15 km south of Aix-en-Provence and 25 km north of Marseille, Gardanne is the geographical, administrative and historical heart of the mining basin of Provence. Its territory consists of small plateaus, separated by a tributary left of the Arc, the Saint-Pierre.
Its inhabitants are called Gardannais.
A Neolithic site, where remains dating from 4000 BC. J.-C. have recently been discovered, suggests that the occupation of the territory of the current town of Gardanne is very old.