Versailles, a city renowned for its chateau, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre. Located in the western suburbs of the French capital, 17.1 km (10.6 mi) from the centre of Paris, the commune of Versailles is the préfecture of the Yvelines department. According to the 2008 census, the population of the city is 88,641 inhabitants, down from a peak of 94,145 in 1975.
Versailles is historically known for numerous treaties such as Treaty of Paris (1783), which ended the American Revolutionary War and the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. The etymology of Versailles is clear that the argument tends to privilege the Latin word versare, meaning "to keep turning, turn over and over", expression used in medieval times for plowed lands, cleared lands. This word formation is similar to Latin seminare which gave French semailles .