Description
Main port of France on the Mediterranean coast, with origins in classical antiquity. Despite its location, it maintained strong connections with French Atlantic and colonial trade.
Year of Foundation or Oldest Source
Founded as a Greek colony (Massalia) around 600 BC.
Country (State or Region)
France
Location
Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, on the Mediterranean coast.
Structuring
Natural harbor (Vieux Port), sheltered and deep, expanded over the centuries with the construction of new basins and quays, especially in the 19th century to accommodate steamships and increased traffic linked to the Suez Canal.
Notes
Although a Mediterranean port, Marseille was a major player in French colonial trade, alongside large Atlantic ports like Bordeaux and Nantes. It experienced significant population growth between the mid-17th and late 18th centuries. Its importance was reinforced in the 19th century with the opening of the Suez Canal (1869), becoming a crucial link between the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean.
Sources
MARNOT, Bruno. Ports as Tools of European Expansion. Encyclopédie d'histoire numérique de l'Europe [online], 2020.; OXFORD BIBLIOGRAPHIES. French Port Cities. 2011.
