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Nice

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Nice is a famous city on the southeastern coast of France. It sits right along the Mediterranean Sea at the foot of the French Alps.

Nice SPOT 1161
Nice SPOT 1161

The city is near the country of Monaco and the border of Italy. It is the second-largest city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The wider city area is quite large, about the size of Singapore.

County of nice
County of nice

People often call it "Nice the Beautiful" in the local Niçard language. This lovely name is even used in the city's unofficial anthem.

History in this area goes back much further than most people think. An archaeological site called Terra Amata shows that early people used fire there.

NiceVieuxCartier
NiceVieuxCartier

Some evidence suggests this happened as far back as 380,000 years ago. Around 350 BC, Greek settlers from Marseille founded a permanent town. They named the settlement Nikaia to honor Nike, the goddess of victory.

NIKAIA-palaisN5
NIKAIA-palaisN5

The town grew into a very busy trading port on the coast. It even had a famous rival called Cemenelum, which is now a district in Nice.

Over many centuries, the control of Nice changed many times. It was part of the County of Savoy starting in 1388.

Italy 1494
Italy 1494

Later, it became part of the French First Republic between 1792 and 1815. After that, it went back to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. Finally, France officially took control of the area in 1860. This change was decided by a vote called a plebiscite. Many people did not like this change and moved to Italy.

Les manifestations pro-italiennes à Nice du 1871
Les manifestations pro-italiennes à Nice du 1871

In the 1700s, people began to notice the mild Mediterranean climate. Wealthy families from England started visiting to spend their winters there.

Nice from Baedeker
Nice from Baedeker

They loved the clear air and the soft, bright light. This led to the creation of the Promenade des Anglais.

Promenade des Anglais Nice IMG 1255
Promenade des Anglais Nice IMG 1255

This famous walkway was officially opened in 1931 after being fixed up. It was named after the English visitors who loved the resort. Today, the city is a major place for tourism in France.

Many famous people have been inspired by the beauty of Nice. Great painters like Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall lived or worked here.

NiceVieuxCartier
NiceVieuxCartier

You can see their beautiful art in the city's many museums. Famous writers also stayed in the city to work on their books. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche spent six winters there to write his work.

Nice, France 2016-473
Nice, France 2016-473

Even today, the city stays busy with four million visitors every year. It is even set to be a main venue for the 2030 Winter Olympics.

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🖼️ Images & Media (25)
File:Regio IX Liguria.jpg
Regio IX Liguria.jpg
File:Nice tour Saint-Francois.jpg
Nice tour Saint-Francois.jpg
File:Italy 1494.svg
Italy 1494.svg
File:Cosmographie universelle 50551.jpg
Cosmographie universelle 50551.jpg
File:Plan-Nice-1624.jpg
Plan-Nice-1624.jpg
File:County of nice.svg
County of nice.svg
File:Les manifestations pro-italiennes à Nice du 1871.jpg
Les manifestations pro-italiennes à Nice...
File:Nice from Baedeker.jpg
Nice from Baedeker.jpg
File:Promenade des Anglais Nice IMG 1255.jpg
Promenade des Anglais Nice IMG 1255.jpg
File:NiceVieuxCartier.JPG
NiceVieuxCartier.JPG
File:CollineDuChateau NiceFrance2022.png
CollineDuChateau NiceFrance2022.png
File:Cathedrale Sainte-Reparate Nice.jpg
Cathedrale Sainte-Reparate Nice.jpg

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