A corniche is a roadon the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising on one side and falling away on the other. The word has been absorbed into English from the French term route à wikt:corniche#French or "road on a ledge", originally derived from the Italian ''wikt:corniche#French, for "ledge".
Europe
France
Three famed corniche roads of the Côte d'Azur in the French Riviera run between the sea and mountains from Nice eastward toward Menton. They are known as the Corniche Inferieure along the coast, the Moyenne Corniche slightly inland, and the Grande Corniche along the upper cliffs. The Corniche Inferieure passes through the principality of Monaco. The Grande Corniche featured prominently in the Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief.
Italy
The Amalfi Drive, along the Amalfi Coast south of Naples, is a road carved into the cliffs along the Mediterranean Sea, and can be classified as a corniche. It runs between Sorrento and Amalfi and was originally built by the Romans.
Africa
Senegal
The coastal road facing the Atlantic Ocean in the capital city ofDakar is called the Corniche Ouest and runs along a cliff above the beaches and rocky shores.
South Africa
Many of the roads running around the Cape Peninsular, south of Cape Town, have been constructed in the form of corniches. A good example is part of Victoria Road running through the suburbs of Clifton and Bantry Bay.
Any waterfront passage along a body of water is classed as a corniche in Egypt. Most cities in the country have corniches. On the Nile are "Corniche Giza" and "Corniche Cairo", the longest Egyptian corniche. Other cities such as Mansoura, Damietta and Luxor also have corniches.
Though the word itself comes from a French Origin, Egypt's cultural influence has made neighboring Arab countries – that aren't francophone or have no French influence in them – to adopt the word. These include Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.
Asia
Lebanon
The avenue that runs along the western and northern coast of the Beirutpeninsula is colloquially called Corniche Beirut.
Oman
The promenade along the waterfront in Muttrah, Muscat is known as The Corniche.
Qatar
The promenade that runs for several kilometers along the Doha Bay of Doha is colloquially called Doha Corniche.
in Ajman, the corniche is the road that runs from ajman beach to ajman marina, with the beautiful skyline of the city and the tall skyscrapers thar stand along the road.
In Sharjah, the road surrounding Khalid Lagoon is known as Buheira Corniche, though not a true corniche as it is near sea level and not following a cliff line.
