France is home to many big cities. Some popular cities of France are Aix-en-Provence, Amiens, Angers, Arles, Avignon, Bordeaux, Brest, Calais, Cannes, Clermont-Ferrand, Condon-en-Armagnac, Cesarville-Dossainville, Dijon, Giverny, Grenoble, Indre, Le Havre, Le Mans, Lille, Limoges, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Nimes, Orleans, Paris, Reims, rennes, Rouen, Saint-Die-des-Vosges, Toulon, Strasbourg, Villeneuve d'Ascq and Villeurbanne.
Paris, the capital city of France is the largest city of the country. The city covers an area of 105 square kilometer. The city of Paris is home to around 2 million people. Aix-en-Provence is another popular city of France. It is that city where renowned painter Cezanne lived and painted. Another interesting fact about the city is that, it is built on hot springs. Amiens is known as the Picarde capital of France. This city is home to the Gothic Cathedral. Angers, the historic province of Anjou is another major city of France. The twin-spiraled Cathedral of Saint Maurice and the Castle of Angers are two famous structures of France. It is also called the "most flowered city in Europe".
Avignon is often referred to as the city of Popes. The most popular architectural structure of the city is the Palace of the Popes. The city of Bordeaux is known worldwide as the 'world's wine capital'. The city has a rich history of wine production, since the 8th century. The city is home to about 1,17,000 hectares of vineyards. Dijon is another popular city of France. In the past, Dijon has served as the capital for the dukes of Burgundy. The city is also home to some of the best wineyards of the world such as Vosne-Romanee and Gevrey-Chambertin. Grenoble is the intellectual and economic capital of the Alps. At present, this French city has developed into a major scientific center. It excels in fields such as Physics, Computer Science and Applied Mathematics.
Lille is another major city of France and is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais region. The city has large coal deposits. Lille is famous as "the Manchester of France" as it has France's largest university student population. Mulhouse is the second largest town of Alsace. The city has a well-developed Automobile Industry. The Peugeot's Mulhouse factory that is situated in France is the largest employer in Alsace. Nancy is a city that emerged as a major center of the Art Noveau style in the 20th century. One of the most beautiful cities of France is Toulouse. It is the fourth largest city of this European country and is home base of the aerospace industry. Rennes, Saint-Etienne, Rouen and Riems are other popular cities of France.
