French Riviera

As Côte d' Azur [ kod azyʁ ː ] ( German " Azure Coast", also French Riviera ) is called a section of the French Mediterranean coast. The name is a creation of the poet Stéphen Liégeard, 1887 published a book entitled La Côte d' Azur. In the English-speaking world the name French Riviera is usually used.

Location

The extent of the Côte d' Azur in the French lexicon ( " Petit Robert ", " Petit Larousse " ) defined and extends from Cassis ( near Marseille ) to Menton on the Italian border. However, some sources give Toulon, Hyères and Saint -Tropez as the western starting point. Others limit the Côte d' Azur on the coast of the department of Alpes- Maritimes. It is part of the Provence- Alpes- Côte d' Azur region with the coastal borders of the departments of Bouches -du -Rhône, Var and Alpes- Maritimes and the Principality of Monaco and thus forms the bulk of the Provençal Mediterranean coast. Landmarks are Saint- Tropez, Antibes, Cannes, Nice, Monaco and Menton.

The back country is very mountainous with the Maritime Alps, the Provençal - Nizzardischen Alps and the Massif des Maures. Characteristic of the Western Cote d' Azur are the red rocks of the coast that stretch out from the Esterel mountains to the definition by the Calanques. In the east the Alps fall at Monaco and Menton steeply into the sea and bordering the Côte d' Azur of the Italian Riviera (Liguria ) from.

Events

In addition to the residences of many prominent personalities and much more numerous retirees, it is also a popular holiday destination of the French and foreign tourists since the 18th century.

During the high season the beaches and cities are very crowded sometimes. On the coastal road often leads to traffic jams.

On February 23, 1887 area of the Côte d' Azur was hit by a strong earthquake, which killed about 2,000 people. It regularly comes to large-scale forest and bush fires, as in summer dries nature.

Climate

The Côte d' Azur is known for its pleasant Mediterranean climate. Even in the winter it can get warm on sunny days between 15 ° C and 20 ° C. In summer, temperatures rarely climb well above 30 ° C. The Côte d' Azur comes in at about 300 days of sunshine.