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Home > Travel France > France Destinations > Narbonne
Narbonne
France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and comprises various overseas islands and territories which are located in other regions. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. At 674,843 square kilometers, France is the world's 40th-largest country after Myanmar. France is a member of The European Union and Paris is the capital of this nation. The sole official language of France is French. Since prehistoric times, France has been a crossroads of trade, migrations, and invasions.
Narbonne is a town and commune of southwestern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies 849 kilometers from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sous-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about 15 kilometers from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
Modern-day Narbonne was the first Roman colony outside of Italy. It was established in Gaul in 118 BC, Before Christ as Colonia Narbo Martius. It was located on the Via Domitia, the first Roman road in Gaul, built at the time of the foundation of the colony, and connecting Italy to Spain. Geographically, Narbonne was therefore located at a very important crossroads because it was situated where the Via Domitia connected to the Via Aquitania, which led toward the Atlantic across Toulouse and Bordeaux. In addition, it was crossed by the Aude River.
Politically, Narbonne gained importance as a competitor to Marseille. Julius Caesar settled veterans from his tenth legion there and attempted to develop its port while Marseille was revolting against Roman control. Later, the provincia of southern Gaul was named Gallia Narbonensis, after the city, and Narbonne was made its capital. Seat of a powerful administration, the city enjoyed economic and architectural expansion.
It was subsequently the capital of the Visigoth province of Septimania. It was part of the Emirate of Cordoba until conquered by the Franks after which it became part of the Carolingian Viscounty of Narbonne. In the twelfth century, the court of Ermengarde of Narbonne presided over one of the cultural centers where the spirit of courtly love was developed.
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