Bordeaux (French pronunciation: [bɔʁdo]; Gascon: Bordèu) is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.
The municipality (commune) of Bordeaux proper has a population of 241,287 (2012). Together with its suburbs and satellite towns Bordeaux is the center of the Bordeaux Métropole, which with 737,492 inhabitants (as of 2012) is the 9th largest in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department. Its inhabitants are called "Bordelais" (for men) or "Bordelaises" (women). The term "Bordelais" may also refer to the city and its surrounding region.
The city's nicknames are "La perle d'Aquitaine" (The Pearl of Aquitaine), and "La Belle Endormie" (Sleeping Beauty) in reference to the old center which had black walls due to pollution. Nowadays, this is not the case. In fact, a part of the city, Le Port de La Lune, was almost completely renovated. Bourdeaux is the city with has the highest number of preserved historical buildings in France, except for Paris.