Nevers ( nə-VAIR, French: [nəvɛʁ] ; Latin: Noviodunum, later Nevirnum and Nebirnum) is a town and the prefecture of the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in central France. It was the principal city of the former province of Nivernais. It is 260 km (160 mi) south-southeast of Paris.