Nice, << nees >> (pop. 342,637; met. area pop. 1,006,402), is a resort city on the French Riviera and a Mediterranean port. It lies at the foot of the Alps near Italy. The city has wide avenues, luxurious hotels, and villas surrounded by gardens. The Paillon River divides it into the Old Town to the east and the modern, western part. The Alps protect Nice from cold northern winds and give it a mild winter climate.
Most of the people depend for their living on the tourist trade. Most tourists come during the winter vacation season between January and April, or else from July to September. The Mardi Gras, the height of the Riviera Carnival, is one of Nice’s many winter festivals (see Mardi Gras ). The industries of Nice produce olive oil, perfumes, processed fruit, soap, cement, and other products. Railroad lines to Marseille and to the Italian cities of Genoa and Turin pass through Nice. Greek settlers founded Nice about 400 B.C.
In July 2016, a terrorist drove a truck into a crowd on Nice’s popular waterfront, killing 86 people.
