Rouen | |
---|---|
State | |
Country | |
Capital | |
Population | 110933 |
Rouen (UK: , US: ; French: [ʁwɑ̃] (listen) or [ʁu.ɑ̃]) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the capital of the region of Normandy. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population of the metropolitan area (French: aire urbaine) is 666,035 (2017). People from Rouen are known as Rouennais.
Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy during the Middle Ages. It was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from the 11th to the 15th centuries. From the 13th century onwards, the city experienced a remarkable economic boom, thanks in particular to the development of textile factories and river trade. Claimed by both the French and the English during the Hundred Years' War, it was on its soil that Joan of Arc was tried and burned alive on May 30, 1431. Severely damaged by the wave of bombing in 1944, it nevertheless regained its economic dynamism in the post-war period thanks to its industrial sites and its large seaport, which today is the fifth largest in France.
Bangui | |
---|---|
State | Bangui |
Country | Central African Republic |
Capital | |
Population | 0 |
Bangui (French pronunciation: [bɑ̃ɡi]) (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. As of 2012 it had an estimated population of 734,350. It was recognized as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi River (French: Oubangui); the Ubangi itself was appointed from the Bobangi word for the"rapids" situated beside the settlement, which marked the end of navigable water north from Brazzaville. The majority of the population of the Central African Republic lives in the western parts of the country, in Bangui and the surrounding region.
The city creates an autonomous commune (commune autonome) of the Central African Republic that's surrounded by the Ombella-M'Poko prefecture. Having an area of 67 square kilometres (26 sq mi), the commune is the smallest high-level administrative division in the nation, but the highest in terms of population.