Belfort

Belfort (French pronunciation: [bɛlfɔʁ] ; archaic German: Beffert, Beffort; Frainc-Comtou: Béfoûe) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately 25 km (16 mi) from the Swiss border. It is the prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort. Belfort is 400 km (250 mi) from Paris and 55 km (34 mi) from Basel. The residents of the city are called "Belfortains". The city is located on the river Savoureuse, on a strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap (Trouée de Belfort) or Burgundian Gate (Porte de Bourgogne). It is located approximately 16 km (10 mi) south from the base of the Ballon d'Alsace mountain range, source of the Savoureuse. The city of Belfort has 45,646 inhabitants (2022), and is the centre of a larger functional area (metropolitan area) with 131,807 inhabitants (2022), between the larger metropolitan areas of Mulhouse and Montbéliard.