Albi is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture

Prefecture

A prefecture is an administrative jurisdiction or subdivision in any of various countries and within some international church structures, and in antiquity a Roman district governed by an appointed prefect.-Antiquity:...

 of the Tarn department. It is located on the River Tarn

Tarn River

The Tarn is a long river in southern France , right tributary of the Garonne.The Tarn runs in a roughly westerly direction, from its source at an altitude of 1,550 m on Mont Lozère in the Cévennes mountains , through the deep gorges and canyons of the Gorges du Tarn The Tarn is a long...

, c. 85 km northeast of Toulouse

Toulouse

Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...

. Its inhabitants are called Albigensians . It was the seat of the Archbishop of Albi and is the seat of the Diocese

Diocese

A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

 of Albi. The episcopal city, situated in the center of the actual city, around the cathedral

Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi

Albi Cathedral, formally the Cathedral of Saint Cecilia , is the most important religious building in Albi, southern France, and the seat of the Archbishop of Albi...

, was added to the UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 list of World Heritage Sites in 2010.
Albi is the seat of 6 cantons, covering 18 communes, with a total population of 67,729.
The first human settlement in Albi was in the Bronze Age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

 (3000-600 BC).