Drôme

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"Drome" redirects here. For the 1952 novel by John Martin Leahy, see Drome (novel).
For other uses, see Drôme (disambiguation).
Drôme
Department

Coat of arms
Location of Drôme in France
Coordinates: 44°45′N 05°10′E / 44.750°N 5.167°E / 44.750; 5.167Coordinates: 44°45′N 05°10′E / 44.750°N 5.167°E / 44.750; 5.167
Country France
Region Rhône-Alpes
Prefecture Valence
Subprefectures Die
Nyons
Government
 • President of the General Council Didier Guillaume (PS)
Area1
 • Total 6,530 km2 (2,520 sq mi)
Population (2007)
 • Total 473,427
 • Rank 53rd
 • Density 73/km2 (190/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 (French pronunciation: ​[dʁom]; Droma in Occitan, Drôma in Arpitan) is a department in southeastern France named after the Drôme River.

History

St Vallier in Drôme, was the birthplace of one of France's most famous courtesans, the noble-born Diane de Poitiers (1499-1566), long-term mistress of King Henri II (1547-1559).

The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution. The territory formed part of the former French province of Dauphiné.

Geography

Drôme lies within the region of Rhône-Alpes and is surrounded by the departments of Ardèche, Isère, Hautes-Alpes, 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. Drôme surrounds an enclave of the department of Vaucluse, the Canton of Valréas (Enclave des Papes).

Climate

Main article: Climate of the Drôme department

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Drôme department

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)

Tourism

Sport activities in Drôme include:

  • in winter: skiing, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing
  • in summer: excursions, mountain biking in the mountainous area

The Drôme River is also a great place to practice canoëing and kayaking. In the spring the water flow even allows you to practice rafting. The Saoü Forest is known for its climbing paths.

See also

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Drôme.
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