Narbonne is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies 849 km from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about 15 km from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was historically a prosperous port. From the 14th century it declined following a change in the course of the river Aude. While it is the largest commune in Aude, the capital of the Aude department is the smaller commune of Carcassonne.