Planet:Paris

"It is perfectly possible to be enamoured of Paris while remaining totally indifferent or even hostile to the French."

- James Baldwin

Paris is the capital and most populous planet of France. It is situated at the heart of France's Metropolitan region in the Milky Way Galaxy, close to the Trans-Regional Hyperway which gives it direct access to the four corners of the French hyperspatial network. Following in the footsteps of the historical city by the same name, its influence politically, economically, and culturally contribute to its status as one of the leading capitals of humanity.

Centuries of development and meticulous terraforming have turned the planet, previously a lush, predominantly humid environment, into a sprawling metropolis with an atmosphere almost exactly like that of Earth's. Cities cover most of the planet's surface, having beaten vegetation and wildlife back into its less accessible locations like the beautiful Douvres mountain range on the northern continent.

While there is no real practical distinction between cities on the surface, power and attention is primarily concentrated into New Paris, the seat of government and economic capital of the planet. There, in the government district, the National Assembly and Senate buildings stand, enormous chambers built in a modern style with Roman influences meant to house thousands of delegates from every corner of France. The Financial district is also well known for its towering government buildings like the Ministry of the Economy and Industry, responsible for keeping track of French assets throughout the Gigaquadrant, as well as the Plazithian headquarters of GITO.

One quarter of the city, perhaps the most well known, is Old Paris, a working replica of the old city of Paris, Earth. It was built in the 2600's in an attempt to preserve French heritage. However, while it preserves the beloved Parisian skyline, it makes no pretense of living in another age. Modern technology clashes brutally with the old cobblestone streets and stone buildings in which people really live. Thousands of tourists from all over the human world, and some from beyond, come each day to see the original Parisian monuments which were transplanted from Earth after its abandonment. Places like The Louvre, the Invalides, and the Eiffel tower have been treasured and preserved.

Just like the presidents of old, the French President lives inside of an enlarged replica of the Élysée Palace which is where he and the Prime Minister hold their offices, where the cabinet meets, and often where foreign dignitaries are received.

History
The planet which would later be called Paris was originally founded in 2381 under the name of Morisot. At the time, it was a small mining outpost on the other side of the Vulcan and Andorian territories with a modest military base tasked with monitoring the border. As the French territory grew, so too did the mining industry on Morisot. With the opening of large ore processing plants in the 2410's and 2420's, it became one of the largest refineries in the region.
 * Founding

In the 2440's, the population of Morisot reached half a billion, making it the most populous planet on the other side of the Andorian and Vulcan territories. In many ways, the planet suffered from overpopulation, as the planet's cities, built around mining camps and manufactories, had not been designed to hold a permanent population. One particular resource which was lacking was food, almost all of which was imported from elsewhere, leading to high food prices as the frontier market struggled to meet the demand. Solutions were slow to come from the distant French government on Earth, and unrest grew.

On Earth, government reforms in order to cope with the size of France's interstellar colonial empire divided it into two regions, "Proche-Terre," administered directly by the French National Assembly on Earth, and "La Frontiere," administered by a local government situated on Morisot. Once established in 2457, the regional government set out to reshape Morisot's landscape. Millions of acres of marshland and rainforest were cleared to make room for cities to expand and for agricultural projects. Slums were destroyed and their inhabitants relocated to government-sponsored housing.
 * Regional Capital

By 2470, Morisot was self-sustaining, boasting an agricultural sector whose surplus now fed numerous frontier worlds, and an energy grid which harnessed the planet's many natural energy sources. Home to three billion people in 2500, Morisot was the political and economic center of the French territories beyond Andoria and Vulcan. Its importance to the French Republic was second only to Earth.

When Earth was abandoned in the 2500's, the French government began looking for a new capital. Over three years, it was temporarily housed on several different planets until the French Parliament finally voted to settle it on Morisot. In the early 2600's, Morisot was renamed to Paris and a massive cultural project was undertaken to recreate the city of Paris on the planet. Starships returned to Earth and brought back the original monuments such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Invalides, La Madelaine, and so many others. A faithful recreation was erected at the center of one of the planet's largest jungles, around which sprouted the modern city of New Paris.
 * Capital of France

Over the next two centuries, the planet underwent intense urbanization projects which transformed its surface into a gargantuan metropolis, home to more than three hundred billion people and the seat of power of a state with strong influence in several galaxies.

In 2798, it was designated the GITO economic capital of the Milky Way Galaxy. A wormhole gate was built nearby which led to other GITO capitals like Araveene, Galactica, among others. This led to a sudden revival of the Parisian private economy, which had grown stagnant thanks to the socialist policies of the French government. Paris was catapulted to intergalactic importance overnight.

Diplomatic missions housed

 * FjordLeagueFlag.png Embassy of the Fjord League of Northern Europe (17, rue Barbet de Jouy, 7 arr., Old Paris)
 * Flag of England.png Consulate of North England (1009 place de l'Odyssée, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * Flag of Denmark.png Institute of Danish Culture, Paris (77 avenue Marceau, 16e arr., Old Paris)
 * Flag of Norway.png Parisian Institute of Norway (28, rue Bayard, 4ème étage, Old Paris)
 * Flag of Finland.png Consulate of Finland, Paris (2, rue Fabert, Old Paris)
 * POTATO Flag.png American Embassy (2 avenue Gabriel, 8eme Arr., Old Paris)
 * Flag of Germany.png Consulate of Germany (13/15, Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, Old Paris)
 * Roreinia 2.png Roreinian Embassy, Paris (34, cours Albert 1er, Old Paris)
 * Flag of South Africa.png South African Embassy (59 Quai d'Orsay, Old Paris)
 * Spore 2010-01-31 19-21-14.png Cooulflorn (ile Cooulflorn)
 * DIFlag New.png Royal Embassy of the Draconid Imperium (7573 rue Cayrac, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * TIAF Flag.png TIAF Embassy (7563 rue Cayrac, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * DCP flag 2.png Diplomatic Mission of the Delpha Coalition of Planets (8994 rue Dauzois, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * Civembem.png Cooperative Hall (5000 rue Dauzois, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * Flag of Hal'Sk.png Embassy of the Greater Hal'Sk Empire (3045 place de l'Odyseée, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * HumanRepublicSymbol.png Human Embassy (666 avenue Woodrow Wilson, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * Flag Rambo Nation.png Embassy of Rambo Nation (03 rue Sangeans, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * Drodo Empire Flag.png Drodo Embassy (3470 place de l'Odyssée, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * FTC Symbol.png Embassy of the Farengeto Trade Coalition (3500 place de l'Odyssée, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * KollectiveFlag.png Koiskstrum Embassy (3512 place de l'Odyssée, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * Okyno Expanse.png Okyiat Embassy (3533 place de l'Odyssée, Gov. district, New Paris)
 * Eldarisian Flag.png (05 rue Sangeans, Gov. District, New paris)