What is the capital city of France?

Paris is the capital city of France. Located on the River Seine in the Île-de-France region, it is also the country's largest city and the seat of its national government.

Paris grew around the Île de la Cité, an island in the Seine that was home to the Parisii, a Celtic people. The Romans developed the settlement as Lutetia, and the city became a royal center under the Frankish king Clovis, who made Paris his capital around 508. Its political importance expanded under the Capetian dynasty.

The city is sometimes confused with France's largest urban region or with nearby Versailles. Louis XIV moved the royal court to Versailles in 1682, but Paris remained the country's principal city and later resumed its central governmental role. Today, the president's official residence, the Élysée Palace, and both chambers of Parliament are in Paris.

Paris is divided administratively into 20 arrondissements. It is famous for landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Louvre, and the Arc de Triomphe, but its capital-city role is rooted in centuries of political and economic history.