Paris has one of the world’s largest networks of sewers covering 2,100 km and dating from the 13th century. The sewer museum is one of the most popular and unusual attractions in the city.
