Marseille

Marseilles redirects here. There is also Marseilles, Illinois.

Ville de Marseille
Traditional city flag Traditional coat of arms
City Motto: Actibus immensis urbs fulget Massiliensis.
(Latin: By her great deeds, Marseille shines in the world)
City proper(commune)
Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Département Bouches-du-Rhône (13)
Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin
(UMP) (since 1995)
Area 240.62 km²
Subdivisions 16 arrondissements
(in 8 secteurs)
Population
2004 estimate
1999 census		(Ranked 2nd)
795,600
798,430
Density 3,318/km² (1999)
Metropolitan area(Aire urbaine)
Communes 82 (1999)
Area 2,830.2 km² (1999)
Population
1999 census		(Ranked 3rd)
1,516,340
Yearly growth +0.46 %
Density 536/km² (1999)
Intercommunality
  - president
Urban Community of Marseille Provence Métropole
Jean-Claude Gaudin
(UMP) (since 2000)
Miscellaneous
Twin cities Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
Antwerp (Belgium)
Copenhagen (Denmark)
Dakar (Senegal)
Genoa (Italy)
Haifa (Israel)
Hamburg (Germany)
Kobe (Japan)
Odessa (Ukraine)
Piraeus (Greece)
Marrakech (Morocco)
Shanghai (China)

Marseille (English alternate spelling Marseilles) (pronounced /maʀsɛj/ in standard French, /mɑxˈsɛjɐ/ in local Marseilles accent) (Provençal: Marsiho or Marsilha, both pronounced /maɾˈsijɐ/) is the second largest city in France and the third metropolitan area, with 1,516,340 inhabitants at the 1999 census. Located in the former province of Provence and on the Mediterranean Sea, it is France's largest commercial port and the largest in the Mediterranean.

Marseille is the Capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région, as well as the Préfecture (Capital) of the Bouches-du-Rhône département.

History

Marseille was founded in 600 BC by Phocaean Greeks as a trading port under the name Μασσαλία (Massalia; see also List of traditional Greek place names). It was overrun by Celts and then conquered by the Romans. During the Roman times, it was called Massilia. In 1934 Alexander I of Yugoslavia arrived at the port to meet with the French foreign minister Louis Barthou. He was assassinated there by Vlada Georgieff who hated Alexander's refusal to recognise Croatia as a separate state.

Economy

Marseilles' harbor is the biggest of the country, and one of the most important of the Mediterranean Sea.

Administration

Marseille is divided into 16 municipal arrondissements, which are themselves divided into quartiers (111 in total). The arrondissements are regrouped in pairs into sectors, and 8 sectors have a council and a town hall, like the arrondissements in Paris and in Lyon.

The municipal elections are carried out by sector. Each sector elects its councillors (303 in total), one third of which are muncipal councillors.

Number of councilors elected by sector:

Sector12345678Total
Sector councilors22 16 22 30 30 26 32 24202
Municipal councilors11 8 12 13 15 13 16 12100
Total number of elected officials33 24 33 42 45 39 48 36303

The last mayors of Marseille :

The Sector Mayors :

  • 1st sector (1st and 7th arrondissements): Jean Roatta (Representative) UMP
  • 2nd sector (2nd and 3re arrondissements): Lisette Narducci (General Councilor) PS
  • 3rd sector (4th and 5th arrondissements): Bruno Gilles (representative) UMP
  • 4th sector (6th and 8th arrondissements): Dominique Tian (representative) UMP
  • 5th sector (9th and 10th arrondissements): Guy Teissier (representative) UMP
  • 6th sector (11th and 12th arrondissements): Roland Blum (representative) UMP
  • 7th sector (13th and 14th arrondissements): Garo Hovsepian PS
  • 8th sector (15th and 16th arrondissements): Frédéric Dutoit (representative) PCF

The cantons of Marseille :

Marseille holds 25 of the 58 seats at the general council of the Bouches-du-Rhône. Since the last election, these 25 cantons are held by the following councilors:

  • Marseille-La,Belle-de-Mai (pop. 25,878); General Councilor: Lisette Narducci PS (Mayor of the 2ème sector de Marseille)
  • Marseille-Belsunce (pop. 27,992); General Councilor: Fortuné Sportiello PS
  • Marseille-La,Blancarde (pop. 30,168); General Councilor Maurice Di Nocera UDF
  • Marseille-Le,Camas (pop. 27,506); General Councilor: Antoine Rouzaud PS (Municipal councilor of Marseille)
  • Marseille-La,Capelette (pop. 34,292); General Councilor: Janine Ecochard PS
  • Marseille-Les,Cinq-Avenues (pop. 29,846); General Councilor: Marie-Arlette Carlotti PS (Representative européenne)
  • Marseille-Les,Grands-Carmes (pop. 29,060); General Councilor: Jean-Noël Guerini PS (Sénateur, Président du Conseil Général, Municipal councilor of Marseille)
  • Marseille-Mazargues (pop. 35,890); General Councilor: Didier Réault UMP
  • Marseille-Montolivet (pop. 33,644); General Councilor: Maurice Rey UMP
  • Marseille-Notre-Dame-du-Mont (pop. 31,107); General Councilor: Jocelyn Zeitoun PS
  • Marseille-Notre-Dame-Limite (pop. 33,472); General Councilor: Joël Dutto PCF
  • Marseille-Les,Olives (pop. 27,052); General Councilor: Marius Masse PS
  • Marseille-La,Pointe-Rouge (pop. 31,116); General Councilor: Richard Miron UMP
  • Marseille-La,Pomme (pop. 38,701); General Councilor: René Olmeta PS (Municipal councilor of Marseille)
  • Marseille-La,Rose (pop. 33,206); General Councilor: Félix Weygand PS
  • Marseille-Saint-Barthélemy (pop. 37,629); General Councilor: Denis Rossi PS (Municipal councilor of Marseille)
  • Marseille-Sainte-Marguerite (pop. 36,868); General Councilor: Didier Garnier UMP
  • Marseille-Saint-Giniez (pop. 34,621); General Councilor: Martine Vassal UMP (Adjointe au Maire de Marseille)
  • Marseille-Saint-Just (pop. 32,749); General Councilor: Michel Pezet PS (Municipal councilor of Marseille)
  • Marseille-Saint-Lambert (pop. 26,218); General Councilor: Robert Assante UMP (Adjoint au Maire de Marseille)
  • Marseille-Saint-Marcel (pop. 29,981); General Councilor: Jean Bonat PS (Municipal councilor of Marseille)
  • Marseille-Saint-Mauront (pop. 40,392); General Councilor: Jeanine Porte PCF
  • Marseille-Les,Trois,Lucs (pop. 25,324); General Councilor: Christophe Masse PS (Representative)
  • Marseille-Vauban (pop. 29,668); General Councilor: André Malrait UMP
  • Marseille-Verduron (pop. 35,752). General Councilor: Henri Jibrayel PS

Culture

The French National anthem "La Marseillaise" is named for the Revolutionary troops from Marseille.

The most widely circulated Tarot deck comes from Marseille; it is called the Tarot de Marseille, and was used to play the local variant of Tarocchi before it came to the notice of people who used it in Cartomancy.

Music

Demographics

Approximately 25 per cent of Marseille’s population is of North African origin, mostly Algerian, and Tunisian. Demographers estimate that in the future, Marseille will be the first city in Europe with an population that is a Muslim majority. The Jewish community is also the third largest in Europe.

Sights

Transportation

The metro is a rubber-tiredtrain.

Marseille is served by the Aéroport de Marseille Provence, located in Marignane.

Miscellaneous

The city's main football club is Olympique de Marseille, UEFA Champions League winner in 1993 but tainted by the 1990s Match fixing scandal by then-owner Bernard Tapie.

Births

Marseille was the birthplace of:

Deaths

Movies set in Marseille

See also

Mary Mallon   Index

This page is based on the Wikipedia article ''Marseille''. It is licensed under the GNU free documentation license.

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