9781422283646

FAST FACTS PARIS STATUS Capital of France and of the Ile de France region AREA 40 square miles (105 sq km) POPULATION 2.25 million (2012) GOVERNING BODY 20 district mayors and councils; city mayor and council CLIMATE Temperatures average 38°F (3°C) in January and 66°F (19°C) in July TIME ZONE Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) plus two hours from end March to the end of October; GMT plus one hour from November to end of March CURRENCY 100 cents = 1 Euro (The Euro fully replaced the French franc in 2002) OFFICIAL LANGUAGE French

The best-known avenue in Paris, the Champs-Elysées, leads up to the equally famous Arc de Triomphe. ⌂

Business matters Most French businesses and banks have their headquarters in Paris. About a quarter of French industry is based there, too, but the government wants factories to move out to new areas. Beyond the central area, the Ile de France is an agricultural region, producing food for the capital’s homes and restaurants. Government in Paris The City of Paris has a mayor and a council. They meet in the grand town hall (Hôtel de Ville). Paris is also divided into 20 districts called arrondissements , and each one has its own mayor and council. Paris is the home of France’s national government. It has two parts—the National

The ornate, 19th- century town hall looks out on to a large square. In the past, murderers and other major criminals were executed in this square.

⌂

Assembly, which meets in the Bourbon Palace, and the Senate, which meets in the Luxembourg Palace. The French president lives in the grand Elysée Palace.

5

PARIS