Drôme
| Drôme | |
|---|---|
| — Department — | |
|
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 |
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| Coordinates: 44°45′N 05°10′E / 44.75°N 5.167°ECoordinates: 44°45′N 05°10′E / 44.75°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 (2,521.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 473,427 |
| • 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), a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.
Contents |
[edit] History
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.
[edit] Geography
Drôme lies within the current[update] region of Rhône-Alpes (Rôno-Arpes) 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).
[edit] Climate
[edit] Economy
[edit] 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 |
[edit] Demographics
The inhabitants of the department are called Drômois.
[edit] Main cities
(1999 figures)
- Valence: 66,568
- Romans-sur-Isère: 33,665
- Montélimar: 32,896
- Nyons: 6,731
[edit] Tourism
Sport activities in Drôme include skiing, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing in winter; during the summer period, excursions, mountain biking in the mountainous area.
[edit] See also
- Cantons of the Drôme department
- Communes of the Drôme department
- Arrondissements of the Drôme department
[edit] External links
 |
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Drôme. |
- (English) Tourism website
- (English) Drôme Tourism Guide
- (French) Prefecture website
- (French) General Council website
- (French) Drome valley website
- (French) Drome Pictures
