Nice is the fifth most populated city in France and the administrative center of the département of Alpes Maritimes. Nice’s urban area extends beyond the official city borders, with a population of around one million people living over an area of 721 km2 (278 sq mi). Nice is the second-largest French city on the Mediterranean coast and the second-largest city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region after Marseille, and is located on the Côte d’Azur on the south east coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea. Nice lies about 13 kilometers (8 miles) from the principality of Monaco, and its airport serves as a gateway to the principality.
Nice la Belle (Nissa La Bella in Niçard), which meaning Nice the Beautiful, is also the title of the city’s unofficial song, penned by Menica Rondelly in 1912.
Terra Amata, an archaeological site in today’s Nice, includes evidence of a very early usage of fire. Around 350 BC, Greeks from Marseille established a permanent town and named it Nikaia after the goddess of victory, Nike. The town has changed hands several times throughout the centuries. Its strategic position and port contributed considerably to its nautical strength. It was a dominion of Savoy for centuries until being a part of France between 1792 and 1815, when it was restored to Piedmont-Sardinia until its reannexation by France in 1860.
The natural beauty of the Nice region, as well as its moderate Mediterranean temperature, attracted the interest of the English upper classes in the second half of the 18th century, when a growing number of aristocratic families began to spend their winters there. The Promenade des Anglais (“Walkway of the English”), the city’s major beachfront promenade, gets its name from tourists to the resort. For decades, the lovely Nicean environs have drawn not just those looking for pleasure, but also those looking for inspiration. Some of Western culture’s most famous artists, including Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Arman, have been drawn to the area’s pure air and gentle light. Many of the city’s museums, notably the Musée Marc Chagall, Musée Matisse, and Musée des Beaux-Arts, honor their work. Nice has the country’s second highest hotel capacity and is one of its most visited cities, getting 4 million visitors each year. It also hosts France’s third busiest airport, behind the two major Paris airports. It is the historical capital of the Nice County (Comté de Nice).