Drôme
| Drôme | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Department — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | France | ||
| Region | Rhône-Alpes | ||
| Prefecture | Valence | ||
| Subprefectures | Die Nyons |
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| Government | |||
| - President of the General Council | Didier Guillaume (PS) | ||
| Area1 | |||
| - Total | 6,530 km2 (2,521.2 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| - Total | 473,428 | ||
| - Rank | 53rd | ||
| - Density | 72.5/km2 (187.8/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Department number | 26 | ||
| Arrondissements | 3 | ||
| Cantons | 36 | ||
| Communes | 369 | ||
| ^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 | |||
Drôme (Droma in Occitan, Drôma in Arpitan) is a department in southeastern France named after the Drôme River.
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History
The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution. The territory formed part of the former province of Dauphiné.
Geography
Drôme is part of the current region of Rhône-Alpes (Rôno-Arpes) and is surrounded by the departments of Ardèche, Isère, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and Vaucluse.
The boundaries of the department have changed several times with the incorporation of the Comtat Venaissin in 1792 and the creation of the department of Vaucluse in 1793. There is an enclave of the department of Vaucluse, the Canton of Valréas (Enclave des Papes), which is surrounded by Drôme.
Economy
Drôme has one of the fastest growing industrial sectors in France. It is very diversified, including plastics, large machinery, packaging, food processing, and high tech.
The economical heart of the department is situated in the west, next to the Rhone.
Politics
The President of the General Council is Didier Guillaume of the Socialist Party.
| Party | seats | |
|---|---|---|
| • | Socialist Party | 18 |
| Union for a Popular Movement | 7 | |
| • | Miscellaneous Left | 4 |
| Miscellaneous Right | 3 | |
| MoDem | 1 | |
| • | The Greens | 1 |
| • | Left Radical Party | 1 |
| • | French Communist Party | 1 |
Demographics
The inhabitants of the department are called Drômois.
Main cities
(1999 figures)
- Valence: 66,568
- Romans-sur-Isère: 33,665
- Montélimar: 32,896
- Nyons: 6,731
Tourism
Sporting and green tourism : Winter sports—skiing, cross-country skiing, and snow-shoeing—are all available in Drôme. During the summer period, excursions, mountain biking can be practiced, discovering the mountainous area.
Cultural tourism : Monuments (churches ...) craft industry...
See also
- Cantons of the Drôme department
- Communes of the Drôme department
- Arrondissements of the Drôme department
External links
- (English) Tourism website
- (English) Drôme Tourism Guide
- (French) Prefecture website
- (French) General Council website
- (French) Drome valley website
- (French) Drome Pictures
- Renée Laurent's website, a painter who lives in Venterol, Drome
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