Toulouse, << too LOOZ >> (pop. 475,438; met. area pop. 1,345,343), is a city in southwestern France. It lies along the Garonne River. Toulouse has many medieval buildings, including the Romanesque Basilica of St. Sernin and the Gothic Cathedral of St. Etienne. The University of Toulouse, which was founded in 1229, is the second oldest in France, after the University of Paris. Toulouse is the site of the tomb of the medieval philosopher and theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Toulouse serves as the capital of the Occitanie region and the Haute-Garonne department (administrative district). It is also the center of the French aircraft construction industry. Other industries include electronics, printing, food processing, and the production of chemicals and textiles.
Roman soldiers established a settlement on the site of what is now Toulouse in the 100’s B.C. During the Middle Ages, the city served as an artistic and literary center of Europe.
See also Languedoc .
