2. PARIS
PARIS IS THE CAPITAL OF FRANCE AND ALSO
KNOWN AS WORLD’S MOST VISITED TOWN
IN THE WORLD. THE TOURIST THAT VISIT
FRANCE ARE IN MILLIONS AND THE
POPULATION IN FRANCE IS 63 MILLION.
THIS MEANS THAT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
WHO VISITS FRANCE IS MORE THAN THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO LIVES IN FRANCE
3. HISTORY OF PARIS
• The oldest traces of human occupation in Paris, discovered in 2008 near the Rue Henri-Farman in the 15th arrondissement, are human bones and evidence of an encampment of hunter-
gatherers dating from about 8000 BC, during the Mesolithic period.[1] Between 250 and 225 BC, the Parisii, a sub-tribe of the Celtic Senones, settled at Nanterre on the banks of
the Seine, built bridges and a fort, minted coins, and began to trade with other river settlements in Europe.[2]
• In 52 BC, a Roman army led by Titus Labienus defeated the Parisii and established a Gallo-Roman garrison town called Lutetia.[3] The town was Christianised in the 3rd century AD, and
after the collapse of the Roman Empire, it was occupied by Clovis I, the King of the Franks, who made it his capital in 508.
• During the Middle Ages, Paris was the largest city in Europe, an important religious and commercial centre, and the birthplace of the Gothic style of architecture. The University of
Paris on the Left Bank, organised in the mid-13th century, was one of the first in Europe. It suffered from the Bubonic Plague in the 14th century and the Hundred Years' War in the 15th
century, with recurrence of the plague. Between 1418 and 1436, the city was occupied by the Burgundians and English soldiers. In the 16th century, Paris became the book-publishing
capital of Europe, though it was shaken by the French Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants. In the 18th century, Paris was the centre of the intellectual ferment known as
the Enlightenment, and the main stage of the French Revolution from 1789, which is remembered every year on the 14th of July with a military parade.
• In the 19th century, Napoleon embellished the city with monuments to military glory. It became the European capital of fashion and the scene of two more revolutions (in 1830 and 1848).
Under Napoleon III and his Prefect of the Seine, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, the centre of Paris was rebuilt between 1852 and 1870 with wide new avenues, squares and new parks,
and the city was expanded to its present limits in 1860. In the latter part of the century, millions of tourists came to see the Paris International Expositions and the new Eiffel Tower.
• In the 20th century, Paris suffered bombardment in World War I and German occupation from 1940 until 1944 in World War II. Between the two wars, Paris was the capital of modern art
and a magnet for intellectuals, writers and artists from around the world. The population reached its historic high of 2.1 million in 1921, but declined for the rest of the century. New
museums (The Centre Pompidou, Musée Marmottan Monet and Musée d'Orsay) were opened, and the Louvre given its glass pyramid.
• In the 21st century, Paris added new museums and a new concert hall, but in 2005 it also experienced violent unrest in the housing projects in the surrounding banlieues (suburbs),
inhabited largely by first and second generation immigrants from France's former colonies in the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2015, the city and the nation were shocked by two
deadly terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic extremists. The population of the city declined steadily from 1921 until 2004, due to a decrease in family size and an exodus of the middle
class to the suburbs; but it is increasing slowly once again, as young people and immigrants move into the city.
4. CLIMATE OF PARIS
• Paris lies in the mideast of the Ile de France region,
which has France's lowest rainfall, however the city is
known for its unexpected rain showers which can occur at
any time of year. Summer temperatures are mild to
warm, with occasional heat waves, while winters are very
chilly with temperatures hovering around freezing point.
•
5. PLACES TO VISIT IN
PARIS
Disneyland
Eiffel tower
Notre dame cathedral
Louvre museum
Cruise on the Sein
Monmantre
Place of versaille
The Latin Quarter - Luxembourg park
6. CUISINES IN PARIS
• steak frites
• Macarons
• A baguette
• Jacques Genin chocolates
• Croque-monsieur
• Croissants
• Paris-Brest
• Street-stand crêpes
7. SOME FESTIVALS
OF PARIS
• Banlieues Bleues=The French love their jazz and this annual
five-week festival of French and international jazz, blues, R&B,
soul, funk, flamenco and world music leaves you in no doubt of
that. This Paris festival takes place from March to April at
various venues in Seine-St-Denis (so yes, technically just outside
Paris). The festival has been going for nearly 30 years and has
always maintained the high standards of programming.
• Paris, Quartier d’Été=Locations vary every year for this city-
wide festival but the essential remains the same: dance, music
from around the world, and a giant parade. This is one of Paris’s
largest festivals and strikes a good balance between the world-
class (i.e., international ballet companies and top-10 rock bands)
and local artists, musicians, and performers. Best bit? Most of it
is free!
8. WHY PARIS IS KNOWN
AS THE CITY OF IGHT
Paris was nicknamed the
“City of Light”
(not City of Lights) originally
because it was a vast center of
education and ideas during the
Age of Enlightenment. In
1828, Paris began lighting the
Champs-Elysées with
gas lamps. It was the
first city in Europe to do so, and
so earned the nickname “ La
Ville – Lumière ” or
The City of Light.
9. ORIGIN OF PARIS
The history of Paris dates
back to approximately 259
BC, with the Parisii, a
Celtic tribe settled on the
banks of the Seine. In 52
BC, the fishermen village
was conquered by the
Romans, founding a Gallo-
Roman town called
Lutetia. The city changed
its name to Paris during
the fourth century.
