Presentation of Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department. Its inhabitants are called Bordelais. The city is among the world's major wine industry centres. Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8th century. The historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble" of the 18th century. Bordeaux is a flat city, built on the banks of the Garonne River. Because it is a flat city, bicycles make excellent modes of transport, especially as the city has more than 580 km of cycle tracks. It is also the largest French city in area and geographically one of the largest in Europe. The Garonne merges a dozen kilometers below the city with another river, the Dordogne River to form the Gironde Estuary, which is biggest estuary in France.

History of Bordeaux

Between 30,000 and 20,000 years ago the area of Bordeaux was inhabited by the Neanderthal Man, whose remains have been found at a famous cave known as Pair-non-Pair, near Bourg sur Gironde, just north of Bordeaux. In historical times, around 300 BC it was the settlement of a Celtic tribe, the Bituriges Vivisci, who named the town Burdigala, probably of Aquitainian origin. The name Bourde is still the name of a river south of the city. The city fell under Roman rule around 60 BC, its importance lying in the commerce of Tin and Lead towards Rome. Later it became capital of Roman Aquitaine, flourishing especially during the Severan dynasty (3rd century). In 276 it was sacked by the Vandals. Further ravage was brought by the same Vandals in 409, the Visigoths in 414 and the Franks in 498, beginning a period of obscurity for the city.

See the full history of Bordeaux on Wikipedia

Sister cities of Bordeaux

Bristol (United Kingdom)

Lima (Peru)

Bilbao (Spain)

Madrid (Spain)

Casablanca (Morocco)