Paris is in the heart of industrial northern France, with numerous road, rail and air links to London, Brussels, Amsterdam, and the cities of western Germany; by air, these take under an hour to reach. In this case, Paris, the capital of France, is a city of over two million people covering 460 sq miles (1,200 sq km) of northern France. It is on the Seine River at the center of the Ile-de-France, the region which is home to ten million people, around one-fifth of the French population. An important European business and cultural center, it is the focus of activity in the north of France. The Ile-de-France includes the conurbation of Paris and many fascinating places such as Chartres and Versailles. Central Paris is bounded by the Périphérique beltway. There are many interesting places in Paris. Each area contains a range of sights that convey some of its history and distinctive character. The sights of Montmartre, for example, reveal its village charm and its colorful history as a thriving artistic enclave. In contrast, Champs-Elysées is renowned for its wide avenues, expensive fashion houses and opulent mansions. Most of the city’s famous sights are within reach of the heart of the city and are easy to reach on foot or by public transportation. Besides that, there are also Eiffel Tower and Musée du Louvre. Named for the engineer who designed and built it in 1889, the Eiffel Tower is the city’s best known landmark. It towers more than 1,050 ft (320 m) above Champ-de-Mars Park. And right in the heart of Paris, adjacent to the Seine River and the Tuileries garden, lies the city’s most impressive museum, Musée du Louvre, with an unrivaled collection of European paintings from 1400 to 1850
