Marseille (traditionally Marseilles in English) is the second largest city in France and the third metropolitan area. It is France's largest commercial port. Marseille is the capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région, as well as the capital of the Bouches-du-Rhône département.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Population: 800,000
• Has large North African immigrant population
• One of Europe's busiest ports and a major industrial center on shore of Mediterranean, not far from Rhone river delta
• Port gained importance with completion of Suez Canal in 1869

SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

• Château d'If, built on a small island just off the coast of Marseille, this 16th-century château was originally built to protect the city from invasion but soon become a famous prison that once held the Count of Monte Cristo
• 19th-century Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde
• Has large North African immigrant population
• Vieux Port, Marseille's old port, once a great commercial center for boats arriving from Africa