Page "Marseille" Paragraph 2

Marseille is the second largest city in France after Paris and the centre of the third largest metropolitan area in France after Paris and Lyon.

To the east, starting in the small fishing village of Callelongue on the outskirts of Marseille and stretching as far as Cassis, are the Calanques, a rugged coastal area interspersed with small fjords.

Further east still are the Sainte-Baume, a mountain ridge rising from a forest of deciduous trees, the town of Toulon and the French Riviera.

To the north of Marseille, beyond the low Garlaban and Etoile mountain ranges, is the Mont Sainte Victoire.

To the west of Marseille is the former artists ' colony of l ' Estaque ; further west are the Côte Bleue, the Gulf of Lion and the Camargue region in the Rhône delta.

The airport lies to the north west of the city at Marignane on the Étang de Berre.