Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur second most important city in the region with a city proper population of about 350,000 and an urban population exceeding 1 million. Marseille, with an urban area of 2 million inhabitants, is the largest and capital city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is also the second most populated city in France, just behind Paris and the city with the third largest metropolitan population in France, behind Paris and Lyon respectively. Along with Nice and Marseille the region is also made internationally popular with Cannes which, though not a large city (population of 73,603 in 2012), hosts the annual Cannes Film
Hautes-Alpes from the relative autonomy and certain fiscal privileges enjoyed by the region since the fourteenth century under the terms of the . Napoleon passed through Gap when he returned to reclaim France after his exile on Elba using what is now known as Route Napoléon. The department is surrounded by the following French departments: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, :Drôme, Isère, and Savoie. Italy borders it on the east with the Metropolitan City of Turin and the Province of Cuneo, region of Piedmont. Hautes-Alpes is located in the Alps mountain range. The average elevation is over 1000 m, and the highest elevation is over