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Home > Travel France > France Destinations > Strasbourg
Strasbourg
France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and comprises various overseas islands and territories which are located in other regions. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. At 674,843 square kilometres, France is the world's 40th-largest country after Myanmar. France is a member of The European Union and Paris is the capital of this nation. The sole official language of France is French. Since prehistoric times, France has been a crossroads of trade, migrations, and invasions.
Strasbourg is the capital and principle city of the Alsace region of northeastern France, with approximately 650,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 1999. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the prefecture or capital of the Bas-Rhin departement. There are also the Collection Tomi Ungerer, the Musee de Sismologie et Magnetisme terrestre, the Musee Pasteur, the Musee d'egyptologie.
The city's Germanic name means town at the crossing of roads. Strasbourg is cognate to the English street from the German equivalent of the word, Strabe while bourg is cognate to the English borough. Strasbourg is an important centre of manufacturing and engineering, as well as of road, rail and river communications. Strasbourg is the seat of the Council of Europe, of the European Court of human rights and of the European Parliament, though the latter also holds sessions in Brussels. In 2006, after a long and careful restauration, the inner decoration of the Aubette, made in the 1920s by Hans Arp, Theo van Doesburg and Sophie Taeuber-Arp and destroyed in the 1930s, was made accessible to public again.
Strasbourg served as the host city for the start and stage 1 of the 2006 Tour de France. Strasbourg is situated on the Ill River, where it flows into the Rhine on the frontier with Germany. The German town across the Rhine is Kehl. Finally, the city is also home to some beautiful bridges, among which the medieval Ponts Couverts with its four towers is the most spectacular sight to see.
Strasbourg, justifiably so, enjoys a very positive reputation with worldwide travelers, and is one of the most visited place. It is also said the place of best geographical environment and can trace its origin back to prehistoric times. Presently, Strasbourg experiences a sharp social, economic and population growth derivative of the strategic position of the locality.
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