Marseille

Marseille (English pronunciation: /mɑːrˈseɪ/; 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 European Football Championship and become the European Capital of Sport in 2017.