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Paris is the capital city of France, as well as the capital of the Île-de-France région, whose territory encompasses Paris and its suburbs. The city of Paris proper is also a département, called Paris département (French: département de Paris).

Paris, together with its suburbs and satellite cities, forms the Greater Paris metropolitan area, with a population estimated at 11.5 million as of January 2004. Paris is the most populous urban area in the European Union and is the second largest metropolitan area in Europe (after Moscow, and along with London), and is ranked approximately as the 20th most populous metropolitan area in the world.

Greater Paris metropolitan area, with a total GDP higher than Australia, is the largest financial and business center of Europe (alongside London), harboring more than 30% of France's white-collar population, as well as more than 40% of the headquarters of French companies, with the largest business district of Europe (La Défense), and the second largest stock exchange in Europe (Euronext).