meaning of Il y a

Does Il y a always mean "There are" or can it have another meaning depending on the sentence

Searching the internet to answer my own question I found a detailed description on the use of il y a, which can mean "there is" or "there are The French expression il y a, is one of the most important expressions in the French language. About,com French has a detailed description of its use.

There are other phrases that incorporate "il y a" also, so it's not always "there is/are" but the gist is the same: Ex: "Il y a deux ans, j'étais à Paris. Two years ago, I was in Paris.