Bouc-Bel-Air | ||
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The church of Saint-André
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Coordinates: 43°27′19″N 5°24′54″E / 43.4553°N 5.415°ECoordinates: 43°27′19″N 5°24′54″E / 43.4553°N 5.415°E | ||
Country | France | |
Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | |
Department | Bouches-du-Rhône | |
Arrondissement | Aix-en-Provence | |
Canton | Gardanne | |
Intercommunality | Pays d'Aix | |
Government | ||
• Mayor (2001–2008) | Jean-Claude Perrin | |
Area1 | 21.75 km2 (8.40 sq mi) | |
Population (2008)2 | 13,437 | |
• Density | 620/km2 (1,600/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
INSEE/Postal code | 13015 / 13320 | |
Elevation | 153–330 m (502–1,083 ft) (avg. 259 m or 850 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Bouc-Bel-Air is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. It is situated between Marseille, Gardanne and Aix-en-Provence. The old village is located at the summit of a small hill (a bouc in the regional language provençal).
Bouc-Bel-Air is typically in Provençal style, founded around a rock which formed the foundation of an old castle of the 7th century. It has a particularly nice view on several mountains among which the locally well known Sainte-Victoire.
Inhabited since very ancient times, its sites witness of Roman-Gallic settlings. Some of these sites date to the 7th century BC. Invasions of the Barbarians took place in the 7th century AD, the probable foundation date of the village. Birthplace (1797) of Adolphe Thiers, 2nd President of France (31 August 1871 – 24 May 1873)