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Fishing, aquaculture and shipping are major industries. From the Port of Marseille, one of Europe’s most important seaports, France and much of Europe send fruit and vegetables, oil and oil products and manufactured goods to Africa, the Middle East and the Far East.

A large petrochemical industry is clustered around Fos, an industrial zone extending from the Port of Marseille. Microelectronics (a third of the total French industry), robotics and aeronautics are also major industries.

In recent years, Arles has become a center for multimedia, particularly digital and 3-D animation. And, since the 1960s, a sort of parallel universe of high technology, commercial and academic research has quietly grown up in Sophia Antipolis, between Antibes and Cannes. More than a science park, Sophia Antipolis is home to some of the world’s biggest names in computers and biotechnology, along with about 3,500 residents.

Tourism is, of course, a major industry. Most Europeans – including the French themselves – consider Provence a top vacation destination. As a result, there are plenty of accommodations, restaurants and activities, and English is widely spoken. That so much of Provence remains relatively laid-back and apparently unspoiled is a remarkable achievement given the area’s popularity.

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