Strasbourg

For other uses, see Strasburg (disambiguation).

Strasbourg Strasbourg Cathedral towering above the Old Town Flag Coat of arms Strasbourg Location within Alsace region [show] Coordinates: 48°35′N 7°45′ECoordinates: 48°35′N 7°45′E Country France Region Alsace Department Bas-Rhin Arrondissement Strasbourg-Ville Canton chief town of 10 cantons Intercommunality Urban Community of Strasbourg Government  • Mayor (2008–2014) Roland Ries (PS) Area  • Urban (2006[1]) 222 km2 (86 sq mi)  • Metro (2010[1]) 1,351.5 km2 (521.8 sq mi)  • Land1 78.26 km2 (30.22 sq mi) Population (2006)[4]  • Rank 7th in France  • Urban (2006[1]) 440,264[2]  • Metro (2010[1]) 759,868[3]  • Population2 272,975  • Population2Density 3,500/km2 (9,000/sq mi) Time zone CET (UTC +1) INSEE/Postal code 67482 /  Dialling codes 0388, 0390, 0368 Elevation 132–151 m (433–495 ft) Website http://www.strasbourg.eu/ 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Strasbourg (French pronunciation: ​[stʁaz.buʁ]; Lower Alsatian: Strossburi, [ˈʃd̥rɔːsb̥uri]; German: Straßburg, [ˈʃtʁaːsbʊɐ̯k]) is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of theEuropean Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking, explaining the city's Germanic name.^[5] In 2006, the city proper had 272,975 inhabitants and its urban community 467,375 inhabitants. With 759,868 inhabitants in 2010, Strasbourg's metropolitan area (only the part of the metropolitan area on French territory) is the ninth largest in France. The transnational Eurodistrict Strasbourg-Ortenau had a population of 884,988 inhabitants in 2008.^[6]

Strasbourg is the seat of several European institutions, such as the Council of Europe (with its European Court of Human Rights, its European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and its European Audiovisual Observatory) and theEurocorps, as well as the European Parliament and the European Ombudsman of the European Union. The city is also the seat of the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine and the International Institute of Human Rights.^[7]

Strasbourg's historic city centre, the Grande Île (Grand Island), was classified a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1988, the first time such an honour was placed on an entire city centre. Strasbourg is fused into the Franco-German culture and although violently disputed throughout history, has been a bridge of unity between France and Germany for centuries, especially through the University of Strasbourg, currently the second largest in France, and the coexistence of Catholic and Protestant culture. The largest Islamic place of worship in France, the Strasbourg Grand Mosque, was inaugurated by French Interior Minister Manuel Valls on 27 September 2012.^[8]

Economically, Strasbourg is an important centre of manufacturing and engineering, as well as of road, rail, and river communications. The port of Strasbourg is the second largest on the Rhine after Duisburg, Germany.^[9] In terms of city rankings, Strasbourg has been ranked third in France and 18th globally for innovation.^[10]