Perpignan

Perpignan (UK: /ˈpɜːrpɪnjɒ̃/, US: /ˌpɛərpiːˈnjɑːn/,[3][4] .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}French: [pɛʁpiɲɑ̃] ⓘ; Catalan: Perpinyà, [pəɾpiˈɲa]; Occitan: Perpinhan) 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 Méditerranée Métropole metropolitan area.[5] In 2016, Perpignan had a population of 121,875 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 sometimes seen as the "entrance" to the Iberian Peninsula.