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Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia (from
Greek: Μασσαλία), is the second largest city in
France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395
within its administrative limits on a land area of
240.62 km2 (93 sq mi). The urban area of Marseille
extends beyond the city limits with a population of
over 1,420,000 on an area of 1,204 km2 (465 sq mi).
1,530,000 or 1,601,095 people live in the Marseille
metropolitan area, ranking it 3rd among French
metropolitan areas after Paris and Lyon. Located on
the southeast coast of France on the Mediterranean
Sea, Marseille is France's largest commercial port
and largest French city on the Mediterranean coast.
Marseille is the capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte
d'Azur region, as well as the capital of the
Bouches-du-Rhône department. Its inhabitants are
called Marseillais.
Marseille enjoys a Mediterranean climate. The summer
holiday season lasts for six months, from May to
October, although also in April sometimes there are
temperatures above 20 °C (68.0 °F). Winters are
mild, with average temperature 12 °C (54 °F) during
the day and 4 °C (39 °F) at night during the months
of December, January and February.
Marseille is the second largest city in France after
Paris and the centre of the third largest
metropolitan area in France after Paris and Lyon. 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.
Marseille is divided into 16 municipal
arrondissements, which are themselves informally
divided into quartiers (111 in total). The
arrondissements are regrouped in pairs, into 8
secteurs, each with a mayor and council (like the
arrondissements in Paris and Lyon).
Municipal elections are held every six years and are
carried out by secteur. There are 303 councillors in
total, two thirds sitting in the secteur councils
and one third in the city council.
From 1950 to the mid 1990s, Marseille was a
socialist and communist stronghold. The socialist
Gaston Defferre was consecutively re-elected six
times as Mayor of Marseille from 1953 until his
death in 1986. He was succeeded by Robert Vigouroux
of the RDSE. Jean-Claude Gaudin of the right-wing
UMP was elected mayor in 1995. Gaudin won
re-election in 2001 and 2008.
In recent years, the Communist Party has lost most
of its strength in the northern boroughs of the
city, whereas the far-right National Front has
received significant support.
At the last municipal election in 2008, Marseille
was divided between the northern boroughs dominated
by the left and the more affluent southern
Marseille, dominated by the right, with the centre
and eastern parts of the city as battlegrounds,
allowing for a narrow re-election of the UMP
administration.
The cantons of Marseille :
Marseille is also divided in 25 cantons, each of
them returning a member of the General Council of
the Bouches-du-Rhône département.
Because of its pre-eminence as a Mediterranean port,
Marseille has always been one of the main gateways
into France. This has attracted many immigrants and
made Marseille a cosmopolitan melting pot. By the
end of the 18th century about half the population
originated from elsewhere in Provence mostly but
also from southern France.
Economic conditions and political unrest in Europe
and the rest of the world brought several other
waves of immigrants during the 20th century: Greeks
and Italians started arriving at the end of the 19th
century and in the first half of the 20th century,
up to 40% of the city's population was of Italian
origin; Russians in 1917; Armenians in 1915 and
1923; Corsicans during the 1930s; Spanish after
1936; North Africans (both Arab and Berber) in the
inter-war period; Sub-saharan Africans after 1945;
the pieds-noirs from the former French Algeria in
1962; and then from Comoros. In 2006, it was
reported that 70,000 city residents were considered
to be of Maghrebian origin, mostly from Algeria. The
second largest group in Marseille in terms of single
nationalities were from the Comoros, amounting to
some 45,000 people.
Currently, over one third of the population of
Marseille can trace their roots back to Italy.
Marseille also has the second-largest Corsican and
Armenian populations of France. Other significant
communities include North Africans, Turks,
Comorians, Chinese, and Vietnamese.
Major religious communities in Marseille include
Roman Catholic (600,000), Muslim (between 150,000
and 200,000), Armenian Apostolic (80,000), Jewish
(80,000, making Marseille the third largest urban
Jewish community in Europe), Protestant (20,000),
Eastern Orthodox (10,000) and Buddhist (3,000).
Culture
Marseille has been designated as European Capital of
Culture in 2013.
Marseille is a city that is proud of its differences
from the rest of France. Today it is a regional
centre for culture and entertainment with an
important opera house, historical and maritime
museums, five art galleries and numerous cinemas,
clubs, bars and restaurants.
Marseille has a large number of theatres, including
la Criée, le Gymnase and the Théâtre Toursky. There
is also an extensive arts centre in La Friche, a
former match factory behind the St-Charles station.
The Alcazar, until the 1960s a well known music-hall
and variety theatre, has recently been completely
remodelled behind its original façade and now houses
the central municipal library.
Marseille has also been important in the arts. It
has been the birth place and home of many French
writers and poets, including Victor Gélu, Valère
Bernard, Pierre Bertas, Edmond Rostand and André
Roussin. The small port of l'Estaque on the far end
of the Bay of Marseille became a favourite haunt for
artists, including Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne (who
frequently visited from his home in Aix), Georges
Braque and Raoul Dufy.
The most commonly used tarot deck takes his name
from the city; it has been called the Tarot de
Marseille since the 1930s—a name coined for the
commercial use by the French cardmaker and
cartomancer Paul Marteau owner of B-P Grimaud.
Previously this deck was called Tarot italien
(Italian Tarot) and even earlier it was simply
called Tarot. Before being de Marseille, it was used
to play the local variant of tarocchi before it
became used in cartomancy at the end of the 18th
century, following the trend set by Antoine Court de
Gébelin. The name Tarot de Marseille (Marteau used
the name ancien Tarot de Marseille) was used by
contrast to other types of Tarots such as Tarot de
Besançon, those names were simply associated to
cities where there were many cardmakers in the 18th
century (previously several cities in France were
involved in cardmaking).
Another local tradition is the making of santons,
small hand-crafted figurines for the traditional
Provençal Christmas creche. Since 1803, starting on
the last Sunday of November, there has been a Santon
Fair in Marseille; it is currently held in the Cours
d'Estienne d'Orves, a large square off the
Vieux-Port.
Opera
Marseille's main cultural attraction was, since its
creation at the end of the 18th century and until
the late 1970s, the Opéra. Located near the Old Port
and the Canebière, at the very heart of the city,
its architectural style was comparable to the
classical trend found in other opera houses built at
the same time in Lyon and Bordeaux. In 1919, a fire
almost completely destroyed the house, leaving only
the stone colonnade and peristyle from the original
façade. The classical façade was restored and the
opera house reconstructed in a predominantly Art
Deco style, as the result of a major competition.
Currently the Opéra de Marseille stages 6 or 7
operas each year.
Since 1972 the Ballet national de Marseille has
performed at the opera house; its director from its
foundation to 1998 was Roland Petit.
Hip hop music
Marseille is also well known in France for its hip
hop music. Bands like IAM originated from Marseille
and initiated the rap phenomenon in France. Other
known groups include Fonky Family, 3ème Oeil, and
Psy4 de la rime.
Gastronomy
Pastis, an alcoholic beverage made with aniseed and
spice, is extremely popular in the region
Fougasse, typical Provençal bread
Aïoli, a sauce made from raw garlic, lemon juice,
eggs and olive oil, served with boiled fish, hard
boiled eggs and cooked vegetables
Tapenade, a paste made from capers, chopped olives
and olive oil (sometimes anchovies may be added)
Bouillabaisse, a fish soup containing assorted
shellfish, fish and vegetables, served with rouille,
toasted bread (croûtes) and often grated cheese
Anchoïade, a paste made from anchovies, garlic,
black olives and olive oil, served with raw
vegetables
Panisse, a pastry made from chickpea flour
Navette, a small hard biscuit in the shape of a
boat, flavoured with orange blossom
Bourride, a fish dish made with monkfish, mayonnaise
and a vegetable brunoise
Pieds-paquets, a dish prepared from pig's trotters,
sheep or pork tripe and lard
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