Marseille

   Located in southern France, Marseille, the nation's second-largest city after Paris. situated on a bay on the Mediterranean coast, Marseille has a population of over 800,000. From the Old Port (Vieux-Port), the city extends upward in an irregular hemisphere of hills, with the areas of l'Étoile to the north and l'Estaque to the west. Beyond these areas is an industrial zone with the port of Fos in the west and the area of Berre, and more residential areas like Martiques. Nearby are the airports of Marignane (France's third-largest) and istres. Marseille is at one end of a metropolitan axis formed with Aix-en-Provence. The southern and central sections of Marseille have been rebuilt, and they contrast with the northern quarters, which are home to a recent immigrant population. There are vestiges of the ancient Greek and Roman city found in various areas. important buildings include the Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, on a high strip of land projecting into the bay and surmounted by a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary, and the cathedral, both of which were constructed in the 19th century in the Roman-Byzantine style. The Basilica of Saint-Victor stands over a fifth-century abbey. There are several museums including the Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology, Museum of African, Oceanic, and Amerindian Art, Cantini Museum of 20th Century Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC), and Museum of Fashion. Marseille's most famous street is La Canebière, a broad boulevard that contains the main shopping district. The noted Cité radieuse, built by le corbusier, is a residential structure. The port of Marseille-Fos is the largest in France and the third-largest in Europe for trade. The three universities of Aix-Marseille have a relationship with other colleges (physics, petrochemicals, and agrarian studies) and with the 150 research laboratories of the city (biotechnology, electronics, robotics, and artificial intelligence). Connected to Paris by the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) railway, Marseille also has an up-to-date highway infrastructure connecting with lyon, Paris, Nice, Toulouse, italy, and spain. Marseille was colonized by Greeks from Asia Minor, who called it Massalia. During the Punic Wars the city sided with Carthage and, in 44 b.c.e., it sided with Pompey against Julius Caesar. it was a site of Celtic civilization in Gaul and in the first century b.c.e. was annexed by Rome. In the fourth century c.e. the city was the site of a bishopric. Marseille's economic role later declined, but it had a revival during the Crusades. In 1481, with Provence, it was incorporated into the kingdom of France. its economic development then rivaled that of Genoa. in 1720, Marseille was decimated by the plague, but the city continued to develop until the revolution of 1789, in which it played an important role (a battalion of troops from Marseille participated in the August Days of 1792 and introduced the national anthem, "la marseillaise," to Paris). Devastated by the revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (the continental blockade), Marseille's prosperity revived following French colonial expansion and the opening of the suez Canal. The enlargement of the port began in the early 20th century and continues to the present. The city was damaged during the World War II and was liberated on August 28, 1944, by the First French Army. Many of the city's residents are descendants of immigrants from Italy, Spain, and North Africa.