Barnaul vs Montpellier

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Barnaul (Russian: Барнау́л, IPA: [bərnɐˈul]) is the largest city and administrative center of Altai Krai, Russia, located at the confluence of the Barnaulka and Ob Rivers in the West Siberian Plain. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 612,401, making it the 21st largest city in Russia and the 4th largest in the Siberian Federal District. Located in the south of western Siberia on the left bank of the Ob River, Barnaul is a major transport, industrial, cultural, medical and educational hub of Siberia.

Barnaul was founded by the wealthy Demidov family, who intended to develop the production of copper and silver, which continued after the factories were taken over by the Crown. Barnaul became a major center of silver production in Russia. Barnaul was granted city status in 1771.

Source: Wikipedia

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Montpellier (UK: , US: , French: [mɔ̃.pɛ.lje, -pə-] (listen); Occitan: Montpelhièr [mumpeˈʎɛ]) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. It is in the region of Occitanie and the capital of the department of Hérault. In 2017, 285,121 people lived in the city, while its urban area had a population of 616,296. The inhabitants are called Montpelliérains. In the Middle Ages, Montpellier was an important city of the Crown of Aragon (and was the birthplace of James I), and then of Majorca, before its sale to France in 1349. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the world and oldest medical school still in operation, with notable alumni such as Petrarch, Nostradamus and François Rabelais. Above the medieval city, the ancient citadel of Montpellier is a stronghold built in the seventeenth century by Louis XIII of France.

Since the 1990s, Montpellier has experienced one of the strongest economic and demographic growth in the country. Its urban area has experienced the highest population growth in France since the year 2000. Numbering 70,000, students comprise nearly one-fourth of its population, one of the highest such proportions in Europe. Its living environment with one of Europe's largest pedestrian area, along with its rich cultural life and Mediterranean climate, explain the enthusiasm for the city, which is nicknamed the "Gifted". Montpellier was nominated for "Best Emerging Culture City of the Year 2017" by the think tank LCD. It is ranked as a Sufficiency city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

Source: Wikipedia