Belfort
Belfort (French pronunciation: [bɛlfɔʁ] ⓘ; archaic German: Beffert, Beffort) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately 25 km (16 mi) from the Swiss border. It is the prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort.
Belfort | |
|---|---|
Prefecture and commune | |
An aerial view of Belfort with the Cathedral of Saint-Christophe in the foreground | |
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Coat of arms | |
Location of Belfort | |
Belfort Belfort | |
| Coordinates: 47°38′N 6°51′E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté |
| Department | Territoire de Belfort |
| Arrondissement | Belfort |
| Canton | 3 cantons |
| Intercommunality | CA Grand Belfort |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Damien Meslot |
| Area 1 | 17.10 km2 (6.60 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 106.8 km2 (41.2 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 633.2 km2 (244.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | 45,155 |
| • Density | 2,600/km2 (6,800/sq mi) |
| • Urban (2018) | 79,364 |
| • Urban density | 740/km2 (1,900/sq mi) |
| • Metro (2018) | 133,597 |
| • Metro density | 210/km2 (550/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 90010 /90000 |
| Dialling codes | 0384 |
| Elevation | 354–650 m (1,161–2,133 ft) (avg. 358 m or 1,175 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Belfort is 400 km (250 mi) from Paris and 55 km (34 mi) from Basel. The residents of the city are called "Belfortains". The city is located on the river Savoureuse, on a strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap (Trouée de Belfort) or Burgundian Gate (Porte de Bourgogne). It is located approximately 16 km (10 mi) south from the base of the Ballon d'Alsace mountain range, source of the Savoureuse. The city of Belfort has 46,443 inhabitants (2019). Belfort is the centre of a larger functional area (metropolitan area) with 133,597 inhabitants (2018), between the larger metropolitan areas of Mulhouse and Montbéliard.