"The southeast coast of France's Mediterranean region is known as the French Riviera. Though some sources place the western boundary further west around Saint-Tropez or even Toulon, it is generally accepted to be the coastal region of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending from the rock formation Massif de l'Esterel to Menton, at the France–Italy border. The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur area of France encompasses the entire coast. The Principality of Monaco, which faces the Mediterranean and is surrounded by France on three sides, is a semi-enclave in the area. The French Riviera is home to the coastal cities of Cap-d'Ail, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Cannes, and Théoule-sur-Mer. The name ""riverside"" comes from the old Ligurian region of Italy, which is situated between the Var and Magra rivers. France originally dubbed the County of Nice ""Côte d'Azur"" after it was annexed in 1860 because of the region's climate, which was ""a sky as blue as its sea"" and comparable to that of northern Italy, even during the winter. Summer temperatures in the Mediterranean can be quite cold when the Mistral (Northwest) and Tramontane (North) winds are blowing in the Languedoc and Provence regions. On the shore between the French and Italian Rivieras, this phenomena is either hardly noticeable or nonexistent. The Italian Riviera, which stretches east of the French Riviera (from Ventimiglia to La Spezia), is analogous to the French Riviera.The eastern portion of the coast, between Monaco and the Italian border, was commonly referred to as the French Riviera or the Riviera by the British as early as the 19th century. ""Coastline"" is what the Italian term ""river"" signifies. There are no formal borders between the French Riviera and Côte d'Azur. According to some sources, Saint-Tropez marks the western limit. Other locations include Cassis in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, Saint Tropez, Hyères, or Toulon in the Var department. Patricia Highsmith defines the Riviera as the entire coastline between Toulon and the Italian border in her 1955 book The Talented Mr. Ripley. People have lived in the French Riviera region since the beginning of time. In the Grotte du Vallonnet, close to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, prehistoric artifacts from between 1,000,000 and 1,050,000 years ago were found with animal bones and stones, including those of bison, rhinoceroses, and cows. One of Europe's oldest fireplaces was uncovered at Terra Amata (380,000 to 230,000 years ago), close to the Nice Port.

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