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The Daily Insight

What city in France has the highest population

Author

Ava Robinson

Updated on April 25, 2026

Paris was in 2021 the most populated city in France with over two million inhabitants. Marseille and Lyon completed the podium.

What are the 3 largest populated cities in France?

ABCRankCityPopulation metropolitan area or urban area1Paris*12,341,4182Lyon*2,214,0683Marseille* – Aix-en-Provence1,727,070

What is the 2nd biggest city in France?

Marseille is the second-largest city in France, covering an area of 241 km2 (93 sq mi); it had a population of 870,018 in 2016.

What are the 5 biggest cities in France by population?

Name2021 PopulationParis2,138,551Marseille794,811Lyon472,317Toulouse433,055

What are the 5 major cities in France?

  • Paris.
  • Bordeaux.
  • Marseille.
  • Nantes.
  • Lyon.

What are the 6 largest cities in France?

  1. Paris. Paris is not only the capital of France, but with 2,249,975 people also the most populous city of the country. …
  2. Marseille. …
  3. Lyon. …
  4. Toulouse. …
  5. Nice. …
  6. Nantes. …
  7. Strasbourg. …
  8. Montpellier.

What is France's 2nd city?

The capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte dʻAzur (PACA) region is Marseille. It is a huge city with many inhabitants.

What city is the 5th largest in France?

#5. Nice. Département of Alpes-Maritime, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

What is the 4th largest city in France?

NamePopulation1Paris , Île-de-France2,138,5512Marseille , Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur794,8113Lyon , Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes472,3174Toulouse , Occitanie433,055

Is Lyon the third largest city in France?

Lyon, also spelled Lyons, capital of both the Rhône département and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région, east-central France, set on a hilly site at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers. It is the third largest city in France, after Paris and Marseille.

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What is France's 3rd largest city?

CommuneDepartmentRank 2017ParisParis1MarseilleBouches-du-Rhône2LyonLyon Metropolis3ToulouseHaute-Garonne4

What is the oldest city in France?

Marseille, the frontdoor of Provence Founded in 600 BC by the Greeks from Phocaea, Marseille is the oldest city in France and the second largest after Paris. The city is home to almost 900,000 people living in its 16 districts, most of which have held onto their authentic village atmosphere.

What is the capital city of France?

Paris, city and capital of France, situated in the north-central part of the country. People were living on the site of the present-day city, located along the Seine River some 233 miles (375 km) upstream from the river’s mouth on the English Channel (La Manche), by about 7600 bce.

Is Paris bigger than London?

London covers an area of 600 square miles, while Paris is squeezed into 40 square miles. … When comparing Paris and its attached suburbs with Greater London, the populations are almost the same, 8 million for London vs 7.5 for Paris.

Is Paris the largest city in the world?

CityParisCity properArea (km2)105Density (/km2)20,460Metropolitan areaPopulation12,244,807Area (km2)N/A

What is the least populated city in France?

With a population of barely 76,500 people, Lozère, south of France, is France’s least populous département.

Is Toulouse bigger than Bordeaux?

Also, while Toulouse city has a population twice the size of Bordeaux (500K inhabitants vs 250K), the two larger metropolitan areas have a similar size. For these reasons, people generally agree Toulouse and Bordeaux are quite comparable in terms of visiting experience.

What is the largest city in Rome?

CharacteristicNumber of inhabitantsRome2,783,809Milan1,397,715Naples940,940Turin848,196

What does the name Lyon mean?

Scottish, English and French: from Old French, Middle English lion (Latin leo, genitive leonis), hence a nickname for a fierce or brave warrior, or a habitational name for someone living at a house distinguished by the sign of a lion.

What was the old capital of France?

Versailles (1871–1879) The French Third Republic established Versailles as its seat of government in March 1871 after the Paris Commune took control of Paris. Tours (10–13 June 1940) Tours served as the temporary capital of France during the Second World War after the government fled Paris due to the German advance.

What was Paris called before Paris?

In 52 BC, the fishermen village was conquered by the Romans, founding a Gallo-Roman town called Lutetia. The city changed its name to Paris during the fourth century.

What is the oldest French city in the New World?

NameHistorical regionContinuously inhabited as a city sinceMontrealNew France1642 ADSault Ste. MarieNew France1668 ADPhiladelphiaProvince of Pennsylvania1681 ADNatchitochesNew France1699 AD

Is Paris older than London?

Paris is older than London. A Gallic tribe known as the Parisii established what would later be called Paris around 250 BC, while the Romans established London in 50 AD.

Who found Paris?

Paris was founded around the end of the 3rd century BC by the Gauls who were called Parisii. In 52 BC Julius Caesar’s legions conquered the territory, founding the Roman city, Lutetia on the earlier settlement.

Is Paris in London or France?

Are London and Paris in the same country? No, London is located in the United Kingdom and Paris is located in France.

Which is the largest city of Europe?

CityCountry1IstanbulTurkey2MoscowRussia3LondonUnited Kingdom4Saint PetersburgRussia

Which is bigger Paris or New York?

The Paris population and area (105 square kilometers) are miniscule in comparison to Greater London’s 7.3 million people and 1,590 square kilometers; New York City’s 8 million people and 826 square kilometers; and Central Tokyo’s 8.1 million people and 616 square kilometers.

What European city has the largest population?

CharacteristicPopulation in millionsIstanbul (Turkey)15.19Moscow (Russia)12.54Paris (France)11.02London (UK)9.3