Marseille, France's second-largest city, has one of the largestcontainer ports in the country. It prides itself on being France's oldest city, founded by Greek settlers fromPhocaea around 600 BC.[3] Bouches-du-Rhône is the most populous department of theProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azurregion, with 2,043,110 inhabitants as of 2019.[4] It has an area of 5,087 km2 (1,964 sq mi). ItsINSEE and postal code is 13.
A view of Marseille, prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône
The history of the area is closely linked to that ofProvence. Marseille has been an important harbour since beforeJulius Caesar's conquest ofGaul. The Roman presence left numerous monuments across the department. Notable people born in the area include Romantic painterCamille Roqueplan and his brother, journalist and theatre directorNestor Roqueplan.
Bouches-du-Rhône is one of the original 83 departments created during theFrench Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the western part of theformer province of Provence and the principalities ofOrange,Martigues andLambesc. It lost part of its territory in 1793, including Orange andApt, when the department ofVaucluse was created.
Following its creation, the department strongly supported the French Revolution, containing 90Jacobin Clubs by 1794.[5] It was also noteworthy that more than half of the priests in the department accepted theCivil Constitution of the Clergy, which in effect subordinated the church to the government.[6]
The department is part of the currentregion ofProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It is surrounded by the departments ofGard on the west,Vaucluse on the north andVar on the east, as well as by theMediterranean Sea on the south. TheRhône river delta forms a vast swampy wetlands area called theCamargue in the southwestern part of the department. TheRove Tunnel, the world's longest canal tunnel from Marseille to theÉtang de Berre, as well as smaller canals further west, allowed for waterway transport from Marseille to the Rhône until 1963, when the Rove Tunnel closed to traffic.
Bouches-du-Rhône is bordered by the rivers Rhône to the west andDurance to the north. The Rhône divides into theGrand Rhône andPetit Rhône south ofArles; the area between forms the Camargue. The principal mountains of the department are theSainte-Baume massif (1,042 metres – 3,418 feet),Montagne Sainte-Victoire (1,011 metres – 3,316 feet), theGarlaban andAlpilles massifs.
The department of Bouches-du-Rhône is also known for its seismic activity: the zone II ("average seismic activity") townships of Lambesc Peyrolles-en-Provence and Salon-de-Provence are the most exposed.
Seismic risk in the department
Areas Ib ("low seismic activity") including the cantons of Aix-en-Provence, Trets Eyguières, Orgon, Berre-Pond, Istres, Istres-North and South, and Ia areas ("very low seismic activity") including the other cantons in the district of Aix-en-Provence, Arles-East, Châteaurenard, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Marignane, Martigues-East and Roquevaire-West, are least exposed. Zone 0 ("negligible seismic activity") includes the rest of the department.
The department has a Mediterranean climate, with contrasting temperatures within a range of 15 degrees. Precipitation is irregular, with only 65 days per year where rain falls in excess of 1 mm. However it falls in sudden downpours, with an average of 500–700 millimetres (20–28 inches) annually. This mainly happens in the spring and autumn; summer is very hot, winter mild. Violent winds are common, especially themistral, which blows 100 days per year with a maximum of 100 km/h (62 mph). The coast is drier, especially along theCôte Bleue, theCalanques and the bay ofLa Ciotat, which include some of the driest areas in France, with only 450 mm (18 in) of rain per year. Higher areas receive more precipitation and lower temperatures. TheArc region in the interior is much colder than other areas, with heavy frosts in winter.
Since Bouches-du-Rhône is one of the most populous and diverse departments of France, it has long been the scene of particularly fierce political battles. The development of theMarseille-Fos Port, the relationship maintained between France and its colonial empire, the industry around coal mining in Provence, as well as significant immigration, especially coming from Italy, from the end the 19th century and during the period between the two world wars are all factors that led to the emergence of a large and militant working class. From the late 19th century, the socialist movement gained influence, such as in 1881 by the election of the country's first socialistmember of parliament,Clovis Hugues. Rural areas, particularly in the region of Aix-en-Provence, have tended to favour the influence of right-wing parties, including monarchists and Catholics at the beginning of theFrench Third Republic. The interwar period and the time of thePopular Front marked the beginning of the dominance of the left in the department, first with the election of theFrench Section of the Workers' International (SFIO).
Map of the communes of Bouches-du-Rhône and the political majority of theirmunicipal council after the2014 municipal elections. Grey signifies no political majority.
PCF
PS
Left-wing independents
UDI
LR
Right-wing independents
After theSecond World War, the Marseillais right, linked to the underworld and who collaborated with theGerman occupation, was widely discredited. The left largely dominated theLiberation and Marseille even saw the election in 1946 of Communist MayorJean Cristofol. In 1947 the SFIO led an alliance with right and centre parties against the Communists, resulting six years later in the election ofGaston Defferre as Mayor of Marseille, a position he held until his death in 1986. The dominance of socialism was, however, challenged by deindustrialisation. The conservative success in 1995 byJean-Claude Gaudin in Marseille is a symbol of widespread political shifts while even the former communists bastions ofLa Ciotat andPort-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône voted for the right. The 1990s saw the rise of theNational Front, including its victories in municipal elections ofMarignane andVitrolles.
The department is served byMarseille Provence Airport which provides direct routes to other parts of France, Europe, northern Africa, Asia and northern America.Nice Côte d'Azur Airport is also fairly used by air travellers from the department.
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