Paris (
UK: ;
US: ;
French: ) is the
capital and
most populous city of
France. Situated on the
Seine River, in the north of the country, it is in the centre of the
Île-de-France region, also known as the
région parisienne, "Paris Region". The City of Paris has an area of 105 km² (41 mi²) and a population of 2,241,346 (2014 estimate) within its
administrative borders essentially unchanged since 1860. Since the 19th century, the built-up area of Paris has grown far beyond its administrative borders; together with its
suburbs, the whole agglomeration has a population of 10,550,350 (Jan. 2012 census).
Paris' metropolitan area spans most of the
Paris region and has a population of 12,341,418 (Jan. 2012 census), or one-fifth of the population of France. The administrative region covers 12,012 km² (4,638 mi²), with approximately 12 million inhabitants as of 2014, and has its own regional council and president.