Strasbourg, which is called Strossburi in Alsatian and Strasburg in German, is a city in the north of France in the Alsace region located near the German border. It forms the capital of the Alsace region and is its major city as well. The city covers and area of around seventy eight square kilometers and is home to 702415 people which makes it rank ninth among all the cities of France.

Strasbourg is the hub of engineering and manufacturing industries. Besides that it is also the center of river, rail, and road communications. The city’s port ranks second among the ports on the Rhine with respect to size and comes after Duisburg in Germany.

Grand Island (called Grande Ile) has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. This was done in the year 1988, and before that no city center had the honor of being classified as a World Heritage site in its entirety. Strasbourg, particularly its Catholic and Protestant culture and its University, has been the unifying factor between Germany and France. Both countries have fused cultures.

The city has its own airport which provides flights going to a few selective locations. The train services can be used to go to Offenburg and Karlsruhe in the east, to Paris and Metz in the west, as well as south to Basel. The TGV Est links the city to the European network of high speed trains. This came into being on in the month of June in the year 2007.

The major sports played in Strasbourg are hockey, football, and basketball, with the Etoile noire, Racing Club, and the SIG being world famous teams respectively. The Internationaux de Strasbourg is a very important French tournament of women’s tennis that is hosted here. Its importance can be based on the fact that it is held outside of Roland-Garros.