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'Nanterre' is a ''commune'' in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of its Hauts-de-Seine ''département'', as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre. It is located in the Île-de-France ''région'' around 11.1 km. (6.9 miles) from Paris' "Kilometre Zero" centre, and around 3 km (1.9 miles) from the city of Paris itself. Inhabitants of Nanterre are called ''Nanterriennes'' (feminine) and ''Nanterriens'' (masculine).
Eastern Nanterre, with the bordering communes of Courbevoie and Puteaux, hosts the Paris-dependent La Défense business district and some of the tallest buildings in the Paris region. The city of Nanterre also includes the University Paris X – Nanterre, one of the largest universities in the Paris region.
Because the headquarters of many major corporations are located in La Défense, the court of large claims of Nanterre is well-known in the media for the number of high-profile lawsuits and trials that take place in it.
Sainte Geneviève, patron of Paris, was born in Nanterre ca 419/422. ^[1]
[Nanterre Cathedral:[1]]
In 2002, a disgruntled local activist shot and killed eight town councillors in what the French press dubbed the Nanterre massacre.

Contents

Name

Demographics

Immigration

Administration

Transport

See also

External links

References

Name

The name Nanterre has a long history going back to before the Roman conquest of Gaul. The Romans recorded the name as ''Nemetodorum''. This name is made of the Celtic word ''nemeto'' meaning "shrine", "sacred place", and of the Celtic word ''duros'' (cognate of English ''door'' and German ''Tür'') meaning "door, gate", "fortress". The sacred place referred to in the name is supposed to be the famous shrine that existed in Antiquity on top of Mont-Valérien hill.

Demographics

Immigration

Administration

Nanterre is divided into three cantons:

★ The Canton of Nanterre-Nord has a population of 33,173.

★ The Canton of Nanterre-Sud-Est has a population of 22,350.

★ The Canton of Nanterre-Sud-Ouest has a population of 28,758.

Transport

Nanterre is served by three stations on RER line A: Nanterre – Préfecture, Nanterre – Université, and Nanterre – Ville.
Nanterre - Préfecture station is also an interchange station on the Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare suburban rail line.

See also

★ La Défense business district.

★ List of tallest structures in Paris

External links

★ Official website

★ Université Paris 10 Nanterre (in French)

★ Nanterre students (in French)

★ News coverage of March 2006 University occupation (in English)

References

1. Catholic Encyclopedia St. Genevieve