Marseille

Marseille, (English alt. Marseilles — French: pronounced /maʀsɛj/ or locally — Provençal Occitan: Marselha in classical norm or Marsiho in Mistralian norm — Latin: Massilia) is the second-largest city of France and forms the third-largest metropolitan area, with 1,516,340 inhabitants at the 1999 census and 1,605,000 in 2007 (Paris and Lyon are larger). Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it is France's largest commercial port. Marseille is also the capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région, as well as the préfecture (capital) of the Bouches-du-Rhône département.