Montpellier

Montpellier is a city in southern France, close to the Mediterranean Sea. Located in the province of Hérault, Montpellier is one of the main metropolitan centres in the area of Occitania and serves as the prefecture of the department of the same name. In 2017, the city had a population of 285,121 people, while the surrounding metropolitan region had a population of 616,296 people. Montpelliérains is the name given to the locals.

The city of Montpellier was a major centre of the Crown of Aragon (and the birthplace of King James I), and afterwards of the Kingdom of Majorca, until being sold to France in 1349. The University of Montpellier, founded in 1220, is one of the world's oldest institutions and the world's oldest medical school still in existence. Its distinguished graduates include Petrarch, Nostradamus, and François Rabelais, among others. The historic citadel of Montpellier, located above the mediaeval city, is a fortification erected by Louis XIII of France in the seventeenth century.

Montpellier has witnessed some of the most rapid economic and population growth in the nation during the 1990s. Since the year 2000, the population of its urban area has grown at the fastest rate in France. Students account for roughly one-fourth of the country's population, making it one of the most populous countries in Europe. The city's living environment, which includes one of Europe's biggest pedestrian areas, as well as its vibrant cultural life and Mediterranean climate, all contribute to the city's popularity, which has earned it the moniker "The Gifted." Montpellier has been nominated for the title of "Best Emerging Culture City of the Year 2017" by the research tank LCD. According to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, it is a Sufficiency city.