Paris is the capital city of France. It is situated on the River Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region ("Région parisienne"). Paris has an estimated population of 2,153,600 within its administrative limits. The city's real size is best represented by its Unité urbaine (urban unit), an area of unbroken urban growth that extends well beyond its limits, with a population of 9.93 million. A commuter belt around the same completes the Paris urban area (similar to a metropolitan area) that, with its population of 12 million, is one of the most populated areas of its kind in Europe.
An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.
The Paris region (Île-de-France) is France's foremost centre of economic activity. With €478.7 billion (US$595.3 billion), it produced more than a quarter of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France in 2005. With La Défense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe, it hosts the head offices of almost half of the major French companies, as well as the headquarters of fifteen of the world's 100 largest companies. Paris also hosts many international organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD, the ICC, or the informal Paris Club.
Paris's location at a crossroads between land and river trade routes in lands of abundant agriculture had made it one of the principal cities of France by the 10th century, rich with royal palaces, wealthy abbeys and a cathedral; by the 12th century Paris had become one of Europe's foremost centres of learning and the arts. Today, Paris has a major worldwide influence. The city serves as an important hub of intercontinental transportation and is home to universities, sport events, opera companies and museums of international renown, making it the most popular tourist destination in the world with over 30 million foreign visitors per year.