Marseille Tourism and Travel Guide

Marseille (English pronunciation: /mɑrˈseɪ/; French: [maʁ.sɛj], locally: [mɑχˈsɛjə]; Occitan: Marselha [maʀˈsejɔ, maʀˈsijɔ]), 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 (Greek: Μασσαλία, Massalía), Marseille was historically the most important trade center in the region and functioned as the main trade port of the French Empire. Marseille is France's largest city on the Mediterranean coast and largest commercial port as well as a leading cruise port and freight port. The city held the title of European Capital of Culture together with Košice, Slovakia, in 2013. In 2016, it will host the UEFA Cup and become the European Capital of Sport in 2017. a b 'Séries historiques des résultats du recensement - Commune Marseille (13055)'. INSEE. Retrieved 30 July 2014. 'Séries historiques des résultats du recensement - Unité urbaine 2010 de Marseille - Aix-en-Provence (00759)'. INSEE. Retrieved 30 July 2014. a b http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?reg_id=5&ref_id=20319 Also occasionally spelled Masalia. Duchêne & Contrucci 1998, page needed A. Ebel, Charles (1976). 'Transalpine Gaul: the emergence of a Roman province'. Brill Archive: 5–16. ISBN 90-04-04384-5. , Chapter 2, Massilia and Rome before 390 B.C.