Lyon (IPA-frlj??-Fr-Lyon.ogg; lang-frpLiyon, IPA-frp?j??IPA; IPA-enli???nlang or anglicized (Anglicisation) as Lyons IPA-en?la?.?nz), is a city in east-central France in the region Rh�ne-Alpes, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at convert470kmmi0lk=outabbr=on from Paris, convert320kmmi0lk=outabbr=on from Marseille, convert160kmmi0abbr=on from Geneva, convert280kmmi0abbr=on from Turin, and convert600kmmi0abbr=on from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais (singular and plural).

Lyon is a major centre of business with a reputation as the French capital of gastronomy and having a significant role in the history of cinema (history of film) due to Auguste and Louis Lumi�re. The local professional football (association football) team, Olympique Lyonnais, has increased the profile of Lyon internationally through participation in European football championships (UEFA Champions League).

The population of the city of Lyon is 472,305. Together with its suburbs and satellite towns, Lyon forms the second-largest metropolitan area in France after that of Paris, with the population of its urban area estimated to be 1,348,832 (Insee, 1999) and that of its metropolitan area 1,748,271 (2006). Its urban region (Urban Community of Lyon), represents half of the Rh�ne-Alpes r�gion (Regions of France) population with three million inhabitants. Lyon is also a major industrial centre specializing in chemical (chemical industry), pharmaceutical, and biotech (Biotechnology) industries. The city also contains a significant software industry with a particular focus on video games.

Lyon is the pr�fecture (Prefectures in France) (capital) of the Rh�ne (Rh�ne (department)) d�partement (Departments of France), and also the capital (capital (political)) of the Rh�ne-Alpes r�gion (Regions of France). The city is known for its historical and architectural landmarks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (World Heritage Site). Lyon was historically known as the silk capital of the world. The city is known as the culinary capital of France. It also hosts the international headquarters of Interpol, Euronews, International Agency for Research on Cancer. Lyon is a pilot city of the Council of Europe and the European Commission Intercultural cities programme.