Perpignan (, , ; ; ; ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in Southwest France, nestled in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea and the scrublands of the Corbières massif. It is the centre of the metropolitan area Perpignan Mediterranée Métropole. In 2016 Perpignan had 121,875 inhabitants ("Perpignanais(e)" in French, "Perpinyanés(a)" in Catalan) in the commune proper, and the metropolitan area had a total population of 268,577 making it the last major French city before Spain.