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Nice is a city in southern France located on the Mediterranean coast, between Marseille and Genoa, with 1 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area at the 2007 estimate. The city is a major tourist centre and a leading resort on the French Riviera (Cote d'Azur). It is the historical capital city of the County of Nice.
Located in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region, Nice is a commune and the prefecture (administrative capital) of the Alpes-Maritimes departement.
 CULTURE OF NICE
Nice has a distinct culture due to its unique history. The local language Nicard (Nissart) is an Occitan dialect, still spoken by a minority.
Strong Italian and (less) Corsican influences make it more intelligible than other non-extinct Provencal dialects.
Localpie with onions and anchovies sauce; socca, a type of pancake made from chickpea flour; bouillabaisse and various fish soups; Stockfish (traditionally pronounced as 'Stoquefiche' (French spelling) with special emphasis on the first "e"), farcis nicois, vegetables stuffed with breadcrumbs; and salade nicoise, a tomato salad with green peppers of the 'Corne'" breed, baked eggs, tuna or anchovies and olives.
In the past Nice welcomed many immigrants from Italy (who continue to make a large proportion of the population), as well as Spanish and Portuguese immigrants. However, in the past few decades immigration has been opened to include immigrants from all over the world particularly immigrants from other parts of the world, mainly former Northern and Western African colonies, as well as southeastern Asia.
Traditions are still alive, especially in the folk music and the dances. The most famous is the farandole.
CLIMATE
Nice has a mediterranean climate : the city enjoys mild temperatures most of the year; rainfall is very moderate and mainly concentrated in the darkest part of the year (September to March).
Winters, starting in December, are cool to mild with daytime temperature generally remaining between 10oC and 17oC and colder overnight lows, however rarely freezing; once or twice a year perhaps. During Winter, overcast skies are common and sporadic rain falls.
As winter ends in March, weather becomes more unstable and unpredictable : warm, sunny days can be followed by sudden hailstorms and cold fronts. However, generally, the weather becomes increasingly sunny as summer approaches.
Summers start quite late because of a notable season lag. Drought starts in July, and really hot temperatures become common in August, which is the warmest month with daytime highs frequently reaching 30oC. Summer heat is however often moderated by a cool and pleasant sea breeze.
Autumn, starting in late September, is generally warm until mid-November, and rainy (especially October with an average rainfall of 140mm).
Nice is a windy city, especially in Spring.Snow is so rare that it is remembered by inhabitants as special events.
PLACES OF INTEREST
- Promenade des Anglais: the street running along the edge of the water, with strong nightlife and nice views
- Chateau
- Monument aux morts
- The port
- Marche aux fleurs (flower market): runs every day of the week selling all the best produce of the area
- Old Nice
- Grand Hotel Imperial
- Fort du Mont Alban
- Sainte-Réparate Cathedral, 17th century
- Saint-Jacques Church, 17th century
- The Saint Nicolas Orthodox Cathedral
- Sainte Jeanne d'Arc Church, 20th century
MUSEUMS OF NICE
- Musee des Beaux-Arts Jules Cheret
- Musee Massena
- Museum of Natural History
- Naval Museum
- Galerie des Ponchettes
- Musee Chagall (Cimiez)
- Musee Matisse (arenas of Cimiez where one can also see Roman ruins)
- Musee Terra-Amata
TRANSPORTATION
The city is served by Cote d'Azur International Airport and has a railway station. The smaller Gare du Sud is no longer used. The Chemins de Fer de Provence is a small rail company providing a daily train service between Nice and Digne-les-Bains. The ferry companies SNCM and Corsica Ferries operate from the Nice harbour and sail to several towns on Corsica.
Public transport within the city and to neighbouring areas is provided by the Ligne d'Azur bus company. A tramway, the Tramway de Nice, is currently under construction and is expected to begin operation in 2007.
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