| Var | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Department — | |||
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| Location of Var in France | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | France | ||
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | ||
| Prefecture | Toulon | ||
| Subprefectures | Brignoles Draguignan |
||
| Government | |||
| • President of the General Council | Horace Lanfranchi | ||
| Area1 | |||
| • Total | 5,973 km2 (2,306.2 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| • Total | 995,934 | ||
| • Rank | 21st | ||
| • Density | 166.7/km2 (431.9/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Department number | 83 | ||
| Arrondissements | 3 | ||
| Cantons | 43 | ||
| Communes | 153 | ||
| ^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 | |||
The Var (French pronunciation: [vaʁ]) is a French department in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in Provence, in southeast France. It takes its name from the river Var, which used to flow along its eastern boundary, but the boundary was moved in 1860. The Var is bordered on the east by the department of Alpes-Maritimes; to the west by Bouches-du-Rhône to the north of the Verdon River by the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and to the south by the Mediterranean Sea.
Toulon is the largest city and administrative capital of the Var. Other important towns in the Var include Fréjus, Saint-Raphael, Draguignan, Brignoles and Hyères.
The Var is known for the harbour of Toulon, the main port of the French Navy; for its seaside resorts, the most famous of which is Saint-Tropez; for some fine examples of Romanesque and medieval architecture, such as the Le Thoronet Abbey and Fréjus Cathedral; and for its wines, particularly the wines of Bandol.
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The Department of the Var was created at the time of the French Revolution, on March 4, 1790, from a portion of the former Royal province of Provence. Its capital was originally Toulon, but this was moved to Grasse in 1793 to punish the Toulonnais for having handed the town to British in 1793. The capital was moved to Brignoles in 1795, then to Draguignan in 1797. It was not returned to Toulon until 1974.
The Department of the Var has a surface area of 6032 km2, and 420 km of coastline, including the offshore islands.
56% of the Var is covered with forest. Its geological formations are divided into two regions; one composed of limestone to the west of a line between Toulon and Draguignan; and of crystalline rock (quartz) to the east.
The department is in the foothills of the Alps and is largely mountainous. The major mountains include:
The Plain of Canjuers is located in the north of the Var, and gradually rises from 500 to 1000 metres. In the south and west there are several plateaus, such as the plateau of Siou Blac to the north of Toulon, which rise from 400 to 700 metres in altitude.
The Department of the Var has a Mediterranean climate, slightly warmer, drier and sunnier than Nice and the Alpes-Maritime, but also less sheltered from the wind. Toulon has an average of 2899.3 hours of sunshine each year.[1] The average maximum daily temperature in August is 29.1 °C, and the average daily minimum temperature in January is 5.8 °C.[1] The average annual rainfall is 665 mm.[1] Winds exceeding 16 m/s (57.6 km/h) blow an average of 116 days per year in Toulon,[1] compared with 77 days per year at Fréjus further east.[2]
In 2007, the population of the Var was estimated at 990000, of whom nearly half live in and around Toulon.
In 2004–2005, the population of the urban area of Toulon was estimated at 403743 persons, of whom 160639 lived in Toulon itself: 60188 in La Seyne-sur-Mer; 52500 in Hyères; and 32742 in Six-Fours-les-Plages.
The population of other important towns, according to the 2004–2005 estimate:
The principal industry of the Var is tourism, thanks largely to the enormous summer influx of tourists to the Mediterranean coastal towns, and to the Verdon River Canyon and hilltop villages of the Var.
The construction industry employs 28000 workers in the Var of which 4000 work alone. 4500 companies employ the 24000 salaried employees. Industry generates an annual turnover of €2.5 billion. Of this, €500 million is derived from public works.[3]
800 km2 or 13% of the total area is dedicated to agriculture, on which 40000 people (14% of the Var working population) depend for their livelihoods. The department also has 10 km2 of horticultural land (of which 4 km2 are covered). The Var is France's largest grower of cut flowers, producing some 500 million stems a year. Livestock farming is mainly sheep (50000 head) and goats (4200 head). Vines and viticultural related activities account for 345 km2 of farmland. The 450 domaines / cooperatives and the 4 AOCs (appellation d'origine controlleé) produce 150 million litres of wine a year. The Var leads the world in the production of rose wine.
Other important agricultural products include olives (cultivated on 42 km2 of land—a quarter of all French olive groves—and processed in 40 mills), figs (the Var produces 80% of France's figs), and honey (800 tonnes per year). There are also 9 km2 of market gardens.
Agricultural turnover in the Var is €610 million per year, of which 45% is sales of wines and 42% of horticultural products.[4]
In 2008 the Var received approximately €15 million in farm subsdies under the EU Common Agriculture Policy, an average of about €6000 per recipient farm. This compares with an average across France as a whole of over €18,000 per farm.[5]
Popular tourist attractions in the Var include: