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Home > Travel France > France Destinations > Nice
Nice
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 kilometres, 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.
Nice is a city in southern France located on the Mediterranean coast, between Marseille and Genoa, with 933,080 inhabitants in the metropolitan area at the 1999 census. The city is a major tourist center and a leading resort on the French Riviera. The land area is 71.92 square kilometers, and density is 4,826 square kilometers in 2004. Population of the city at the 2004 estimation was 347,100. Nice is located in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region, Nice is a commune and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departement.
Nice was founded in the fifth century BC, Before Christ by the Greeks of assilia and received the name of Nikaia in honor of a victory over the neighbouring Ligurians. It soon became one of the busiest trading stations on the Ligurian coast, but as a city it had an important rival in the Roman town of Cemenelum, which continued to exist as a separate city till the time of the Lombard invasions, and has left its ruins at Cimiez, which is now a quarter of Nice.
Nice has a distinct culture due to its unique history. The local language Nicard is an Occitan dialect, still spoken by a minority. Strong Italian and Corsican influences make it less unintelligible than other non-extinct Provencal dialects that exist around. Local food culture, which includes pissaladiere, a pie with onions and anchovies paste, socca, a kind of pancake made from chickpea flour, bouillabaisse and fish soup, Stockfish, farcis nicois, vegetables stuffed with breadcrumbs and salade nicoise, a tomato salad with green peppers of the Corne breed, baked eggs, tuna or anchovies and olives. As it is often regarded as among the most beautiful parts of France, it is one of the most visited places amongst the most die-hard travelers the world over.
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