ancient Niceaea
City (pop., 1999: city, 342,738; metro. area, 888,784) southeastern France.
It is located on the Côte d'Azur of the Mediterranean Sea, near the Italian border. Founded by Greeks с 350 BC, it was conquered by Romans in the 1st century AD and became a trading station. It was held by the counts of Provence in the 10th century. In 1388 it passed to the counts of Savoy . The city was ceded to France in 1860. Sheltered by beautiful hills, Nice has a pleasant climate and is the leading resort of the French Riviera .