44°50N 0°36W, pop (2000e) 222 000. Inland port and capital of Gironde department, SW France, on R Garonne; major port, and cultural and commercial centre for SW; 480 km/298 mi SW of Paris and 100 km/60 mi from the Atlantic; held by the English, 11541453; centre during the wars of the Fronde; temporary seat of government in 1870, 1914, and 1940; centre of wine-growing region, Médoc (N), Graves and Sauternes (S), and Entre-deux-Mers (between Garonne and Dordogne Rivers); airport; railway; archbishopric; university (1441); cathedral; shipbuilding, chemicals, wine trade (claret), oil refining, fishing; Church of St Seurin (12th15th-c), Grand Theatre (177380), Pont de Pierre (181321).
| Ville de Bordeaux | ||
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New city flag (traditional tri-crescent) |
City coat of arms | |
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Motto: Lilia sola regunt lunam undas castra leonem. "The fleur-de-lis alone rules over the moon, the waves, the castle, and the lion" |
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| Location | ||
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| Coordinates | 44°50′19″N, 00°34′42″WCoordinates: 44°50′19″N, 00°34′42″W | |
| Time Zone | CET (GMT +1) | |
| Administration | ||
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| Country | France | |
| Région | Aquitaine | |
| Département | Gironde (33) | |
| Intercommunality | Urban Community of Bordeaux | |
| Mayor |
Alain Juppé (UMP) (since 2006) |
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| City Statistics | ||
| Land area¹ | 49.36 km² | |
| Population² | 9th in France | |
| - 2004 estimate | 229,900 | |
| - Density | 4,658/km² (2004) | |
| Urban Spread | ||
| Urban Area | 1,057 km² km² (1999) | |
| - Population | 753,931 (1999) | |
| Metro Area | 3,875.2 km² km² (1999) | |
| - Population | 525,253 (1999) over 1 million (est. | |
Bordeaux (help·info) (in Gascon: Bordèu) is a port city in the south-west of France, with 925,253 inhabitants in the metropolitan area at the 1999 census, now an estimated one million inhabitants in 2006.
Bordeaux wine draws its name from the city around which it has been produced since the 8th century.
Geography
Bordeaux is located near the European Atlantic coast, in the southwest of France and in the north of the Aquitaine region.
Demographics
At the 1999 census, there were 215,363 inhabitants in the city (commune) of Bordeaux.
History
For the ecclesiastical history, see Archbishopric of BordeauxBordeaux was originally inhabited by homo neanderthalensis at a famous cave known as Pair-non-Pair between 30,000 and 90,000 years B.P., near Bourg sur Gironde, which is just north of Bordeaux.
From the 12th to the 15th century, Bordeaux was part of the English realm, following the marriage of Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine with the French-speaking Count Henri Plantagenet, born in Le Mans, who became, within months of their wedding, King Henry II of England.
Economy
Wine
Main article : Bordeaux wineBordeaux is the world's wine capital, with about 117 000 hectares of vineyards, 57 appellations, 9,000 wine-producing châteaux, 13,000 grape growers, 400 traders and sales of 14.5 billion euros annually.
Both red and white wines are made in Bordeaux.
Red Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes and may be made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and, less commonly in recent years, Carmenere.
The Bordeaux wine region is divided into subregions including Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Médoc, and Graves. The area's five 'premier cru' (first growth) red wines (four from Médoc and one, Chateau Haut-Brion, from Graves), established by the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 are among the most expensive wines in the world: The first growths are:
Château Lafite-Rothschild Château Margaux Château Latour Château Haut-Brion Château Mouton-RothschildSauternes is a subregion of Graves known for its intensely sweet, white, dessert wines such as Chateau d'Yquem.
Aeronautics
20 000 people work for the aeronautic industry in Bordeaux.
Tourism
Tourism is a fast growing industry in Bordeaux.
List of major companies settled in Bordeaux
Dassault EADS composites EADS Sogerma EADS Space Transportation SNECMA SNPE Thales Group LU Marie Brizard Ricard William Pitters Ford Solectron LECTRA SMURFIT Sanofi Aventis McKesson Arena (swimwear) Oxbow (sportswear) In-Fusio CDiscountEducation
University
The university was created by the archbishop Pey Berland and was removed under the French revolution in 1793, before reappearing in 1808 with Napoleon I. The University of Bordeaux is divided into four:
The University Bordeaux 1 (Sciences and Technologies), 10693 students in 2002.Engineering schools :
École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers École d'ingénieurs en modélisation mathématique et mécanique École nationale supérieure d'électronique, informatique, radiocommunications de Bordeaux École supérieure de technologie des biomolécules de Bordeaux École nationale d'ingénieurs des travaux agricoles de Bordeaux École nationale supérieure de chimie et physique de Bordeaux Institut des sciences et techniques des aliments de Bordeaux Institut de cognitique École supérieure d'informatique École privée des sciences informatiquesBusiness and management schools :
Bordeaux école de management (Bordeaux Management school) EBP International Institut des hautes études économiques et commerciales École de commerce européenneOther :
Institut d'études politiques de Bordeaux (Institute of political sciences) École nationale de la magistrature (National school for Magistrate) École du service de santé des armées École d'architecture et de paysage de Bordeaux École des beaux-arts de Bordeaux École française des attachés de presse et des professionels de la communication (EFAP) Conservatoire national des arts et métiers d'Aquitaine (CNAM)Culture
Bordeaux is classified "City of Art and History".
An architectural jewel
Bordeaux is home to one of Europe's biggest 18th century architectural urban areas, making it a sought-after destination for tourists and cinema production crews.
List of Landmarks and Monuments :
Esplanade des Quinconces Colonnes des Girondins Grand Théâtre Allées de Tourny Cours de l'Intendance Place du Chapelet Pont de Pierre Saint-André Cathedral (Exterior: ) Tour Pey-Berland Sainte-Croix Church (Exterior: ) Saint-Michel Basilica (Entrance: ) Saint-Seurin Basilica Palais Rohan (Exterior: ) Palais Gallien Porte Cailhau La Grosse Cloche Eglise Saint-Eloi Place de la Bourse Place du Parlement Place Saint-Pierre Rue Sainte-CatherineSaint-André Cathedral, Saint-Michel Basilica and Saint-Seurin Basilica are part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.
Museums
Musée des Beaux Arts Musée d'Aquitaine Musée des Arts Décoratifs Musée D'Histoire Naturelle CAPC Musée National des Doines French Cruiser Colbert Vinorama Musée Goupil Casa de Goya Cap Sciences Centre Jean MoulinIt is also the first city in France to have created, in the 1980s, an architecture exhibition and research center, Arc en rêve, still the most prestigious in France besides Paris IFA.
Cinema, Theatre and Music
Bordeaux offers a large number of cinemas, theatres and is the home of the National Opera of Bordeaux.
Transport
Road
Bordeaux is an important road and motorway junction.
Bordeaux has 4 road bridges that cross the Garonne, the Pont-de-Pierre build in the 1820s and 3 modern bridges built after 1960: the Pont Saint Jean, just south of the Pont de Pierre (both located downtown), the Pont d'Aquitaine, a suspended bridge downstream from downtown, and the Pont François Mitterrand, located upstream of downtown.
Air
Bordeaux is served by an international airport, Aéroport de Bordeaux Mérignac, located 8km from the city center in the suburban city of Mérignac.
Trams, buses and boats
Bordeaux has an important public transport system called TBC. Lima, Peru, since 1957 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, since 1962 Munich, Germany, since 1964 Los Angeles, United States, since 1968 Porto, Portugal, since 1978 Fukuoka, Japan, since 1982 Madrid, Spain, since 1984 Ashdod, Israel, since 1984 Casablanca, Morocco, since 1988 Wuhan, China, since 1998 Oran, Algeria, since 2003
Partnerships
Saint Petersburg, Russia, since 1992 Kraków, Poland, since 1993Sources and external links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: BordeauxBordeaux travel guide from Wikitravel
Bordeaux city council website Tourist office website Official Girondins de Bordeaux website Sciences Po Bordeaux Tram and bus maps and schedules Virtual tours in Bordeaux (bordeaux by night, cathédrale Saint-André, Eglise Saint-Pierre, Parc floral ...) by BLUEphotographie Aerial photography in Bordeaux by BLUEphotographie Préfectures of départements of France Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain) • Laon (Aisne) • Moulins (Allier • Digne-les-Bains (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) • Gap (Hautes-Alpes) • Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) • Privas (Ardeche) • Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes) • Foix (Ariège) • Troyes (Aube) • Carcassonne (Aude) • Rodez (Aveyron) • Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) • Caen (Calvados) • Aurillac (Cantal) • Angoulême (Charente) • La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) • Bourges (Cher) • Tulle (Corrèze) • Ajaccio (corse-du-Sud) • Bastia (Haute-Corse) • Dijon (Côte-d'Or) • Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor) • Guéret (Creuse) • Périgueux (Dordogne) • Besançon (Doubs) • Valence (Drôme) • Évreux (Eure) • Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) • Quimper (Finistère) • Nîmes (Gard) • Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) • Auch (Gers) • Bordeaux (Gironde) • Montpellier (Hérault) • Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) • Châteauroux (Indre) • Tours (Indre-et-Loire) • Grenoble (Isère) • Lons-le-Saunier (Jura) • Mont-de-Marsan (Landes) • Blois (Loir-et-Cher) • Saint-Étienne (Loire) • Le Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire) • Nantes (Loire-Atlantique) - Orléans (Loiret) • Cahors (Lot) • Agen (Lot-et-Garonne) • Mende (Lozère) • Angers (Maine-et-Loire) • Saint-Lô (Manche) • Châlons-en-Champagne (Marne) • Chaumont (Haute-Marne) - Laval (Mayenne) • Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle) • Bar-le-Duc (Meuse) • Vannes (Morbihan) • Metz (Moselle) • Nevers (Nièvre) • Lille (Nord) • Beauvais (Oise) • Alençon (Orne) • Calais (Pas-de-Calais) • Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme) • Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) • Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées) • Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) • Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin) • Colmar (Haut-Rhin) • Lyon (Rhône) • Vesoul (Haute-Saône) • Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire) • Le Mans (Sarthe) • Chambéry (Savoie) • Annecy (Haute-Savoie) • Paris (Paris) • Rouen (Seine-Maritime) • Melun (Seine-et-Marne) • Versailles (Yvelines) • Niort (Deux-Sèvres) • Amiens (Somme) • Albi (Tarn) • Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne) • Toulon (Var) • Avignon (Vaucluse) • La Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée) • Poitiers (Vienne) • Limoges (Haute-Vienne) • Épinal (Vosges) • Auxerre (Yonne) • Belfort (Territoire de Belfort) - Évry (Essonne) - Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) • Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis) • Créteil (Val-de-Marne) • Cergy (Val-d'Oise)
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Cayenne (French Guiana) • Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe) • Fort-de-France (Martinique) • Saint-Denis (Réunion)
Overseas Régions:
Cayenne (French Guiana) • Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe) • Fort-de-France (Martinique) • Saint-Denis (Réunion)
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