Bouches-du-Rhône is a French département. Located in the south of France, it was formerly part of the province of Provence.

Bouches-du-Rhône

Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
Number	13
Préfecture	Marseille
Sous-préfectures	Aix en Provence, Arles, Istres
Area  - Total  - % water	5,255 km² xx%
Population  - Total (1999)  - Density	1,835,719 349/km²

Table of contents

1 History 2 Geography 3 Economy 4 Demographics 5 Culture 6 Miscellaneous topics 7 External links

History

Marseille has been a harbor since classical times.

Geography

The Bouches-du-Rhône département is surrounded by the Gard (west), Vaucluse (north), and Var (east) départements, and by the Mediterranean Sea (south).

Other significant cities include: Fos sur Mer, La Ciotat, Martigues

Rivers include:

• the Rhône, which marks the border with the Gard département.

See also: Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône département

Economy

Demographics

Culture

Touristic highlights include:

• Cities of Marseille and Aix en Provence
• Roman and Romanesque monuments of Arles, UNESCO World Heritage Site
• The Camargue and the city of Saintes Maries de la Mer
• Alphonse Daudet's Mill in Fontvieille
• Les Baux de Provence, medieval village
• Tarascon, medieval castle and church

Historically, Provençal, a form of the Occitan language, was spoken in the area.

Miscellaneous topics

External links

• Conseil General's (département's governing body) website: http://www.cg13.fr/ (in French)\n