The City of Cannes is in France. It is located on the world famous French Riviera. This is the Mediterranean coast on the South Eastern tip of France. In the mid 19th century, it served as a vacation spot for European aristocrats and it remains a popular tourist destination and convention site. It is home to 83,962 foreign residents and as of the population census of 2007 it had 70,400 residents. The French Riviera on which it is located has other cities in it of which Nice is the largest. The others are Antibes, Juan-Les-Pins, Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat, and Saint Tropez. The French Riviera surrounds Monaco and has its own marina where each year up to 50% of the world’s luxury yachts come to dock. Cannes is famous for several things. These include film festivals, luxury goods and the shops that sell them duty free, its hotels, restaurants and atmosphere. The first international film festival to be held in Cannes was held at the Casino Municipal on 20 September 1946. There are 300 hundred days of sunshine and there are ski resorts, several kilometers of beaches and golf courses that make sure the resident or tourist is spoilt for choice.
Cannes was originally a fishing village and served as a port of call between the other four islands of the Mediterranean Sea off the French Riviera. The four islands were first inhabited during the Roman Empire era and the history of Cannes is closely tied to them. By 1035, this fishing village was officially known as Cannes and was run by the monks who had fled from the other four islands due to insecurity. In 1530, it detached itself from the monks who were running it and became independent. These monks can still be seen today on a smaller island known as St Honorat where they engage in prayer sessions and wine making. The railway in the city was completed at the end of the 19th century paving way for the city’s modernization. After World War 2, the number of American tourists to the area increased as opposed to the traditional European tourists who were mainly the Germans and the British who had been visiting the area for a long time. The Palm Beach Summer casino was constructed to accommodate them and provide entertainment activities. The city then had added into it a modern sports center, schools, streetcars and a post office.