Marseille is the second-most populous city in France, after Paris , with , inhabitants in Founded c. In particular, it experienced a considerable commercial boom during the colonial period and especially during the 19th century, becoming a prosperous industrial and trading city.
Nowadays the Old Port still lies at the heart of the city, where the manufacture of Marseille soap began some six centuries ago. Inherited from this past, the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille GPMM and the maritime economy are major poles of regional and national activity and Marseille remains the first French port, the second Mediterranean port and the fifth European port.
In Europe, the city has the third largest Jewish community after London and Paris. As a result, Marseille now has the most museums in France after Paris. Home of the association football club Olympique de Marseille , one of the most successful and widely supported clubs in France, Marseille has also hosted matches at the World Cup and Euro It is also home to several higher education institutions in the region, including the University of Aix-Marseille.
A resident of Marseille is a Marseillais. The name of Marseille is of unknown ultimate origin, but it is thought it may come from Ancient Ligurian , which was the local language before the arrival of the Greeks. Forms of the name include:. Marseille is the third-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris and Lyon. To the east, starting in the small fishing village of Callelongue on the outskirts of Marseille and stretching as far as Cassis , are the Calanques , a rugged coastal area interspersed with small fjord -like inlets.
Farther east still are the Sainte-Baume a 1, m 3, ft mountain ridge rising from a forest of deciduous trees , the city of Toulon and the French Riviera. To the north of Marseille, beyond the low Garlaban and Etoile mountain ranges , is the 1, m 3, ft Mont Sainte Victoire. To the south east of central Marseille in the 6th arrondissement are the Prefecture and the monumental fountain of Place Castellane, an important bus and metro interchange.
