Drôme
| Drôme | ||
|---|---|---|
| Department | ||
| ||
 Location of Drôme in France | ||
| Coordinates: 44°45′N 05°10′E / 44.750°N 5.167°ECoordinates: 44°45′N 05°10′E / 44.750°N 5.167°E | ||
| 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
Economy
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
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.
-
Lavender fields near Die
-
Ferdinand Cheval's palace
-
Vercors Plateau
-
Nougat from Montélimar
See also
- Cantons of the Drôme department
- Communes of the Drôme department
- Arrondissements of the Drôme department
External links
 |
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Drôme. |
- (English) Tourism website
- (French) Prefecture website
- (French) General Council website
- (French) Drome valley website
- (French) Drome Pictures