capital of France, from Gallo-Latin Lutetia Parisorum (in Late Latin also Parisii), name of a fortified town of the Gaulish tribe of the Parisii, who had a capital there; literally "Parisian swamps" (cf. Old Irish loth "dirt," Welsh lludedic "muddy, slimy").
The tribal name is of unknown origin, but traditionally derived from a Celtic par "boat" (cf. Greek baris; see barge), hence the ship on the city's coat of arms.
A prince of Troy in classical mythology, whose abduction of the Greek queen Helen caused the Trojan War (see Helen of Troy and Judgment of Paris). Paris (or, according to some stories, Apollo disguised as Paris) killed Achilles by piercing his heel with an arrow.
Nation in Europe bordered by Belgium and Luxembourg to the north; Germany, Switzerland, and Italy to the east; the Mediterranean Sea and Spain to the south; and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its capital and largest city is Paris.
Note: During the reign of Louis XIV (1653–1715), France was a principal world power and cultural center of Europe.
Note: The French Revolution, organized by leaders of the middle class and lower class, brought about an end to the French absolute monarchy and forged a transition from feudalism to the industrial era. A bloody and chaotic period, the Revolution helped lay the foundations of modern political philosophy and ultimately engulfed much of Europe in the Napoleonic Wars. (See Napoleon Bonaparte.)
Note: In the French and Indian War in the 1750s, the British and colonial forces drove the French from Canada and the region of the Great Lakes.
Note: In World War I, France was one of the Allies; much of that war was fought on French soil.
Note: In World War II, France's military resistance to the German army collapsed in the spring of 1940. Germans occupied much of France from 1940 to 1944. In 1944, the Allies invaded France, along with French troops, and drove the Germans out of France, finally defeating them in 1945.
Note: France is known for its wine, cheese, and cooking.
Capital of France and the largest city in the country, located in north-central France on the Seine River; an international cultural and intellectual center, as well as the commercial and industrial focus of France.
Note: In the Treaty of Paris (1783), Britain formally acknowledged the independence of the thirteen colonies as the United States.
Note: In the 1920s, Paris was home to many artists and writers from the United States and other countries.
Note: During World War II, German troops occupied the city from 1940 to 1944.
Note: The city's tourist attractions include the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, and the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. The Champs Élysées is the most famous of its many celebrated streets, avenues, and boulevards.
Note: Paris is a center for fashion and design.
Note: It is called the “City of Light.”