- This article is about the city in France. For the annual film festival that occurs there, see Cannes Film Festival.
Cannes (Canas in Provençal) (pronounced ) is a city and commune in southern France, located on the Riviera, in the Alpes-Maritimes département.
Demographics
Population of the city (
commune) of Cannes at the
1999 census was 67,304 inhabitants (69,700 inhabitants as of February
2004 estimates). Cannes is part of the
Nice metropolitan area (
aire urbaine) whose total population was 933,080 inhabitants at the 1999 census.
Geography
Cannes lies on the
Côte d'Azur within easy reach of the
Maritime Alps. It is noted for its gorgeous
sandy
beaches which are mainly public, particularly as one moves west to Cannes La Bocca.
History
In the
Middle Ages Cannes was a feudal depency of the
Lérins monastery. Until the early
19th century, Cannes remained a small
agricultural and
fishing village with the highest density of population on Le Suquet hill. Beginning in the
1830s, foreign and French
aristocrats built vacation homes in the area, gradually turning Cannes into a
resort town.
The man responsible for Cannes' growth is Lord Henry Peter Brougham (1778-1868). A respected and talented British politician in his time, he discovered Cannes in 1834 on his way to Italy. Having bought land to the west of the Suquet hill, now the entrance to the city, Brougham used his many contacts in French politics to help develop the rest.
The development of the coastal town encouraged enterprise and a tramway, the Tramway de Cannes openned in 1899, Cannes Station openned in 1863.
Economy
The area around Cannes has developed into a high-
tech cluster. The
technopolis of
Sophia-Antipolis lies up in the hills beyond Cannes.
The Cannes Film Festival, held annually in May, is a major event for the world film industry. There is an annual television festival, airing in the last week in September.
Cannes also hosts the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.
Culture
Between Festivals and major events, Cannes lives to the beat of the arts year around, thanks to the many organizations contributing to its reputation and teaching. Cannes Municipal Music and Drama Conservatoire promote the awakening and introduction to music since the age of three years old for viola, violin and cello students and since five years old for those registered to musical awakening.
Transportation
Cannes lies on the main
rail line from
Italy to
Marseille and is well served by the
TGV, interregional, and regional trains. The
SNCF station is close to the centre; buses leave from both here and the
Hôtel de Ville.
The town center is served by an electric bus system — the E-LO — whilst an open top beachside bus service links the Hôtel de Ville and the Palm Beach Casino.
Cannes is located about 25km west of Nice, and easily reachable by bus from Nice's international airport. Shuttles run every half hour from 8am through 8pm (hourly early in the morning and after 6pm). The ride takes approximately 30 minutes. Taxi rides from the airport cost 60 euros one way.
Miscellaneous
Births
Cannes was the birthplace of:
Twin towns
Cannes is twinned with:
See also
External links
Cannes | Eurovision host cities
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