PARIS IS THE CAPITAL AND THE LARGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT CITY OF FRANCE. IT IS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CAPITALS IN THE WORLD. IT IS THE CENTRE OF TODAY’S FRANCE, SETTLED FOR MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS. LYING ON BOTH THE BANKS OF RIVER SEINE, ON A WIDE FERTILE PLAIN, IT IS MADE OF 20 ARRONDISSEMENTS (MUNICIPAL DISTRICTS) HAVING A POPULATION OF JUST OVER 2 MILLION. OUTSIDE ARE THE SUBURBS IN WHICH THREE OUT OF FOUR PARISIANS LIVE. THE TOTAL URBAN AREA HAS A POPULATION OF 9 MILLION AND INCREASING RAPIDLY. MOST PARISIANS LIVE IN BLOCKS OF FLATS. MANY OF THE OLDER BLOCKS ARE OF FIVE OR SIX STOREYS AND HAVE TWO OR MORE FLATS ON EACH FLOOR THAT ARE REACHED BY A STAIRCASE FROM A COURT BEHIND A SINGLE FRONT GATE, WHICH IS LOOKED AFTER BY A CONCIERGE, OR CARETAKER. MANY PEOPLE LIKE TO SIT OUTSIDE A CAFÉ WITH A DRINK WHILE THEY READ, CHAT OR WATCH THE PASSERS-BY. THEY GO TO WORK BY CAR, ON GREEN SINGLE-DECKER BUSSES OR BY THE METRO, WHICH IS THE NAME FOR THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAY. TRAFFIC ON THE ROADS IS VERY HEAVY. SINCE TH 17TH CENTURY THE MAIN ROADS OF FRANCE HAVE BEEN PLANNED TO FAN OUT FROM PARIS, AS DO THE FRENCH RAILWAYS. IN ADDITION, THE CITY IS A PORT, AND THE SEINE IS LINKED THROUGH CANALS AND OTHER RIVERS WITH THE ENGLISH CHANNEL, THE MEDITERRANEAN, GERMANY, AND BELGIUM AND WITH OTHER PARTS OF FRANCE.
THE CITY HAS TWO BUSY AIRPORTS, ORLY AND CHARLES DE GAULLE. THESE EXCELLENT COMMUNICATIONS HAVE MADE PARIS A VERY IMPORTANT INDUSTRIAL CENTRE. MOST OF THE FACTORIES ARE IN A RING AMONG THE OUTER SUBURBS. AMONG THEIR PRODUCTS ARE MOTOR CARS, ELECTRICAL AND ENGINEERING GOODS, CHEMICALS AND MEDICINES. PARIS IS THE CENTRE OF THE FRENCH FILM INDUSTRY. IN THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS THERE ARE TANNERIES, CEMENT WORKS, BREWERIES, AND TOBACCO FACTORIES. WITHIN THE CITY ITSELF ARE MANUFACTURED MANY LUXURY GOODS, THE CHIEF BEING WOMEN’S CLOTHES, JEWELLERY, PERFUMES, CHINA, AND FURNITURE. NO WONDER, PARIS IS THE FASHION CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. MODERN SKYCRAPERS, SUCH AS THE GROUP KNOWN AS LA DEFENSE AND THE 200-METRE (650-FOOT) TOWER OF MAINE-MONTPARNASSE. AS WELL AS THE POMPIDOU CENTRE FOR THE ARTS (BEAUBOURG) WITH ITS MULTICOLOURED SERVICE DUCTS OUTSIDE THE BUILDING, SEVERAL OTHER MASSIVE BUILDING PROJECTS WERE COMMISSIONED IN THE 1980S, INCLUDING A NEW MUSEUM INSIDE THE OLD GARE D’ORSAY (TRAIN STATION) AND A NEW POPULAR OPERA HOUSE BESIDE THE BASTILLE.