Bordeaux ( bor-DOH, French: [bɔʁdo] (listen); Gascon Occitan: Bordèu [buɾˈðɛw]) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France.
The municipality (commune) of Bordeaux proper has a population of 257,804 (2019). Bordeaux is the centre of Bordeaux Métropole that has a population of 796,273 (2019), the sixth-largest in France after Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse and Lille with its immediate suburbs and closest satellite towns. The larger metropolitan area has a population of 1,247,977 (2017). It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department. Its inhabitants are called "Bordelais" (for men) or "Bordelaises" (women). The term "Bordelais" may also refer to the city and its surrounding region. Crossed by the Garonne River and bordering the Atlantic Coast, the metropolis, a perfect example of the Age of Enlightment, has been showcasing since the 18th century its blond and golden facades, its courtyards and monumental squares, as well as its lively streets accompanied by its French-style gardens.
Bordeaux is a world capital of wine, with its castles and vineyards of the Bordeaux region that stand on the hillsides of the Gironde and is home to the world's main wine fair, Vinexpo. Bordeaux is also one of the centers of gastronomy and business tourism for the organization of international congresses. It is a central and strategic hub for the aeronautics, military and space sector, home to international companies such as Dassault Aviation, Ariane Group, Safran and Thalès. The link with aviation dates back to 1910, the year the first airplane flew over the city. A crossroads of knowledge through university research, it is home to one of the only two megajoule lasers in the world, as well as a university population of nearly 100,000 students within the Bordeaux metropolis.
Bordeaux is an international tourist destination for its architectural and cultural heritage with more than 350 historic monuments, making it, after Paris, the city with the most listed or registered monuments in France. The "Pearl of Aquitaine" has been voted European Destination of the year in a 2015 online poll. The metropolis has also received awards and rankings by international organizations such as in 1957, Bordeaux was awarded the Europe Prize for its efforts in transmitting the European ideal. And in June 2007, with more than 1,810 hectares, it is the largest protected city in the world, with the inscription of the Port of the Moon by the World Heritage Committee, designated by the UNESCO General Assembly, on the World Heritage List for its ensemble of cultural and natural properties of exceptional interest for the common heritage of humanity. Bordeaux is also ranked as a Sufficiency city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
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