Boulogne-sur-Mer is a city in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city was 44,859 in the 1999 census, whereas that of the whole metropolitan area was 135,116. The name Boulogne was first recorded during the Roman Empire as Bononia, a derivative of the Germanic word bona meaning "plank floor", related to "Bühne", German for theater stage and also found in Vindobona, the Roman name for Vienna. A "bona" was probably a granary. This derivation is also found in the name of the Italian city of Bologna. This city was founded by the Germanic Boii. "Sur mer" is French meaning "on the sea". This nice card was sent by Fleur.
