Map of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur is a first-level division of France. Its largest mapped city is Marseille, with about 1.40 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, and the tables list its 4 mapped cities along with the mountains, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 4
- Largest City
- Marseille
- Country
- France
- Highest Point Mapped
- 140 m
Interactive Map of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
About Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), sometimes known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the mainland. The main prefecture and largest city is Marseille, France's second largest city proper after Paris and the 2nd largest urban area when combined with Aix-en-Provence with over 1.9 million residents.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur in Depth
History
The region is roughly coterminous with the former French province of Provence, with the addition of the following adjacent areas: the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin; the former Sardinian-Piedmontese County of Nice annexed in 1860, whose coastline is known in English as the French Riviera and in French as the Côte d'Azur; and the southeastern part of the former French province of Dauphiné, in the French Alps. Previously known by the acronym PACA, the region adopted the name Région Sud as a commercial name/nickname in December 2017.
Geography
It encompasses six départements in Southeastern France: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Hautes-Alpes, Var and Vaucluse. It is bounded to the east by the France–Italy border, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea and by the Principality of Monaco, to the north by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and to the west by Occitanie, with the Rhône marking its westernmost border. According to the 2015 population census, 5,007,977 people live in the region.
Economy
The regional income per capita is close to the French national average. Income inequality however is higher than in other regions: it is ranked the 2nd region most marked by inequalities after Île-de-France. The region is ranked fifth by GDP (as of 2016). Between 2007 and 2011, the region registered an average annual growth rate of 1.6% of GDP (Eurostat), close to the national average annual growth rate of 1.5%. Representing 7.2% of the national GDP over the period, the region is an important economic powerhouse.
In 2013, the region was responsible for 7.4% of national employment, with an employment rate of 60.9%. The region's employment success has a main characteristic: a higher concentration of elderly people than in the rest of France (respectively 27.1% and 24.1% in 2013).
Demographics
As of 2020, the population of the region was 5,098,666; Marseille and its metropolitan area is the most populous in the region with a city population of 870,321, an urban population of 1,618,479 and a metropolitan population of 1,879,601. Marseille is the second largest city in France after Paris, and has the third largest metropolitan population, behind those of Paris and Lyon respectively.
Nice is host to the second-largest population concentration in the region, with a city population of 344,875 and an urban population of 1,005,230, making it the fifth-most populous city in France.
The absolute majority of the population speaks French, but many regional and foreign languages are present in the region.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (CC BY-SA 4.0).
History of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur: Empires and States
The atlas records 29 polities whose mapped territory included part of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, from Greek City-States in 550 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Greek City-States | 550–111 BCE |
| Greek Colonies | 271–226 BCE |
| Roman Republic | 110–32 BCE |
| The Roman Empire | 31 BCE – 475 CE |
| Western Roman Empire | 395–475 CE |
| Visigothic Kingdom | 480–509 CE |
| Ostrogothic Kingdom | 510–539 CE |
| Merovingian Empire | 540–717 CE |
| Kingdom of the Franks | 540–849 CE |
| Burgundian Kingdom | 612–660 CE |
| Aquitaine | 661–673 CE |
| Carolingian Empire | 718–935 CE |
| Middle Franks | 850–859 CE |
| Lower Burgundy | 860–925 CE |
| West Franks | 866–886 CE |
| Kingdom of Lower Burgundy | 900–935 CE |
| Kingdom of Arles | 936–1033 CE |
| The Holy Roman Empire | 1010–1259 CE |
| Vassalage of Kingdom of Bohemia to Holy Roman Empire | 1202–1259 CE |
| Capetian House of Anjou | 1260–1384 CE |
| Kingdom of France | 1260–1791 CE |
| House of Valois-Anjou | 1385–1481 CE |
| The French Colonial Empire | 1534–1939 CE |
| First French Empire | 1805–1814 CE |
| Bourbon Kingdom of France | 1815–1847 CE |
| Second French Empire | 1853–1870 CE |
| French Third Republic | 1871–1939 CE |
| French Fourth Republic | 1945–1957 CE |
| French Fifth Republic | 1958–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) is the most popular holiday region in the south of France. It covers a large area from the Mediterranean Sea in the south up to the French Alps in the north and extends west to east along the coast from the river Rhône all the way to the Italian border. Its identity as a geographical region being a legacy of the Roman Empire, the Provence includes the French Riviera and is famous for its sunny weather, colourful countryside, long-standing traditions and local language (Provençal). The region's favourable climate makes the variety of available local produce second to none. Flowers, fruits and vegetables all grow in abundance, the sea's fish and shellfish stocks are rich and all this without forgetting those two most Provençal of industries: wine-making and perfumery.
Perhaps best known for the many fashionable resorts along the Côte d'Azur, the Provence's other main attractions include the Old Port of Marseille, the ancient cities of Aix-en-Provence and Avignon, as well as a plethora of sun-baked villages and mountaintop towns.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
4 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marseille | 1.40 million | Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur | Admin-1 region capital |
| 2 | Nice | 927,000 | Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur | Populated place |
| 3 | Toulon | 357,693 | Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur | Populated place |
| 4 | Aix-en-Provence | 146,821 | Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mont Agel | 140 m | 459 ft | Europe |
Ports in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
8 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Tropez | 49.4 m | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | point_of_interest |
| 2 | Villefranche | 49.4 m | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 3 | Port Saint Louis du Rhone | 45.7 m | Small | Western Mediterranean | large vessels |
| 4 | Antibes | 45.7 m | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 5 | Cannes | 42.1 m | Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 6 | Port-de-Bouc | 34.7 m | Small | Western Mediterranean | large vessels |
| 7 | Fos | 9.1 m | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | large vessels |
| 8 | Saint-Raphael | — | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | point_of_interest |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera | 2021 | Cultural | (ii) |
Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur: Quick Answers
- Where is Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur?
- Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur is a first-level division of France, in Europe. Its mapped cities centre on 43.4158° N, 6.0012° E.
- What is the largest city in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur?
- Marseille is the largest city mapped in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, with a metropolitan population of about 1.40 million.
- How many cities are in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur?
- YearMaps maps 4 cities and towns in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, with a combined metropolitan population of about 2.83 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur?
- The highest summit mapped in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur is Mont Agel at 140 m.