Bouches-du-Rhône

Bouches-du-Rhône
Bocas de Ròse (Occitan)
From top down, left to right: Marseille, the department's prefecture, Les Baux-de-Provence, Cassis on the Mediterranean coast and the Arles Amphitheatre
Location of Bouches-du-Rhône in France
Coordinates: 43°30′N 5°5′E / 43.500°N 5.083°E / 43.500; 5.083
CountryFrance
RegionProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
PrefectureMarseille
SubprefecturesAix-en-Provence
Arles
Istres
Government
  President of the Departmental CouncilMartine Vassal (LR)
Area
  Total
5,087 km2 (1,964 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)
  Total
2,069,811
  Rank3rd
  Density410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeFR-13
Vehicle registration13
Department number13
Arrondissements4
Cantons29
Communes119
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2.

Bouches-du-Rhône (/ˌbʃ dj ˈrn/ BOOSH dew ROHN; French: les Bouches-du-Rhône [le buʒ dy ʁon], locally [le ˈbuʃə dy ˈʁɔnə]; Occitan: lei Bocas de Ròse [lej ˈbukɔz de ˈʀɔze]; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and largest city is Marseille; other important cities include Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Martigues and Aubagne.

Marseille, France's second-largest city, has one of the largest container ports in the country. It prides itself on being France's oldest city, founded by Greek settlers from Phocaea around 600 BC. Bouches-du-Rhône is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, with 2,043,110 inhabitants as of 2019. It has an area of 5,087 km2 (1,964 sq mi). Its INSEE and postal code is 13.