Paris is the capital of France covering a surface area of 105 km², it is a region well known by the whole world because of its sophistication, romantic reception and beauty. Conspicuously situated on the left bank of Paris is the Eiffel Tower which is a terrific symbol of Paris since it gives the region a unique identity. The tower is a source beauty because it ensures that visitors see a full view of the city, opposite the tower is the French Military Academy which is identified by its vast formal garden.
Geographic Site and Situation
Geographers have revealed that the city occupies the heart of a sedimentary basin in the western reaches of the great plains of Northern Europe and lies downstream of the Seine-Marne confluence and upstream of the confluence with the Oise (Marrinan 44). Moreover, they have affirmed that Paris has served as a political capital for many years because of its geographical situation in the center of the Parisian basin, which is the site of important river confluences (Marrinan 46). Consequently, existing busy crossroads that naturally form the roads, rails and flight paths also add more geographical value to the city. In addition, it is accessible through sea especially through Seine which is a navigable river making movement of people and goods possible.
Economy
Economically, the city has myriad business activities and productivity, the tertiary sector has been on the forefront as it employs over three million in the greater part of the city. The city boasts of a higher living standard when compared with other geographical regions of the country. An improved living standard is as a result of different economic activities taking place necessitated by well-developed transport networks and presence of institutions like Paris shopping center. Economic endowment of the city has witnessed increase in high-tech industries, particularly in the electronics and computer sectors, when this is integrated with other sectors such as timber, clothing, leather and printing makes the city an economic hub in the region.
Cultural Character and Ethnicity
The city is one of the populated cities in the country with the population being largely monolithic in character and most of the people inhabiting the city came from ancient Teutonic and Celtic tribes dating from at least 200 BC. Almost 90 percent of people living in the city confess to the Roman Catholic faith despite a section being of Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and Protestant Christian faiths. The culture name is French and the ethnic orientation is composed of two identities which are dominant French identity and immigrants especially from North Africa.
Cultural Significance
Paris is home to monuments and sites that serve huge cultural significance for the city and country. The Eiffel Tower is one such example, the monument was supposed to be tallest building on Earth, based on cultural relevance it reminds people and honors the French Revolution for the World Exhibition in 1889, which took place around the 100th anniversary of the revolution (Robb 84). Louvre Museum is another site that offers great collection of cultural artworks and thus makes visitors to discover Western art from the middle Ages to 1848, as well as artworks depicting ancient civilizations. Notre Dame Cathedral is one of notable monuments in Paris that reminds people of some of the glorious, tragic and historical moments of French culture especially crowning of Henry VI of England inside the cathedral.
Works cited
Marrinan, Michael. Romantic Paris: Histories of a Cultural Landscape, 1800-1850. Stanford,
Calif: Stanford University Press, 2009. Print.
Robb, Graham. The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography from the Revolution to the
First World War. New York: Norton, 2007. Print.