Lyon City

Lyon is the third largest French city. It's also known as the French capital of gastronomy. Lyon has also played a significant role in the history of cinema. This city located in east Central France was designated the position of World heritage City by UNESCO in December 1998. In the past, the Romans saw the city as an important crossroad between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Alps. Lyon is located at a 2 hours drive from the Alpes and only three hours drive from the Mediterrean Sea.

STATE	Rhone Alpes
COUNTRY	France
LOCATION	Lyon is located in east central France.
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES	Latitude 45.46 N, Longitude 4.50 E
AREA	47.87 sq. km
POPULATION	515,300 (2004 estimate)
PER CAPITA INCOME	USD 25000 (Rhone Alps region)

Age Structure: In March 1999, the population of the Rhone-Alpes Region was estimated around 5,645,407. 9.6% of the world's population of France resides here. The number of inhabitants has increased by 300,000. The 20 to 39 age group accounts for 14.1% of the population.

Racial Makeup: French law forbids taking any data related to race or religious groups in a census. It is thus not possible to know the racial make up of any French city.

Economy: Lyon is the second largest economic center in France. The city has a comprehensive transport network. The city welcomes over 6 million passengers every year. The industrial strength of Lyon comprises mainly of chemical engineering (Rhodia, Elf Atocham, etc). The pharmaceutical industry is the second biggest sector in Lyon. Metallurgy and electronics etc are a part of its large industrial sector. Lyon's information technology sector is well established and is supported by the city's research and higher education centers.

Climate: The summers are steamy and sticky and the winters are harsh. In the summer months there is high humidity. Lyon is located 659 feet above the sea level. The average temperature is the highest in the month of July and August at about 72°F. It rains throughout the year in Lyon.

Rainfall: Lyon receives an annual rainfall of 826mm (33 inches)

Government Type: Lyon is divided into 9 sub-divisions, known as municipal arrondissements.

Major Political Parties:

Lutte Ouvriere (LO) - Worker's Struggle

Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire (LCR) - Revolutionary Communist League

Parti des Travailleurs (PT) - Party of the Workers

Parti Communiste Francais (PCF) - French Communist Party

Les Verts - The Greens

Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) - Union for a Popular Movement

Parti Socialiste (PS) - Socialist Party

Front National (FN) - National Front