Cardinal points

Hi Jean!

Both prepositions are correct, however they will give a different meaning to the sentence - so it depends on what you want to say.

 

"Au"/"à"

When writing "j'habite au sud de Paris" (I live South from Paris), it will imply that I am living somewhere South outside Paris. Using "au"/"à" before a cardinal point indicates the direction of a location outside another.

 

"Dans"

When writing "j'habite dans le sud de Paris" (I live on the South side of Paris), it means that I live inside Paris, on the South side of the city. "Dans" used before a cardinal point indicates an area within a location.