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Saint-Denis is a commune
in the northern suburbs of Paris, France.
It is located 9.4 kilometres (5.8 miles)
from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is
a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis
département, being the seat of the
Arrondissement of Saint-Denis. Saint-Denis
is home to the royal necropolis of Saint
Denis Basilica and was also the location
of the associated abbey. It is also home
to France's national stadium, Stade de
France, built for the 1998 Football World
Cup. Saint-Denis is a formerly industrial
suburb currently reconverting its economic
base. Many of the residents are Muslim
immigrants from former French colonies.
After a long industrial
crisis, Saint-Denis has rediscovered its
energy with the setting up of new service
sector firms leading to the creation of
60,000 jobs. Under the impulse of the Plaine
Commune, regrouping eight municipalities,
many projects have been set in motion:
the Landy-France business hub covering
a surface of 170,000 square metres, the
transfer of the National Archives from
Paris or the creation of the City of Cinema
dedicated to the film industry which will
open on a former EDF Electricity Board
site in the Pleyel district in the 2007
RWC year. Four years after the world athletic
championships, Saint-Denis is preparing
for a new festival centred on its jewel.
The Stade de France
is a football and rugby union stadium in
Saint-Denis, France, an inner suburb of
Paris. It has a capacity of around 80,000.
The stadium is currently used for the French
rugby union team during the Six Nations
and other internationals. Paris's main
rugby club, Stade Français, have
also regularly used the stadium as a home
ground in recent years. Stade de France
is also the venue for the Top 14 (the domestic
rugby championship) final every year. The
French football team also use the stadium,
and it was there where they defeated Brazil
3-0 in the 1998 FIFA World Cup final. It
was also used as the final venue for the
Coupe de France (football competition).
Stade de France has been the host for the
Race of Champions for the past three years.
In 2007, it will host several matches of
the Rugby World Cup, including the final.
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