Île-de-France (literally 'Isle of France') is the name given to the Greater Paris region. With 11.7 million inhabitants, it makes up 18.3% of the country's population. It is the wealthiest and most densely populated (974 inhab./km²) of France's 27 regions. The Île-de-France is actually the world's fourth-largest and Europe's wealthiest and largest regional economy, ahead of London. If it were a country, it would rank as the 15th wealthiest in the world.
The economy of Île-de-France represents 30% of country's GDP, while its GDP per capita is twice the national French average. The Île-de-France has the world's second highest number of Fortune Global 500 companies' headquarters (after the Kanto region).
The administrative region was created as the district de la région de Paris in 1961, and renamed in 1976 after the historic province of Île-de-France. Its boundaries correspond roughly to the northern part of the royal domain in the 12th century. The origin of the name Île is uncertain, but it is thought to refer to the rivers (Oise, Marne, Seine, Eure) that delineate the territory on all sides.
As of 2006, about 35% of people (4 millions) living in the region were either immigrant (17%) or born to at least one immigrant parent (18%), including a quarter of African origin (Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa).
The local gastronomy includes Brie cheese (from the Seine-et-Marne department) and the orange-flavoured Grand Marnier brandy liqueur.
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