With six departments (The Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, Vaucluse, Alpes Maritimes, Alpes de Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes) and three big cities, Marseille (which has a million inhabitants), Nice (520,000) and Toulon (440,000), this is one of the three biggest regions in France.

It also has one of the biggest populations, with 4.3 million inhabitants, due in large part to significant waves of immigration.

Pink flamingos in the Rhône delta, Camargue country park (Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Côte d´Azur region)

There is a large elderly population, who come there for the mild climate and pleasant living conditions.

The region's geography is very varied, with the south bordered by the Mediterranean and the centre and north consisting of hills and mountains.

Rocky inlet between Marseille and Cassis (Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Côte d´Azur region)

Provence and the Côte d'Azur (Riviera) are world-famous. Everyone has heard of the Avignon Festival, and the Popes' Palace, Orange's ancient theatre and musical festival, Marseille's Old Port and football team, Cannes' film festival, Grasse's perfumes and Nice's carnival and Promenade des Anglais.

The beauty of the shoreline of the Côte d'Azur with its rocky red coasts is rivalled only by its hinterland of cypresses, olive-trees and fields full of scented flowers.

Street in old Nice (Provence-Côte d´Azur)

Economically, the region is sustained by tourism, which is still an important source of revenue, but the level of employment remains low and many people are unemployed. Despite a drop in activity, the port of Marseille is still the biggest in France. Not far away, an important centre for the petrochemicals (oil refineries) and steel-making industries have grown up.

Close to Nice, in Sophia-Antipolis, a hi-tech science park has been set up.

Agriculture is perhaps not the most important activity in this area, but its fruit, vegetables and flowers are popular and of high quality.