Basel (English: Basle, German: Basel, French Bâle, Italian Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city (188,000 in the canton of Basel-City in 2004, 690,000 in the metropolitan area). The city borders Germany and France, functions as a major industrial centre for the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, and is one of the most important cultural cities in Europe. The Basel region, culturally extending into German Baden and French Alsace, reflects the heritage of its three states in the modern Latin name, Regio TriRhena. Basel has Switzerland's only cargo port, with access to the river Rhine. Basel-Mulhouse International Airport, known as Euroairport, shares its facilities and services between Switzerland and France, and the city has long been an important railway center. The Swiss chemical industry is concentrated in Basel which specializes in pharmaceuticals. Major Swiss banks have their headquarters in the city. Basel traces its history back to at least the days of the Roman empire settlement of Augusta Raurica. The city's position on the Rhine long emphasised its importance; for centuries it possessed the only bridge over the river. In 1356 much of the city was destroyed by an earthquake. Basel became the focal point of western Christendom during the 15th-century Council of Basel. The Romanesque Minster, with its two towers survived the mediaeval earthquake, and contains the tomb of Erasmus. Basel hosts Switzerland's oldest university, dating from 1459. Erasmus, Paracelsus, Daniel Bernoulli, Leonhard Euler and Friedrich Nietzsche worked here, and recently it has become a center for work in tropical medicine. The city of Basel functions as the capital of the Swiss half-canton of Basel-Stadt. Famous children of Basel include Karl Barth, theologist; Lucius Munatius Plancus, city founder; Jacob Burckhardt, professor in history, theology, philosophy; Daniel Bernoulli, mathematician; Arthur Cohn, film producer.
