Marseille, known in antiquity as Masalia, Massalia or Massilia is a city in France. The capital of its department of Bouches-du-Rhône and region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Marseille is located on France's south coast and is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,516 on a land area of 241km2. It is the 3rd-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris and Lyon, with a population of 1,720,941 at the January 2011 census.Marseille was historically the most important trade center in the region and functioned as the main trade port of the French Empire. Its inhabitants are called Marseillais in French and Marselhés in Occitan. Marseille is France's largest city on the Mediterranean coast and largest commercial port as well as a leading cruise port and freight port. The city held the title of European Capital of Culture together with Košice, Slovakia, in 2013. In 2016, it will host the UEFA Cup and become the European Capital of Sport in 2017.