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Since the Middle Ages, Paris, known as "City of Lights", and home of the Eiffel Tower, has been the cultural, economic, and political center of France, some would say of all Europe.
The city, which is in northern France, was born on the IIe de la Cite, the city's central island, back in the 3rd century BC, when a Celtic people known as the Parisii settled there. The city now stretches north and south along the Siene River, which divides Paris into the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) and the Right Bank (Rive Droite). Most of the city's attractions and monuments are located on the banks of the Seine. Paris is France's largest city, with roughly 15 percent of the country's population living there, and it is also the nation's capital.
The French people are among the best-educated, healthiest, and wealthiest in the world. For all of the history symbolized by their city, Parisians are intensely modern as well. The French are a highly-urbanized people, with roughly 75 percent of all of the people living in cities or towns, and along with the cultural elite, the modern middle class has thoroughly embraced consumer-oriented attitudes, so that homes, appliances, and cars are considered necessary for a high standard of living.
With museums like The Louvre, the cathedral at Notre Dame, and one of the best universities in the world, the Sorbonne, Parisians are very proud of their art, culture, language, cinema, cuisine, and fashion, and the influence of these has been felt the world over. Because of its wealth and leisure class, Paris has been home to philosophers, composers, writers, and other artists and artisans whose work was subsidized by that wealth, making Paris a rival of Rome in cultural achievements.
This enchanting, charming, slightly seedy city is the favorite destination of tourists from all over the world. People go there for the nightclubs, the cafes, to walk along the river, writing in a journal. People go there to see Jim Morrison's grave, to see where their favorite film was made, to sit in the same chair as Jean Paul Sartre. High and middle come together in the wonderful mix that is Paris.
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