Paris (pronounced /ˈpærɨs/ in British English; [paʁi] (help·info) in French) is the capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region (also known as the "Paris Region"; French: Région parisienne). The city of Paris within its administrative limits (largely unchanged since 1860) has an estimated population of 2,167,994 (January 2006).[2] The Paris unité urbaine (or urban area) extends well beyond the administrative city limits and has an estimated population of 9.93 million (in 2005).[3] The Paris aire urbaine (or metropolitan area) has a population of nearly 12 million,[4] and is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe.[5]...