Marseille

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Coordinates: 5°22′12″E / 43.296386°N 5.369954°E / 43.296386; 5.369954

Ville de Marseille


city flag coat of arms

Motto: Actibus immensis urbs fulget Massiliensis.
"By her great deeds, the city of Massilia shines"

The Old Port of Marseille
Location

Time zone CET (GMT +1)
Administration
Country France
Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department Bouches-du-Rhône (13)
Arrondissement Marseille
Canton chief town of 25 cantons
Subdivisions 16 arrondissements
(in 8 secteurs)
Intercommunality Urban Community of Marseille Provence Métropole
Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin (UMP)
(since 1995)
Statistics
Land area¹ 240.62 km² (92.90 sq mi)
Population² 852,395  (2007 [1])
 - Ranking 3rd agglomeration after Paris and Lyon
 - Density 3,542 /km² (9,170 /sq mi)
Urban spread
Urban area 90 km² (35 sq mi) (2006)
 - Population 1,418,481 (2006)
Metro area 2,830.2 km² (1,092.7 sq mi) (1999)
 - Population 1,604,550 (2007)
Miscellaneous
Postal code 13001-13016
Dialling code 0491 or 0496
Website http://www.marseille.fr/
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Marseille (in English also Marseilles, pronounced /mɑrˈseɪ/; French pronunciation: [maʁsɛj]; locally [mɑχˈsɛjɐ]; in Occitan Marselha or Marsiho, pronounced [maʀˈsejɔ, maʀˈsijɔ]), formerly known as Massalia (from Greek: Μασσαλία), is the oldest city in France, and currently its second most-populous, behind Paris, with 852,395 residents as of 2007.[2] It forms the third-largest metropolitan area, after those of Paris and Lyon, with a population recorded to be 1,516,340 at the 1999 census and estimated to be 1,605,000 in 2007. Located on the south east coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea, Marseille is France's largest commercial port. Marseille is the administrative capital (préfecture de région) of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, as well as the administrative capital (préfecture départementale) of the Bouches-du-Rhône department. Its inhabitants are called Marseillais.

Geography

Marseille is the most populous commune in France after Paris and is the centre of the third largest metropolitan area in France. To the east, starting in the small fishing village of Callelongue on the outskirts of Marseille and stretching as far as Cassis, are the Calanques, a rugged coastal area interspersed with small fjords. Further east still are the Sainte-Baume, a 1,147 m (3,763 ft) mountain ridge rising from a forest of deciduous trees, the town of Toulon and the French Riviera. To the north of Marseille, beyond the low Garlaban and Etoile mountain ranges, is the 1,011 m (3,317 ft) Mont Sainte Victoire. To the west of Marseille is the former artists' colony of l'Estaque; further west are the Côte Bleue, the Gulf of Lion and the Camargue region in the Rhône delta. The airport lies to the north west of the city at Marignane on the Étang de Berre.

The city's main thoroughfare, the wide boulevard called the Canebière, stretches eastward from the Old Port (Vieux Port) to the Réformés quarter. Two large forts flank the entrance to the Old Port - Fort Saint-Nicolas on the south side and Fort Saint-Jean on the north. Further out in the Bay of Marseille is the Frioul archipelago which comprises four islands, one of which, If, is the location of Château d'If, made famous by the Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo. The main commercial centre of the city intersects with the Canebière at rue St Ferréol and the Centre Bourse (the main shopping mall). The centre of Marseille has several pedestrianised zones, most notably rue St Ferréol, Cours Julien near the Music Conservatory, the Cours Honoré-d'Estienne-d'Orves off the Old Port and the area around the Hôtel de Ville. To the south east of central Marseille in the 6th arrondissement are the Prefecture and the monumental fountain of Place Castellane, an important bus and metro interchange. To the south west are the hills of the 7th arrondissement, dominated by the basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. The railway station - Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles - is north of the Centre Bourse in the 1st arrondissement; it is linked by the Boulevard d'Athènes to the Canebière.

Climate

Marseille has a Mediterranean climate, with mild, humid winters and hot, dry summers. January and February are the coldest months, averaging temperatures of around 8 to 9 °C (48 °F). July and August are the hottest months. The mean summer temperature is around 23 to 24 °C (75 °F). In July the average maximum temperature is around 30 °C (86 °F).[3] Marseille is known for the Mistral, a harsh cold wind originating in the Rhône valley that occurs mostly in winter and spring. Less frequent is the Sirocco, a hot sand-bearing wind, coming from the Sahara Desert.

Climate data for Marseille Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 10
(50) 11
(52) 14
(57) 17
(63) 21
(70) 25
(77) 30
(86) 28
(82) 25
(77) 20
(68) 14
(57) 11
(52) 18
(64)
Daily mean °C (°F) 6
(43) 7
(45) 10
(50) 12
(54) 16
(61) 21
(70) 25
(77) 23
(73) 20
(68) 15
(59) 10
(50) 7
(45) 15
(59)
Average low °C (°F) 2
(36) 3
(37) 5
(41) 8
(46) 12
(54) 16
(61) 19
(66) 18
(64) 15
(59) 11
(52) 6
(43) 3
(37) 10
(50)
Precipitation mm (inches) 40
(1.57) 40
(1.57) 40
(1.57) 40
(1.57) 40
(1.57) 20
(0.79) 10
(0.39) 20
(0.79) 60
(2.36) 90
(3.54) 70
(2.76) 50
(1.97) 580
(22.83)
Source: Weatherbase[4]

History

Prehistory and classical antiquity

Humans have inhabited Marseille and its environs for almost 30,000 years: palaeolithic cave paintings in the underwater Cosquer cave near the calanque of Morgiou date back to between 27,000 and 19,000 BC; and very recent excavations near the railway station have unearthed neolithic brick habitations from around 6,000 BC.[5][6]

Marseille, the oldest city of France, was founded in 600 BC by Greeks from Phocaea (as mentioned by Thucydides Bk1,13) as a trading port under the name Μασσαλία (Massalia; see also List of traditional Greek place names). The precise circumstances and date of founding remain obscure, but nevertheless a legend survives. Protis, while exploring for a new trading outpost or emporion for Phocaea, discovered the Mediterranean cove of the Lacydon, fed by a freshwater stream and protected by two rocky promontories.[7] Protis was invited inland to a banquet held by the chief of the local Ligurian tribe for suitors seeking the hand of his daughter Gyptis in marriage. At the end of the banquet, Gyptis presented the ceremonial cup of wine to Protis, indicating her unequivocal choice. Following their marriage, they moved to the hill just to the north of the Lacydon; and from this settlement grew Massalia.[7]

Massalia was one of the first Greek ports in Western Europe,[8] growing to a population of over 1000. It was the first settlement given city status in France. Facing an opposing alliance of the Etruscans, Carthage and the Celts, the Greek colony allied itself with the expanding Roman Republic for protection. This protectionist association brought aid in the event of future attacks, and perhaps equally important, it also brought the people of Massalia into the complex Roman market. The city thrived by acting as a link between inland Gaul, hungry for Roman goods and wine (which Massalia was steadily exporting by 500 BC),[9] and Rome's insatiable need for new products and slaves. Under this arrangement the city maintained its independence until the rise of Julius Caesar, when it joined the losing side (Pompey and the optimates) in civil war, and lost its independence in 49 BC.