Marseille , locally also spelled in English as Marseilles Occitan: Marselha is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. Situated in the historical province of Provence, it is located on the coast of the Gulf of Lion, part of the Mediterranean Sea, near the mouth of the Rhône river. Its inhabitants are called Marseillais.