Ten fun facts about Paris

Fact 1
Paris gained the nickname 'The City of Light' because of its ideas during the Age of Enlightenment, but became literal in the 1860's when Napoleon III had the streets illuminated with 56,000 gas lamps.

Fact 2
In pre-Roman and Roman Gaul, the town was originally called 'Lutetia' and considered the ancestor of present day Paris.

Fact 3
As of 2014, Paris was the third most visited city in the world. It was the only city to lose visitors since the last measurement in 2013.

Fact 4
There is only one stop sign within the city limits of Paris.

Fact 5
In Paris, there is a man named Jim Haynes who allows strangers to come for dinner to his house. You can sign up online to attend. He has done this for the past 35 years.

Fact 6
Offered as a symbol of the Franco-American friendship, Paris has a full-sized, gold-leaf covered replica of the flame that is carried by the Statue of Liberty.

Fact 7
The Eiffel Tower, created in 1889, is the tallest structure in Paris as well as the most-visited paid monument in the world. In 2011, 6.98 million people ascended in it.

Fact 8
The Mona Lisa, which is the 'best known, most visited, most written about, most sung about and most parodied work of art in the world' is housed in the Louvre museum located in Paris, and has been on permanent display there since 1797.

Fact 9
As of 2011, Paris had 2.234 million residents alone but is apart of the Ile de France, which has approximately 12 million people.

Fact 10
Paris has been the capital of France since 508 A.D.

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