Nimes
| Nîmes | ||
|---|---|---|
central Nîmes
|
||
|
||
 Nîmes
|
||
|
Location within Occitanie region
Nîmes
|
||
| Coordinates: 43°50′17″N 4°21′40″E / 43.838°N 4.361°ECoordinates: 43°50′17″N 4°21′40″E / 43.838°N 4.361°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Occitanie | |
| Department | Gard | |
| Arrondissement | Nîmes | |
| Intercommunality | Nîmes Métropole | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2014–2020) | Jean-Paul Fournier | |
| Area1 | 161.85 km2 (62.49 sq mi) | |
| Population (2012)2 | 146,709 | |
| • Density | 910/km2 (2,300/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 30189 / 30000 and 30900 | |
| Elevation | 21–215 m (69–705 ft) (avg. 39 m or 128 ft) |
|
|
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
||
.svg)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Nîmes (/niːm/; French: [nim]; Provençal Occitan: Nimes [ˈnimes]) is a city in the Occitanie region of southern France. It is the capital of the Gard department.
Nîmes is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Cévennes mountains. The estimated population of Nîmes is 146,709 (2012).
Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire when the city was home to 50,000–60,000 people. Several famous monuments are in Nîmes, such as the Nîmes Arena and the Maison Carrée. Because of this, Nîmes is often referred to as the French Rome.
Nîmes has a mediterranean climate that is one of the warmest in France. Its slightly inland, southerly location results in hot air over the city during summer months, whereas winters are cool to mild but not cold.
The city derives its name from that of a spring in the Roman village. The contemporary coat of arms of the city of Nîmes includes a crocodile chained to a palm tree with the inscription COL NEM, for Colonia Nemausus, meaning the "colony" or "settlement" of Nemausus, the local Celtic god of the Volcae Arecomici. Veterans of the Roman legions who had served Julius Caesar in his Nile campaigns, at the end of fifteen years of soldiering, were given plots of land to cultivate on the plain of Nîmes.
...
Wikipedia