Île-de-France

I

Introduction

Île-de-France, region of north-central France, bordered on the north by Picardy, on the east by Champagne-Ardenne, on the south by Burgundy and Centre, and on the west by Upper Normandy. It comprises the departments of Val-d'Oise, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis, Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Essonne, Val-de-Marne, and Yvelines. The Île-de-France covers 12,011 sq km (4,637 sq mi).

II

Physical Geography

The region was formerly the country retreat and hunting ground of kings, and is an area of greatly contrasting landscapes; palaces, monuments, vast forests, and agricultural farmland lie side by side with much industry and the urban sprawl of Paris. On the outskirts of Paris is the Bois de Boulogne, a tract of heavily used woodland, trails, and lakes that once formed part of the vast Forêt de Rouvray. In the south-west is the Forest of Rambouillet, a 20,000-hectare (50,000-acre) expanse of oak, beech, and pine woodland, which is all that remains of the ancient Yveline forest that once extended from Paris to Orléans.

The River Seine enters the region in the south-eastern corner, some 180 km (112 mi) from its source near Champagny in Burgundy. It flows north-west through the region, passing the towns of Fontainebleau, Melun, Corbeil-Essonnes, and Évry before it reaches Paris, entering the city in the south-east and looping to the north before leaving to the south-west. The River Marne flows generally west across the region, joining the River Seine near Paris. Other principal waterways include the Saint-Martin, Saint-Denis, and L’Ourc canals, and the Grand Morin, Mauldre, Oise, and Yerres rivers. Île-de-France has a temperate climate with mild winters, cool summers, and evenly distributed annual precipitation.

III

Population

Île-de-France is the most populous of France’s regions, with 11,577,000 inhabitants in 2007. It is also one of the most densely populated areas of France, with an average population density of 938 people per sq km (2,429 per sq mi). Paris (population, 2005 estimate, 2,153,600) is the region's capital and major city. Other major centres of population include Boulogne-Billancourt (2005 estimate, 109,400); Nanterre (2005 estimate, 86,700); Versailles (2005 estimate, 86,400); Créteil (2005 estimate, 88,400); Drancy (2005 estimate, 64,600); Saint-Ouen (2005 estimate, 43,700); and Rambouillet (2005 estimate, 24,900).

The impressive 17th-century château at Versailles was built by Louis XIV as his retreat from Paris, and it soon became the centre of political power in France. The magnificent palace surrounded by extensive formal gardens, lakes, woodland, and a smaller château (an informal weekend retreat for the king) is justifiably one of the foremost tourist attractions in France and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The Renaissance château at the heart of Fontainbleau Forest is surrounded by landscaped grounds and large formal gardens and was added to the World Heritage List in 1981. Around 25 km (16 mi) south-west of Versailles the 14th-century château of Rambouillet has been the official country residence of the presidents of the Republic of France since 1897 and is a popular tourist destination. One of the world’s oldest surviving rose gardens was established in the town of L’Haÿ-les-Roses in 1893, and features more than 3,300 varieties of rose.

France’s most prestigious higher education institutions are concentrated in Paris. Most prominent is the Sorbonne, which was founded about 1257 and evolved into the University of Paris. Beginning in 1968, in a major reform, the university was decentralized into 13 separate components. Other universities and colleges include the Collège de France (1530), École Polytechnique (1794), Catholic Institute of Paris (1875), École du Louvre (1882), as well as medical, law, and technological schools. Outside of the city, the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (1991) has campuses in seven towns—Versailles, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Vélizy, Mantes-La-Jolie, Rambouillet, Le Chesnay, and Poissy.

IV

Economy

Local industries boast sophisticated technology, and Paris is a cosmopolitan, political, commercial, and financial centre. Tourism is an important part of the economy, particularly concentrated within Paris and Versailles. The town of Argenteuil is a major industrial centre, manufacturing aerospace and electrical equipment, rubber products, and pharmaceuticals, while metal goods and electronics equipment are manufactured in the town of Saint-Cloud.

The western part of Île-de-France is an important region for commercial farming with large farm units typically ranging in size from 250 to 400 hectares (600 to 1,000 acres). The fertile limey soil, rich in calcium derived from the underlying calcareous bedrock, supports wheat and beet crops. The Seine-et-Marne department, formerly known as Brie, was made famous by the soft-ripened cow's milk cheese which has been produced there since the 8th century and takes its name from the region’s former name (see Brie (cheese)). The south-west of the region is part of a fertile plateau known as the Beauce, which is one of France’s leading grain-producing regions.