Île-de-France (English: Isle of France) is one of the administrative regions of France, comprising the departments of Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Paris, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Val-d’Oise and Yvelines.

During the Middle Ages, Île-de-France was part of the territory held by the Capet family, which became the royal family of France in 987 when Hugh Capet was elected to the kingship.

From the 15th until the late 18th century, Île-de-France was a separate province of France, centering around the capital city of Paris.

After the French Revolution, it was divided into its present administrative departments. Its territory corresponds for the most part to the metropolitan area of Paris, one of the most visited places in the world.

Created as the "District of the Paris Region" in 1961, it was renamed as the "Île-de-France" région in 1976 to bring it into line with the rest of France’s administrative regions created in 1972.

Despite the name change, Île-de-France is still popularly referred to by the French as the Région Parisienne.

Île-de-France is the most populated region of France. With the rising cost of living in central Paris, the suburbs have grown rapidly in size and density over the last few decades.

The region now has more residents than Belgium, Greece, Austria, Portugal or Sweden, and is the fourth most populous country subdivision in the European Union after England, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria.