Paris， the capital and the largest city of the country， is in north central France. The Paris metropolitan area contains nearly 20% of the nation s population and is the
economic， cultural， and political center of France. The French governments have historically favored the city as the site for all decision making， thus powerfully attracting
nearly all of the nation s activities.
Paris has grown steadily since it was chosen as the national capital in the late 10th century. With the introduction of the Industrial Revolution， a great number of people
moved to the city from the country during the 19th century. The migration was especially stimulated by the construction of railroads， which provided easy access to the capital.
After World War II more and more immigrants arrived.
The city is the centralized control point of most national radio and television broadcasting. It is a place of publication of the most prestigious newspapers and magazines and
an international book publishing center. With more than 100 museums， Paris has truly been one of the greatest concentrations of art treasures in the world. The Louver， opened
as a museum in 1793， is one of the largest museums in the world.
In the late 1980s about 4.1million pupils annually attended about 47，000 elementary schools. In addition， about 5.4 million students attended some 11，200 secondary schools.
Approximately 1.2 million students were enrolled annually at universities and colleges in France in the late 1980s. French centers of learning have served as academic models
throughout the world.
Paris is the leading industrial center of France， with about one quarter of the nation s manufacturing concentrated in the metropolitan area. Industries of consumer goods have
always bee drawn to Paris by the enormous market of the big population， and modern， high-technology industries also have become numerous since World War II. Chief manufactures
are machinery， automobiles， chemicals and electrical equipment.