French PresentationOn

Marseille, France• Located in southeastern France, Marseille has evolved over the

course of its 2,500-year history to become France's second-largest city with a metropolitan population exceeding 1,200,000 people.

• As the leading commercial port on the Mediterranean, the city's economy is anchored by trade.

• The heart of the city is Vieux Port, where visitors go to glimpse the bustling activity along streets such as La Canebière.

• Even with its rich history that dates back to the days of ancient Greece, Marseille is a modern, cosmopolitan city that offers fabulous restaurants, a variety of theaters, an international soccer stadium, nightclubs, and more than 20 museums.

• Popular tourist sites include the ancient district of Le Panier, Palais de Longchamp, Cathédrale de la Major, Jardin des Vestiges, and the 19th-century Notre-Dame de la Garde.

History• Marseille, which can be called the oldest city in France, was founded in 600

BC by Greeks from Phocaea as a trading port under the name Μασσαλία (Massalia).

• During Roman times the city was called Massilia. It was the home port of Pytheas. Most of the archaeological remnants of the original Greek settlement were replaced by later Roman additions.

• It was during this time that Christianity first appeared in Marseille, as evidenced by catacombs above the harbour and records of Roman martyrs. According to provencal tradition, Mary Magdalen evangelised Marseille with her brother Lazarus. The diocese of Marseille was set up in the 1st century (it became the Archdiocese of Marseille in 1948).

• Marseille was united with Provence in 1481 and then incorporated in France, but soon acquired a reputation for rebelling against the central government.

• Over the course of the 18th century, the port's defences were improved and Marseille became more important as France's leading military port in the Mediterranean.

• In 1720, the last Great Plague of Marseille, a form of the Black Death, killed 100,000 people in the city and the surrounding provinces.

• During the 19th century the city was the site of industrial innovations and a growth in manufacturing.

• The rise of the French Empire and the conquests of France from 1830 onward (notably Algeria) stimulated the maritime trade and raised the prosperity of the city.

• During the first half of the 20th century, Marseille celebrated its 'port of the empire' status through the colonial exhibitions of 1906 and 1922; the monumental staircase of the railway station, glorifying French colonial conquests, dates from then.

• During the Second World War, Marseille was bombed by the German and the Italian forces in 1940. The city was occupied by Germans from November 1942 to August 1944. The Old Port was bombed in 1944 by the Allies to prepare for liberation of France.

• From the 1950s onward, the city served as an entrance port for over a million immigrants to France.

• After the Oil crisis of 1973 and an Economic downturn, the city has worked to combat these problems, and through plans from the AT in Paris and funds from the European Union the city has developed a modern and advanced economy based on high technology manufacturing, oil refining and service sector employment.

Climate

• Marseille has a Mediterranean climate, with mild, humid winters and hot, dry summers.

• January and February are the coldest months, averaging temperatures of around 8 to 9 °C (48 °F).

• July and August are the hottest months. The mean summer temperature is around 23 to 24 °C (75 °F).

• In July the average maximum temperature is around 30 °C (86 °F).• Marseille is known for the Mistral, a harsh cold wind originating in

the Rhône valley that occurs mostly in winter and spring. • Less frequent is the Sirocco, a hot sand-bearing wind, coming from

the Sahara Desert.

• There are the countless cultural and historic attractions that truly make this city the place that it is.

GeographyMarseille Population

Culture• Marseille has been designated as European Capital of Culture in 2010.• Marseille art, culture and entertainment are highly influenced by French

tradition and culture. • Marseille happens to be the center of entertainment with its innumerable

bars, cinemas, theatres, clubs and various places of interest. Marseille is proud of its literature and arts as many notable French writers and poets were born here. Some of them are Edmond Rostand, Valere Bernard, Andre Roussin and Pierre Bertas.

• Marseille has a large number of theatres, including la Criée, le Gymnase and the Théâtre Toursky.

• Marseille has also been important in the arts. • It has been the birth place and home of many French writers and poets,

including Victor Gélu, Valère Bernard, Pierre Bertas, Edmond Rostand and André Roussin.

• Another local tradition is the making of santons, small hand-crafted figurines for the traditional Provençal Christmas creche.

Hip hop music

• Marseille is also well known in France for its hip hop music. Bands like IAM iginated from Marseille and initiated the rap phenomenon in France. Other known groups include Fonky Family, 3ème Oeil, and Psy4 de la rime.

Gastronomy• Fish soup with rouille.• Panisse, a pastry made from chickpea flour• Swordfish in olive oil with ratatouille and saffron rice• Pastis, an alcoholic beverage made with aniseed and spice, is extremely

popul r in the region• Bouillabaisse, a fish soup containing assorted shellfish, fish and vegetables,

served with rouille, toasted bread (croûtes) and often grated cheese.

Films set in Marseille• Marseille has been the setting for many films, produced mostly in France

or Hollywood.

Economy• The economy of Marseille is dominated by the New Port, which lies

north of the Old Port, a commercial container port and a transport port for the Mediterranean sea.

• Marseille is a major French centre for trade and industry, with excellent transportation infrastructure. Marseille Provence Airport, is the fourth largest in France. It is the main arrival base for millions of tourists.

• Petroleum refining and shipbuilding are the principal industries, but soap, glass, sugar, building materials, are also important products.The city also serves as France's leading centre of oil refining.

• The Marseille region is home to thousands of companies, 90% of which are small businesses. Among the most famous ones are container-shipping giant;Compagnie maritime d'expertises (Comex).

• In recent years, the city has also experienced a large growth in service sector employment and switch from light manufacturing to high-tech economy

• Marseille acts as a regional nexus for entertainment in the south of France and has a high concentration of museums, cinemas, theaters, clubs, bars, restaurants, fashion shops, hotels, and art galleries, all geared towards a tourist economy.

Employment• Unemployment in the economy fell from 20% in 1995 to 14% in

2004.Marseille unemployment rate remains higher than the national average.

Education

• Marseille has a systematic way of educating the students of all ages. Education starts at an early age of 3 years.

• In Marseille, the pattern of education is very systematic. There are many primary schools, colleges and reputed universities in Marseille that offer quality.

• In the Nursery stage, the children are taught French, Mathematics, Art, and Music.

• University education starts for the students of Marseille after they attain 19 years of age. In the university level, some courses are made available as distance education. University education at Marseille is highly developed.

Transport• The city is served by an international airport, Marseille Provence

Airport, located in Marignane. The airport has two terminals. Terminal one, the main terminal of the airport contains halls 1,2,3 and 4 and serves as a base for French and international arrivals and departures.

• A shuttle coach system operates between the airport and the railway station, Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles.

• An extensive network of motorways connects Marseille to the north and west (A7), Aix-en-Provence in the north (A51), Toulon (A50) and the French Riviera (A8) to the east.

• Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles is Marseille's main railway station. It operates direct regional services to Aix-en-Provence, Briançon, Toulon, Avignon, Nice, Montpellier, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, etc. Gare Saint-Charles is also one of the main terminal stations for the TGV in the south of France making Marseille reachable in three hours from Paris (a distance of over 750 km) and just over one and a half hours from Lyon.

• Marseille has a large ferry terminal, the Gare Maritime, with services to Corsica,Sardinia, Algeria and Tunisia. A free ferry service on a quite different scale operates between the two opposite quays of the Old Port .

• There is a new long distance bus station adjacent to new modern extension to the Gare Saint-Charles with destinations mostly to other Bouches-du-Rhône towns, including buses to Aix-en-Provence, Cassis, La Ciotat and Aubagne.

• Marseille itself is connected by the Marseille Métro train system operated by theRégie des transports de Marseille (RTM). It consists of two lines: Line 1 (blue) between Castellane and La Rose opened in 1977 and Line 2 (red) between Sainte-Marguerite-Dromel and Bougainville opened between 1984 and 1987.

• As in many other French cities, a short-term bicycle hire scheme nicknamed "Le vélo", free for trips of less than half an hour, has recently been put in place by the city council.

Attraction• Marseille is listed as a major centre of art and history. The city has

many museums and galleries and there are many ancient buildings and churches of historical interest.

• Most of the attractions of Marseille (including shopping areas) are located in the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th arrondissements.

• The natural beauty of Marseille is perhaps what first draws people to attention. It is not just the crystalline blue Mediterranean Sea, the rocky, limestone cliffs and inlets, and the alluring Frioul Islands, but neighboring areas like Cassis and Toulon, Aix-en-Provence, and theLuberon.

• From 6,000-foot mountain peaks, glacial inlets, and picturesque lakes and deltas, to cobblestone roads, centuries-old cafes and restaurants, and the Marseille Harbor, there is an inspiring vantage point around every corner.

• The Basilique  du  Notre  Dame  de  la  Garde, the Palais  Longchamp, the Parc  Borely, and the Chateau d’If are just a few of the top attractions that draw people in the hundreds of thousands to Marseille each and every year. The city blends distinctive cultural heritage and tradition with the unparalleled beauty of its geographical location to offer tourists from around the world a first class, and unforgettable experience on the Mediterranean Sea.

Administration• Marseille is divided into 16 municipal arrondissements, which are

themselves informally divided into quartiers (111 in total). The arrondissements are regrouped in pairs, into 8 secteurs, each with a mayor and council (like the arrondissements in Paris and Lyon).

• Municipal elections are held every six years and are carried out by secteur. There are 303 councillors in total, two thirds sitting in the secteur councils and one third in the city council.

• From 1950 to the mid 1990s, Marseille was a socialist and communist stronghold. The socialist Gaston Defferre was consecutively re-elected six times as Mayor of Marseille from 1953 until his death in 1986. He was succeeded by Robert Vigouroux of the RDSE. Jean-Claude Gaudin of the right-wing UMP was elected mayor in 1995. Gaudin won re-election in 2001 and 2008.

• In recent years, the Communist Party has lost most of its strength in the northern boroughs of the city, whereas the far-right National Front has received significant support.

• At the last municipal election in 2008, Marseille was divided between the northern boroughs dominated by the left and the more affluent southern Marseille, dominated by the right, with the centre and eastern parts of the city as battlegrounds, allowing for a narrow re-election of the UMP administration.

THE CANTONS OF MARSEILLE :

• Marseille is also divided in 25 cantons, each of them returning a member of the General Council of the Bouches-du-Rhône département.

Sports • The city boasts a wide variety of sports facilities and teams. The

most popular team is the city's football club, Olympique de Marseille, which was the UEFA Champions League winner in 1993 and finalist of the UEFA Cup in 1999 and 2004

• Sailing is a major sport in Marseille. The wind conditions allow exciting regattas in the warm waters of the Mediterranean. Throughout most seasons of the year it can be windy while the sea remains smooth enough to allow sailing.

• Marseille is also a place for other water sports such as windsurfing and powerboating. Marseille has three golf courses. The city has dozens of gyms and several public swimming pools. Running is also popular in many of Marseille's parks such as Le Pharo and Le Jardin Pierre Puget. An annual footrace is held between the city and neighbouring Cassis : the Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale.

Olympique de Marseille• Olympique de Marseille is a French professional football club based

in Marseille. Founded in 1899, they play in Ligue 1 and have spent most of their history in the top tier of French football.

• Marseille have been French champions nine times, and have won the Coupe de France ten times (a record) and became the first and only French club to win the UEFA Champions League in 1993.

• In 2010, Marseille became French champions again, under the stewardship of former winner of the UEFA Champions League's captain Didier Deschamps.

• Olympique de Marseille's home is the 60,031-person-capacity Stade Vélodrome football stadium in the south of the city, where they have played since 1937.In 1997, they were bought by Franco-Swiss businessman Robert Louis-Dreyfus.

• Marseille's traditional kit colours were white shirts and shorts with Dodger blue socks until 1986. Since 1986 the team is playing with white shirts, white shorts and white socks, and the blue color became lighter due to Adidas marketing.

Tanveen Raza Swarup Sagar Nitish NagarEND

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