Perpignan (UK: , US: , French: [pɛʁpiɲɑ̃] (listen); Catalan: Perpinyà [pəɾpiˈɲa]; Spanish: Perpiñán [peɾpiˈɲan]; Italian: Perpignano [perpiɲˈɲaːno]) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea and the scrublands of the Corbières massif. It is the centre of the Perpignan Mediterranée Métropole metropolitan area.
In 2016 Perpignan had a population of 121,875 (Perpignanais(e) in French, Perpinyanés(a) in Catalan) in the commune proper, and the metropolitan area had a total population of 268,577, making it the last major French city before the Spanish border. Perpignan is also sometimes seen as the "Entrance" or border town of the Iberian Peninsula.
Perpignan was the capital of the former province and County of Roussillon (Rosselló in Catalan) and continental capital of the Kingdom of Majorca in the 13th and 14th centuries. It has preserved an extensive old centre with its bodegas in the historic centre, coloured houses in a series of picturesque streets and alleys stretching between the banks of the Têt and its tributary, the Basse.
The city is also known for its International Photojournalism Festival, its medieval Trobades and its centuries-old garnet industry.


Perpignan is located in the southwest of France, north of the Spanish border, on the axis Paris-Barcelona-Madrid. The city is crossed by major transport routes linking it to Barcelona ( away), Toulouse ( away) and Madrid ( from Perpignan).
Perpignan was founded around a small hill called "Mons Pujol" or "Puig Mayor", known locally as 'the little mountain', which stands next to the river Ter. Its highest point overlooks Perpignan and can be seen from miles around: an area that has been settled since Neolithic times.

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