Paris

Paris

The Paris metropolitan area has a population in excess of 11 million and produces more than a quarter of France’s gross domestic product. Besides large multinational and national companies, the area hosts several international organizations, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Paris hosts the world headquarters of 25 Fortune Global 500 companies (the 500 largest corporations in the world by revenue, as ranked by Fortune). Many of them are located in the city’s various business districts, notably La Défense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe.

The region’s economic fabric covers a vast spectrum of activities from biotechnologies and computer graphics to aeronautics and automobile manufacturing.

Paris has 17 universities located on 22 campuses across the region, and more than 79,000 researchers live there, according to the Paris Region Economic Development Agency. Public and private research and development expenditures in the region total €14.5 billion a year.

Paris has three international airports, and its passenger and freight transportation network makes the region less than three hours away from many other main European cities.

Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. About 45 million people visit the region every year.

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