Arles

This article is about the city in France. For the medieval kingdom, see Kingdom of Arles. For the village in Ireland, see Arless. For the village in England, see Arle, Gloucestershire.
Arles
Arle (Occitan)
Subprefecture and commune
Aerial view of Arles
Aerial view of Arles
Flag of Arles
Flag
Coat of arms of Arles
Coat of arms
Location of Arles
Map
Arles is located in France
Arles
Arles
Arles is located in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Arles
Arles
Coordinates: 43°40′36″N 4°37′40″E / 43.67670°N 4.6278°E / 43.67670; 4.6278
CountryFrance
RegionProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
DepartmentBouches-du-Rhône
ArrondissementArles
CantonArles
IntercommunalityArles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Patrick De Carolis[1]
Area
1
758.93 km2 (293.02 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
50,415
 • Density66/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
13004 /13200
Elevation0–57 m (0–187 ft)
(avg. 10 m or 33 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Arles (/ɑːrl(z)/ ARL(Z), US also /ˈɑːrəl/ AR-əl,[3][4][5][6] French: [aʁl]; Provençal: Arle [ˈaʀle] in both classical and Mistralian norms; Classical Latin: Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of Provence.

A large part of the Camargue, the largest wetlands in France, is located within the territory of the commune, which is the largest in Metropolitan France in terms of geographic territory. In non-metropolitan France, Maripasoula in French Guiana is the largest French commune in general.

The commune's land area is roughly similar to that of Singapore. The city has a long history, and was of considerable importance in the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis. The Roman and Romanesque Monuments of Arles were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1981 for their testimony to the history of the region.[7]

The city is famous for being the archdiocese of Caesarius of Arles and Hilary of Arles. Additionally, many artists have lived and worked in this area, including Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin and Jacques Réattu.[8] The Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh lived in Arles from 1888 to 1889, and produced over 300 paintings and drawings during his time there. These are held in internationally known museums and private collections around the world. An international photography festival has been held annually in the city since 1970.

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Arles". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Arles". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Arles" (US) and "Arles". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Arles". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Painters in Arles". Studios of the South. Retrieved 15 December 2020.