Marseille is the second largest city in France and the country’s busiest Mediterranean port, with its famous Canebiere, the Promenade of the Corniche, the Chateau d’If, from where the legendary Count of Monte Cristo is supposed to have escaped; the museum of Fine Art and Le Corbusier’s modern Cite Radieuse.
Marseille, also known as Marseilles in English, is a city in France. The capital of its department of Bouches-du-Rhône and region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Marseille is located on France’s south coast and is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,516 (January 2012) on a land area of 241 km2 (93 sq mi). It is the 3rd-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris and Lyon, with a population of 1,831,500 at the January 2011 census.
Known to both the ancient Greeks and Romans as Massalia[4] (Greek: Μασσαλία, Massalía), Marseille was historically the most important trading centre in the region and functioned as the main commercial port of the French Empire. Marseille is now France’s largest city on the Mediterranean coast and the largest port for commerce, freight and cruise ships. The city held the title of European Capital of Culture together with Košice, Slovakia, in 2013. In 2016, it will host the European Football Championship and become the European Capital of Sport in 2017. The city is home to several of the campuses of Aix-Marseille University and is part of one of the largest metropolitan conurbations in France, the Metropolis of Aix-Marseille-Provence.
The port is also an important arrival base for millions of people each year, with 2.4 million including 890,100 from cruise ships. With its beaches, history, architecture and culture (24 museums and 42 theatres), Marseille is one of the most visited cities in France, with 4.1 million visitors in 2012.
Marseille is ranked 86th in the world for business tourism and events, advancing from the 150th spot one year before. The number of congress days hosted on its territory increased from 109,000 in 1996 to almost 300,000 in 2011. They take place in three main sites, Le Palais du Pharo, Le Palais des Congrès et des Expositions (Parc Chanot) and the World Trade Center.
In 2012 Marseille hosted the World Water Forum. Several urban projects have been developed to make Marseille attractive. Thus new parks, museums, public spaces and real estate projects aim to improve the city cadre de vie (Parc du 26e Centenaire, Old Port of Marseille, numerous places in Euromediterrannee) to attract firms and people. Marseille municipality acts to develop Marseille as a regional nexus for entertainment in the south of France with high concentration of museums, cinemas, theatres, clubs, bars, restaurants, fashion shops, hotels, and art galleries.
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