Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in Eastern France. Named after the

Ain Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where ...

river, it is bordered by the

Saône The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name ...

and

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it neighbours the

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

and

Vaud Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...

. In 2019, it had a population of 652,432.Populations légales 2019: 01 Ain
INSEE Ain is composed of four geographically different areas (

Bresse Bresse () is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term ''Bresse'' has two meanings: ''Bresse bourguignonne'' (or ''louhannaise''), whi ...

Dombes The Dombes (; Arpitan: Domba) is an area in eastern France, once an independent municipality, formerly part of the province of Burgundy, and now a district comprised in the department of Ain, and bounded on the west by the Saône River, on th ...

Bugey The Bugey (, ; Arpitan: ''Bugê'') is a historical region in the department of Ain, eastern France, located between Lyon and Geneva. It is located in a loop of the Rhône River in the southeast of the department. It includes the foothills of the ...

and

Pays de Gex The arrondissement of Gex is an arrondissement of France in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It approximately corresponds to the historical region of the Pays de Gex. It has 27 communes. Its population is 93,027 (2016), an ...

), each of which contribute to the diverse and dynamic economic development of the department. In Bresse, agriculture and agro-industry are dominated by the cultivation of cereals, cattle breeding, milk and cheese production as well as poultry farming. In Dombes, pisciculture assumes greater importance, as does

winemaking Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...

in Bugey. Ain's prefecture is

Bourg-en-Bresse Bourg-en-Bresse (; frp, Bôrg) is the prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient province of Bresse ( frp, Brêsse, links=no). In 2018, ...

. It is bordered by Jura to the north; Saône-et-Loire to the northwest;

and the

Lyon Metropolis The Metropolis of Lyon (french: Métropole de Lyon), also known as ("Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity located in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly elected metropolitan authority encompassing t ...

to the southwest; Isère to the south;

Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population ...

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is Ann ...

and Switzerland to the east. In the alphabetical ordering of French departments, used for postal and demographic purposes amongst others, Ain comes first and is thus assigned the number 01 as its department number.

History

The first inhabitants settled in the territory of today's Ain about 15000 BC. The

menhir A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be found ...

of in Simandre-sur-Suran dates from the mid-

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

era, in the fourth or third millennium BC. The late-second century BC Calendar of Coligny bears the oldest surviving Gaulish inscription. In 58 BC,

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

's military action against the

Helvetians The Helvetii ( , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. According to Julius ...

, advancing through Gaul over the territory of today's Ain, marked the beginning of the

Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homel ...

. Under the

Merovingians The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

, the four historic regions of the modern department belonged to the

Kingdom of Burgundy Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various states located in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. The historical Burgundy correlates with the border area of France, Italy and Switzerland and includes the major modern cities of Geneva and ...

. At the start of the 6th century AD, the diocese of Belley (''Bellicum'') was created as the first bishopric in the region. Abbeys of the

order of Saint Benedict , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

were established in the valleys. In 843, the

Treaty of Verdun The Treaty of Verdun (), agreed in , divided the Frankish Empire into three kingdoms among the surviving sons of the emperor Louis I, the son and successor of Charlemagne. The treaty was concluded following almost three years of civil war and ...

assigned the territories that comprised Ain to the kingdom of

Lothar I Lothair I or Lothar I (Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario'') (795 – 29 September 855) was emperor (817–855, co-ruling with his father until 840), and the governor of Bavar ...

(

Lotharingia Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...

). The first big

fiefdom A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...

s ("seigneuries") emerged between 895 and 900 in

Bâgé-le-Châtel Bâgé-le-Châtel () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. History The name of Bâgé-le-Châtel comes from a Gallo-Roman villa belonging to a certain Balgiasius. In the Middle Ages, three parishes were formed on the territor ...

, which formed the nucleus of the ''pays'' of

, and in Coligny. Numerous castles were erected in a low rolling terrain that was not otherwise easily defended. In the 12th century,

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this lat ...

flourished. In the 11th century, the Counts of Savoy and

Valromey The canton of Champagne-en-Valromey is a former administrative division in eastern France. It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. It consisted of 14 communes, which joined the canton of P ...

settled in the region of Belley. In 1272, when Sibylle de Bâgé, sole heir, married

Amadeus V, Count of Savoy Amadeus V (1252/1253 – 16 October 1323) was Count of Savoy from 1285 to 1323. Biography Amadeus was the son of Thomas II of Savoy and Beatrice Fieschi. Through his mother he was a grandnephew of Pope Innocent IV. Following his marriage to S ...

, they added

to their domains, and – by the Treaties of Paris in 1355 – the territories of

Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...

and Gex on the right bank of the

. At the start of the 15th century, almost the whole region of Ain was united under the house of Savoy. New monasteries were founded in the cities and churches were constructed or reshaped in the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style of architecture. 200605 - Artemare 2

At the start of the 16th century, the Duchy of Savoy was at the peak of its power and Ain was inherited by

Margaret of Habsburg Archduchess Margaret of Austria (german: Margarete; french: Marguerite; nl, Margaretha; es, Margarita; 10 January 1480 – 1 December 1530) was Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1507 to 1515 and again from 1519 to 1530. She was the firs ...

, the widow of

Philibert II, Duke of Savoy Philibert II (10 April 1480 – 10 September 1504), nicknamed the Handsome or the Good, was the Duke of Savoy from 1497 until his death. Biography Born in Pont-d'Ain, Philibert was the son of Philip (Filippo) the Landless and his first wife ...

. In

Brou Brou may refer to: * Brou, Eure-et-Loir, a village and ''commune'' in France * Brou-sur-Chantereine, a village and ''commune'' in Seine-et-Marne, France * Brou people, a Khmer Loeu ethnic group in Cambodia See also * Royal Monastery of Brou, in B ...

, she erected a church and a monastery in late-Gothic style.

became a bishop's see. After Margaret's death,

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...

, a nephew of the Dukes of Savoy, claimed the Duchy for himself and conquered it in 1536. Following a treaty concluded in 1559 at Savoy, the territory of Ain was restored to the Duke of Savoy, who immediately started fortifying it. During the Franco-Savoyard War of 1600–1601,

Henri IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

reconquered the region, although the citadel of Bourg remained impregnable. The Treaty of Lyon of 17 January 1601 finally ended the conflict. Ain now belonged to Burgundy. In the 17th century, sculpture, painting, and literature prospered. During the 18th century, streets and small industries emerged. On 28 March 1762, the

Count of Eu Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, son of the Duke of Maine, ceded the region of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

. In 1790, during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, the departments of Ain and Léman were created. Ain was subdivided into nine districts, 49 cantons (now 23 cantons) and 501 communes. The Revolution did not claim many victims in the department, but it destroyed numerous valuable historical monuments. During the first

French Consulate The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Co ...

(1802), the districts were abolished. The

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

dissolved the department of Léman and assigned the arrondissement of Gex to the department of Ain. During the French Revolution and the

First Empire First Empire may refer to: * First British Empire, sometimes used to describe the British Empire between 1583 and 1783 * First Bulgarian Empire (680–1018) *First French Empire (1804–1814/1815) * First German Empire or "First Reich", sometimes u ...

, a large number of churches were destroyed, but in 1823 the diocese of Belley was refounded. The

Curé of Ars John Vianney (born Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney; 8 May 1786 – 4 August 1859), venerated as Saint John Vianney, was a French Catholic priest who is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as the patron saint of parish priests. He is of ...

became famous. During the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the Second and the Third Republic of France. Historians in the 1930 ...

, numerous churches were rebuilt, agriculture changed profoundly, and the railways expanded. Due to its distance from the front line, the department was spared the destruction of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(1914–1918). However, the majority of the vineyards could no longer be cultivated, and disappeared. Industrialization of the department began in

Oyonnax Oyonnax () is the second most populated commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Oyonnax lies in a valley of the Jura Mountains in the far north of Ain. It is near the Parc naturel régional du Ha ...

and Bellegarde. Construction of the Barrage de Génissiat started in 1937.

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

(1939–1945) vehemently struck the department of Ain and took its toll as 600 people were deported, half whom did not return. Commemorating this tragic era are: the monument of the Maquis in Cerdon, the memorial of the children of

Izieu Izieu () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. It lies on the river Rhône, between the cities of Lyon and Chambéry. Site of World War II Jewish orphanage Izieu was the site of a Jewish orphanage during the Second World War ...

, and the museum of the resistance and deportation in

Nantua Nantua (; Arpitan: ''Nantuat'') is a commune in and subprefecture of the Ain département in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 3,454. The commune of Nantua comprises the glacial Lac de Nantua ...

. In the second half of the 20th century, industrialisation of the department proceeded, favoured by an expansive road and railway network.

Geography

Ain is a department of geographic contrasts. In the north, the plain of

is bordered by the river

and rises slightly towards the north-east. In the south-east, the territory of

has more than a thousand ponds and lakes. In the east, the mountain chain of the southern Jura overlooks the plain of Bresse. The busy transport axes to Italy and Switzerland crisscross the valleys. The Gex region is separated from the rest of the department by the last eastern mountain chain of the Jura where the highest elevation in the department, the

Crêt de la Neige Le Crêt de la Neige is the highest peak in the Jura Mountains and the department of Ain in France. Its elevation is 1720 m above sea level (reported as 1718 m before 2003). Its prominence In topography, prominence (also referred ...

(1720 m), can be found. Gex belongs geographically to the

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial la ...

basin. The river Saône represents the western border of the department. It is fed by three smaller rivers: the Reyssouze (76 km), the

Veyle The Veyle (; frp, Vêla) is a long river in the Ain department in eastern France. Its source is in Chalamont. It flows generally northwest. It is a left tributary of the Saône, into which it flows between Grièges and Crottet, near Mâcon ...

(68 km) and the

Chalaronne The Chalaronne () is a long river in the Ain department in eastern France. Its source is at Lapeyrouse, in the Dombes. It flows generally northwest. It is a left tributary of the Saône, into which it flows between Saint-Didier-sur-Chalaronne ...

(52 km). The river

forms the department's borders in the east and the south. Its main tributaries are the Suran (50 km) and notably the river Ain (190 km) which is itself fed by 118 small rivers and creeks.

Principal communes

The most populous commune is the prefecture

. As of 2019, there are 8 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:

Transport networks

Ain is situated at the crossroads of a large national and international flow of commodities and is therefore an important transit region. More than 4000 km of transport routes serve the department. In addition to a well-developed transport network of former national roads, which were transferred to the department in 2007, Ain is crisscrossed by 220 km of highway. For national and international flights, the international airports of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

( Saint-Exupéry) and

(Cointrin) are located within a rather short distance. The department of Ain also contains two waterways, the rivers Saône and Rhone, on which building materials, such as gravel, are shipped. The most important harbour is situated in Jassans-Riottier on the river Saône. Last but not least, the railway network is of great importance, in particular the

TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...

connections Paris-Geneva (with a stop in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine) and Paris-Lyon (passing by the Saône valley). The upgraded

Ligne du Haut-Bugey The Haut-Bugey line (french: Ligne du Haut-Bugey) (also nicknamed ''Lignes des Carpates'') is a railway line in France. It is 65 kilometres in length and connects Bourg-en-Bresse with Bellegarde, travelling through the Jura Mountains. For a ce ...

was opened in 2010, reducing travel time between Paris and Geneva by 20 minutes. The regional TER (train and bus) network is important mainly as concerns the connection to

Demographics

The department of Ain is marked by very dynamic demographics. The population has grown from 471,019 inhabitants in 1990 to 638,425 in 2016 (estimates of the French statistics office INSEE). This increase is primarily due to natural growth and secondarily by a slightly positive migration balance. The average population density is 111 inhabitants/km² (2016; Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: 114; metropolitan France: 119). While the

valley, the

Côtière Côtière or Côtière de l'Ain is a natural region located southwest of the department of Ain, France. It is along a slope of about forty kilometers, beginning with the balcony of Croix-Rousse and ending in Meximieux. The main cities are Miribe ...

and the Gex region have a high density of population, the mountainous

area is less populated. Population development since 1791:

Higher education and research

Several colleges and research institutions are located in

, as well as one in

Bellignat Bellignat () is a Communes of France, commune in the Ain Departments of France, department in eastern France. Bellignat station has rail connections to Bourg-en-Bresse and Oyonnax. Population See also *Communes of the Ain department Referen ...

. In Bourg-en-Bresse, they include the Centre for University Studies, Alimentec, the Ecole Supérieure de Plasturgie, the commercial college of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and a branch of the Lyon faculty of education. Bellignat is home of the polytechnic for plastics engineering. The Centre for University Studies, which was relocated from the University Jean Moulin in

to Bourg-en-Bresse, has 540 students who pursue their studies in 6 different branches. They are: modern foreign languages, being English-German and English-Spanish; economic and social administration; business administration; and 3 levels of study in law. Law students may gain a diploma after 2 years of law study, a 'licence' after 3 years, or a Maîtrise after 4 years. This last corresponds to a master's degree in law and offers a specialization in commercial and trade law. At Alimentec, altogether 700 students attend courses. Two streams of study can be followed, applied nutritional sciences or towards qualification by the commercial college of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The research and technology centre for applied nutritional sciences located in Bourg-en-Bresse has faculties for biology, energy sciences, informatics and biotechnology. Also situated in Bourg-en-Bresse is a branch of the Lyon faculty of education, providing 450 places for future school teachers. In

, at the heart of the 'plastics valley', a polytechnic university was founded in 1992, under the direct control of the Ministry of youth, education and research. The Ecole Supérieure de Plasturgie provides 140 places for future plastics engineers and utilizes a pluridisciplinary research laboratory which qualifies advanced students, notably PhD students. Although it is headquartered just across the border in

, most of CERN's Large Hadron Collider lies in parts of several communes in the Arrondissement of Gex in Ain.

Economy

General data

With an unemployment rate of only 5% (compared to 7% in the

Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes () was an administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the river Rhône ...

region and 8% in France), a close-knit community of 11,500 small and medium enterprises (

SMEs Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) systems store energy in the magnetic field created by the flow of direct current in a Superconductivity, superconducting coil which has been Cryogenics, cryogenically cooled to a temperature below ...

) and a fast-growing, export-oriented economy, mainly to Germany, Italy and Spain, Ain is one of the most dynamic regions in France.

Industry

Despite its rural image, Ain is highly industrialised. In addition to a multitude of SME's, several big enterprises of international reputation are situated in Ain, such as: Roset-Cinna, Grosfillex, Volvo, Carrier, Smoby-Berchet, CIAT, Renault Trucks, Tréfileurope. With more than a third of all employees working in the industrial and public works sector, Ain holds 6th rank of all departments in regards to the degree of industrialisation and is the most industrialised department within the Rhône-Alpes region. The small and medium enterprises contribute most to the industrial development of the department. While enterprises with more than 500 employees represent only 27% of all industrial employment, businesses with less than 100 employees account for 47%. The plastics industry, which is located mainly around the city of Oyonnax, is a highly productive branch of the economy and enjoys an excellent reputation. " Plastics Valley" comprises 10% of France's plastics industry which constitutes the highest concentration of plastics enterprises in Europe. The 349 enterprises which have been established here employ about 11,000 persons, more than a fourth of all employees of the tertiary sector (without public works). In the

basin, three of four employments are directly or indirectly depending on the plastics industry. The agricultural industry, mainly located in

, accounts for more than 5,000 employees. It represents more than a fifth of the employees in the area of

who work in the meat industry and in tinned food factories. The pillars of the agro-industry are an efficient agriculture providing for a significant number of high quality products as well as the presence of several leading companies of this branch. The emblematic poultry industry in Bresse employs only 350 persons. In 1992 the city of Bourg-en-Bresse, the department of Ain, and the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce founded the technology platform "Alimentec". Its tasks are, among others, applied research, technical support, technology transfer and the advanced technical education in the agro-industrial sector. The activities of Alimentec focus on three priorities: ventilation systems, plastics packing and applied hygiene. The industrial fabric of Ain is also a result of its metal processing (cables, wire drawing, electrical wires) and engineering industry (automobile industry, France's most important site for truck production) as shown by the presence of several major companies in this sector (Tréfileurope, Alcatel Cables, Renault Trucks). Foundry, metal processing and electrical industry employ approximately 8,200 workers. Due to the diversity of the activities of these industries and their dispersion over the whole department, polarisation effects similar to those in the plastics sector have not yet been observed. Counting more than 12,900 employees, the public works sector represents a significant share of the department's economy. About a quarter of all industry employees are working in this sector. The future development of the building sector benefits from the department's economic and demographic growth. Thanks to its vast forests (more than a third of the department's land area), the timber industry employed (in September 2007) approximately 4,500 workers. The nuclear industry represents another economic factor. The nuclear power plant in

produces about 4.2% of French electricity, employs more than 1,350 workers and secures moreover numerous employments in the enterprises of the supply chain. Every day between 300 and 1,000 external employees work in the power plant. Its importance for the local economy can not be underestimated. Ain comprises, finally, several industrial parks. Apart from the aforementioned Plastics Valley and numerous smaller business parks which have been founded by local initiatives, the large industrial park of the plain of Ain has to be mentioned. With 700 ha, this park is forecast to become a centre for heavy industries in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Agriculture

The diversified agriculture (cattle and poultry breeding, milk and milk products, cereals, vegetables and viticulture) generates products of national and international reputation. In particular are the Bresse poultries ("volaille de Bresse"), blue cheese ("Bleu") of Gex, Grièges and

, carps and sturgeons of the

region as well as the wine of

. The total number of farms in the department amounts to 5,170, including 2,750 full-time farms. Over the previous 25 years the number of farms has steadily diminished. While there were 14,600 farms in 1979, only 11,320 were counted in 1988 and 6,320 in 2000. The total farm land of the department amounts to 268,361 ha, containing 150,917 ha arable farm land and 118,000 plant cultures (range land, viticulture, fruit meadows, tree nurseries). The value of the department's agricultural production reached €545 million. 52% of this amount (€274 million) is allotted to animal products (cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, carp, milk) and 44% (€240 million) concern crop (cereals, oil plants, wine, vegetables, flowers).

Commerce

The commercial sector comprises 5,861 enterprises including 717 wholesalers and distributors (12.2%), 539 automobile dealers and garages as well as 1,643 retailers and repair businesses (28%) (source: Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Ain, 2006). With a total of 22,973 employees and 9,000 self-employed persons, the commercial sector contributes significantly to overall employment in the department (source: Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Ain, 2006). More than three-thirds of the expenses of the private households amounting to €4.4 billion per year are feeding the commercial businesses inside the department which stand their ground vis-à-vis external competition.

Services

The strongly expanding services sector represents 46.6% of all enterprises and about 55,000 employees (source: Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Ain, 2006). Since 2003, the services branch has employed more people than any other economic sector. Within the sector, services for enterprises represent 32.2% of the employees. Consulting and IT services are of growing importance. Educational services as well as health and social services are also sought after. They represent about a quarter of all employees in the services sector.

Handcraft

More than 9,000 handcraft businesses in Ain highlight the particular economic importance of this sector. The handcraft, which employs approximately 29,000 persons, has always been an essential element of the local economy. Within the sector, the production is of particular importance, followed by the construction, the services and the alimentary sector.

Tourism

In economic terms, tourism in Ain means €300 million of business volume and 10,000 direct jobs as well as another 10,000 indirect employments. In December 2006, 2.9% of the department's employment was related to the tourist sector (source: Committee for Tourism in the Department of Ain, 2006). In 2006, 700,000 tourists visited sites of interest in the department (museums, castles, religious monuments, gardens and caves). During the winter of 2006/2007, winter sports activity was strongly restrained by the lack of snow. The number of daily skiing tourists amounted to 238,000 (180,500 for alpine skiing and 57,000 for cross-country skiing). The previous average amounted to 465,000 daily tourists per winter. Angling and cycling tourism (27 circuits with altogether more than 1,500 km) attracts numerous visitors each year. The hotel and hospitality sector counts about 1,100 establishments (hotels, camping grounds, bed and breakfast (so-called "

gîte A gîte () is a type of accommodation that comes in a variety of forms, ranging from a gîtes d'etape, a hostel, for walkers and cyclists, to a gîte rural, a holiday home in the country available for rent, often an accessory dwelling unit. The t ...

s"), holiday apartments, guest rooms etc.). Their joined capacity amounts to 40,850 beds. During the 2006 season, 2.5 million nights were spent in the department compared to 2.7 million in 2002 (source: Committee for Tourism in the Department of Ain, 2006). 15,000 hunters are registered in the department, 3,000 to 4,000 of whom hunt in

, one of the best hunting regions for water birds in France. File:200606 - Eglise de Brou - arrière 1.JPG, The

Royal Monastery of Brou The Royal Monastery of Brou is a religious complex located at Bourg-en-Bresse in the Ain ''département'', central France. Made out of monastic buildings in addition to a church, they were built at the beginning of the 16th century by Margaret of ...

File:Fort l'Ecluse 6.jpg, Fort l'Écluse File:Musée - Ferme bressane - Saint-Trivier-de-Courtes.jpg, Medieval farm of

Saint-Trivier-de-Courtes Saint-Trivier-de-Courtes () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Politics and administration List of mayors Population See also *Communes of the Ain department The following is a list of the 393 communes of the ...

File:Perouge 016.JPG,

Pérouges Pérouges () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.Commune de Pérouges ...

, one of the most beautiful villages of France File:Evosges Decollage Parapente.jpg, Paragliding in Ain

Administration and representatives

Administrative organisation

The department of Ain consists of 4 arrondissements, 23 cantons and 393 communes.

Arrondissements, cantons and communes of the department

Arrondissements of the Ain department The 4 arrondissements of the Ain department are: # Arrondissement of Belley, ( subprefecture: Belley) with 105 communes. The population of the arrondissement was 120,594 in 2016. # Arrondissement of Bourg-en-Bresse, ( prefecture of the Ain ...

Cantons of the Ain department This article presents a list of Cantons in the Ain department of France. Consisting of 49 cantons after the creation of the department structure in 1790, the number was reduced to 32 during the overhaul of the cantonal map in 1801, before increa ...

Union for a popular movement The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right List of political parties in France, political party in France that was one of the two major party, major contemporary political pa ...

) has been president of the Departmental Council since 2017. In the 2021 departmental election, the Departmental Council of Ain was elected as follows:Résultats des élections départementales 2021: Ain (01)
Ministère de l'intérieur

Representatives in the National Assembly and the Senate

With five constituencies, Ain sends five representatives to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

. Three of them are members of the right-wing The Republicans (formerly

Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right List of political parties in France, political party in France that was one of the two major party, major contemporary political pa ...

), with the remaining two members of the centrist La République En Marche! party. The Senators for Ain are Sylvie Goy-Chavent (

Union of Democrats and Independents The Union of Democrats and Independents (french: Union des démocrates et indépendants, UDI) is a centre to centre-right political party in France and former electoral alliance founded on 18 September 2012 on the basis of the parliamentary grou ...

), Rachel Mazuir (

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...

) and Patrick Chaize ( The Republicans).