Bordeaux
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| City motto: Lilia sola regunt lunam undas castra leonem. (Latin: Only the fleur-de-lis rule over the moon, the waves, the castle, and the lion) | |||||
| Missing image Bordeaux3_map.png Location of Bordeaux | |||||
| City proper (commune) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Région | Aquitaine | ||||
| Département | Gironde (33) | ||||
| Mayor | Hugues Martin (UMP) (since 2004) | ||||
| Area | 49.36 km² | ||||
| Population 2004 estimate 1999 census | (Ranked 9th) 229,500 215,363 | ||||
| Density | 4,563/km² (1999) | ||||
| Metropolitan area (aire urbaine) | |||||
| Communes | 191 (1999) | ||||
| Area | 3,875.2 km² (1999) | ||||
| Population 1999 census | (Ranked 7th) 925,253 | ||||
| Yearly growth | +0.67 % | ||||
| Density | 239/km² (1999) | ||||
| Intercommunality - president | Urban Community of Bordeaux Alain Rousset (PS) (since 2004) | ||||
| Miscellaneous | |||||
| Twin cities | Los Angeles (USA) Bristol (UK) Munich (Germany) Madrid (Spain) Porto (Portugal) Lima (Peru) Quebec City (Canada) Fukuoka (Japan) Ashdod (Israel) Casablanca (Morocco) Wuhan (China) | ||||
Bordeaux (Missing image
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Sound
pronunciation?; Bordèu in Gascon) is a port city in the south-west of France, with 925,253 inhabitants in the metropolitan area at the 1999 census. It is the capital of the Aquitaine région, as well as the préfecture (administrative capital) of the Gironde département. Its inhabitants are called Bordelais.
Bordeaux is also the name of the wine produced in the region surrounding the city.
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Geography
The city is built on an arc of the river Garonne, and is thus divided into two parts: the right bank to the East and left bank in the West.
Demographics
At the 1999 census, there were 215,363 inhabitants in the city (commune) of Bordeaux. There were 925,253 inhabitants in the metropolitan area (aire urbaine).
As of February 2004 estimates, the population of the city reached 229,500 inhabitants.
History
- Bordeaux was founded around 300 BC under the Roman name Burdigala
- The city was plundered by the troops of Abd er Rahman in 732, after he had defeated Duke Eudes and before he was killed during the Battle of Tours on October 10.
- From the 12th to the 15th century, Bordeaux was an English King's fief
- The 18th century was its golden age, because of the trades with the West Indies. Hotels on the quays are from this period.
- During WWI, the French government withdrew to the city.
Wine
The Bordeaux region is home to many of the most prestigious wine producers in the world. Both red and white wines are made in Bordeaux. Red Bordeaux is called claret in England.
Red Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes and may be made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. White Bordeaux is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.
The Bordeaux wine region is divided into subregions including Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Médoc, and Graves. The area's five 'premier cru' (first growth) red wines (four from Médoc and one, Chateau Haut-Brion, from Graves), established by the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 are among the most sought after and expensive wines in the world:
- Château Lafite-Rothschild
- Château Margaux
- Château Latour
- Château Haut-Brion
- Château Mouton-Rothschild (added in 1973)
Sauternes is a subregion of Graves famous for its intensely sweet, white, dessert wines such as Chateau d'Yquem.
Miscellaneous
Births
Bordeaux was the birthplace of:
- Decimus Magnus Ausonius (c. 310-395), Roman poet and rhetorician
- Bertrand Andrieu (1761-1822), engraver
- Jean Anouilh (1910-1987), dramatist
- Yvonne Arnaud (1892-1958), actress
- René Clément (1913-1996), actor, director, writer
- Damia (1899-1978), singer
- Lili Damita (1901-1994), actress
- Danielle Darrieux (born 1917), actress
- Eugène Goossens (1867-1958) conductor, violinist
- François Mauriac (1885-1970), writer, Nobel laureate
- Édouard Molinaro (born 1928), film director, producer
- Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), philosopher
- St. Paulinus of Nola (354-431), educator, religious figure
- Pierre Rode (1774-1830), violinist
- Jean-Jacques Sempé (born 1932), cartoonist
Sports
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Girondins de Bordeaux is the local football team.