The Ligures or Ligurians were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day north-western Italy, is named. In pre-Roman times, the Ligurians occupied the present-day Italian region of Liguria, Piedmont south of the Po river, and the French region of Alpes-Maritimes. However, it is generally believed that around 2000 BC, the Ligurians occupied a much larger area, including much of north-western Italy and a portion of what today is Catalonia. Because of the strong Celtic influences on their language and culture, they were also known in antiquity as Celto-Ligurians.