Paris is the capital and the largest city in France. The city is crossed by the River Seine, in northern France, in the middle of Île-de-France region (also known as Paris region). The city in its administrative limits (the 20 arrondissements) is largely unchanged from 1860, with a population of 2,211,297 inhabitants (January 2008) and the Paris metropolitan area has a population of 12,089,098 inhabitants (January 2008). It is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe.

In London there are many institutions and corporate headquarters of global importance; many important buildings: palaces, museums, theaters, concert halls, airports, railway stations, many embassies and consulates.

Westminster (Palace and Abbey) and the Church of St. Margaret in London were inscribed in 1987 on UNESCO World Heritage list.
London is the symbol of Big Ben, the clock tower of the Parliament Palace, built in the nineteenth century in the Gothic style.