French Riviera
The French Riviera (known in French as the Côte d'Azur [kot daˈzyʁ]; Occitan: Còsta d'Azur [ˈkɔstɔ daˈzyɾ]; literal translation "Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend from Cassis, Toulon or Saint-Tropez on the west to Menton at the France–Italy border in the east, where the Italian Riviera joins. The coast is entirely within the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Région Sud) region of France. The Principality of Monaco is a semi-enclave within the region, surrounded on three sides by France and fronting the Mediterranean. The Riviera is an Italian word that corresponds to the ancient Ligurian territory, wedged between the Var and Magra rivers. The Côte d'Azur or French riviera, is a nickname given by France to the county of Nice after its annexation in 1860, because the rain and the Mistral (south french cold wind) were stopped by the Alps and the climate was similar to that of the north of Italy, even in winter, with a sky as blue as its sea, the French Riviera. After the 2000s it was extended to the rest of southern France, although the geography, culture or climate is different. The county of Nice is a mountainous area like Italy which stands out from the south of France. While the Saharan warm wind Sirocco blows over Italy, the cold wind Mistral blows over the south of France. As the county of Nice is protected by the Alps, it has the northern Italian climate.
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