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Located in the center of northern France, the Ile-de-France (which means Island of France) first got its name back in the 14th century, and consisted of the land mass bound by the Seine, Oise, and Marne rivers and their tributaries. Its name also invoked the symbolic importance of Ile-de-France as the cultural, economic and royal capital of the nation. Today the Ile-de-France département extends far past these original physical borders to cover an area of 4,660 square miles.
At its center is the fertile Paris basin where the Oise and Marne join the Seine. The Ile-de-France is relatively flat, with rolling hills that never surpass 650 feet in elevation, and numerous valleys and wetlands carved out by the rivers. Urbanization has replaced the vineyards and forests in Paris but, once you get past the ring of suburban highrises, Ile-de-France is mostly forests and farmland, punctuated by a few villages and urban centers.
- IN THIS CHAPTER:
- Climate
- Flora & Fauna
- The Seine
