Coaraze is a commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Alpes-Maritimes

Alpes-Maritimes

Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...

 département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...

 region

Régions of France

France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...

 in southeastern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Its inhabitants are called Coaraziens.

Geography

Coaraze is a small village in the Nice

Nice metropolitan area

Nice metropolitan area as defined by INSEE is a residential area near Nice. It has 933,020 inhabitants and an area that covers a large strip of territory from the city of Villefranche-sur-Mer to the westernmost part of the Alpes-Maritimes département, including cities like Antibes, Grasse, Cannes...

 hinterland

Hinterland

The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for...

, in the valley of the River Paillon

Paillon

The Paillon is a coastal river of the Alpes-Maritimes that flows into the Mediterranean Sea in Nice, near the old district. Its source is north of Lucéram...

. The closest town is Contes

Contes, Alpes-Maritimes

Contes is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in south-eastern France.Its inhabitants are Contois. Because the village sounds like the French word comte, the aristocratic title count, it called itself Point Libre during the revolutionary...

, 8 km (5 mi) away.

The village itself is built on a sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

 mount at the foot of Mount Férion (1,414 metres or 4660 feet (1,420.4 m) high).

History

Erected as a baronnie in 1629, Coaraze was under Spanish administration from 1744 to 1748. In the nineteenth century the old trail was replaced by a road.

Population

Tourism

Coaraze is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés (Route of Perched Villages). The others are: Aspremont

Aspremont, Alpes-Maritimes

Aspremont is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Aspremont is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...

, Castagniers

Castagniers

Castagniers is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Castagniers is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...

, Colomars

Colomars

Colomars is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Inhabitants of Colomars are called Colomarsois. Colomars is a part of the Pays Niçois...

, Duranus

Duranus

Duranus is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Tourism:Duranus is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...

, Èze

Èze

Èze is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France, not far from the city of Nice.-History:The area surrounding Èze was first populated around 2000 BC as a commune situated near Mount Bastide. The earliest occurrence of the name "Èze" can be found in the maritime books of...

, Falicon

Falicon

Falicon is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Falicon is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...

, La Gaude

La Gaude

La Gaude is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.- History :La Gaude takes its name from a tool that was used for repairing fishing nets...

, La Roquette

La Roquette-sur-Siagne

La Roquette-sur-Siagne is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:La Roquette is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...

, Levens

Levens

Levens is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Its inhabitants are called Levensans .-Origin and evolution of the name:...

, Saint-Blaise

Saint-Blaise, Alpes-Maritimes

Saint-Blaise is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Saint-Blaise is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...

, Saint-Jeannet

Saint-Jeannet, Alpes-Maritimes

Saint-Jeannet is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Saint-Jeannet is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...

 and Tourrette-Levens

Tourrette-Levens

Tourrette-Levens is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Tourrette-Levens is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...

.

Coaraze is a member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France is an independent association, created in 1982, which aims to promote assets of small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage...

(most beautiful villages of France) association.