Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its prefe ...

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 and t ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediter ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label=Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.Drôme Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.

Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,22 ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border ...

Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label= Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the r ...

Barcelonnette Barcelonnette (; oc, Barciloneta de Provença, also ; obsolete it, Barcellonetta) is a commune of France and a subprefecture in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located in the souther ...

Castellane Castellane (; Provençal: ''Castelana'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. With about 1,600 inhabitants, Castellane has the distinction of being the least-populated sub-prefecture of France. Its inh ...

Forcalquier Forcalquier (; oc, Forcauquier, ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Forcalquier is located between the Lure and Luberon mountain ranges, about south of Sisteron and west of the Durance river. ...

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Ubaye The Ubaye (; oc, Ubaia) is a river of southeastern France. It is long and flows through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department. Its drainage basin is .Verdon (upstream of Colmars-les-Alpes) where the economy is built around mountain tourism (skiing). In the Haute-Ubaye, the mountain peaks exceed 3000 m above sea level and all the passes are close to or above 2000 m in altitude. In this part of the department is one of the highest roads in Europe: the main road D64 reaches an altitude of 2802 m near the

Col de la Bonette Col de la Bonette (el. ) is a high mountain pass in the French Alps, near the border with Italy. It is situated within the Mercantour National Park on the border of the departments of Alpes-Maritimes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. The road over the ...

(2715 m) and connects the region of

Barcelonnette Barcelonnette (; oc, Barciloneta de Provença, also ; obsolete it, Barcellonetta) is a commune of France and a subprefecture in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located in the souther ...

to the Tinée and Vésubie valleys. The relief of the land compartmentalises the region: the enclosed valleys are difficult to access, so dividing the country into as many local areas which communicate very little with the outside. In 1877, 55 communes only had access to trails or mule paths. The seismic hazard is moderate (zone 3) to medium (zone 4) with different faults such as the Durance located in the department. The main cities are

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

,

Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...

,

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label= Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the r ...

, Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban, Oraison,

Forcalquier Forcalquier (; oc, Forcauquier, ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Forcalquier is located between the Lure and Luberon mountain ranges, about south of Sisteron and west of the Durance river. ...

, Les Mées, Pierrevert,

Villeneuve Villeneuve, LaVilleneuve or deVilleneuve may refer to: People * Villeneuve (surname) Places Australia * Villeneuve, Queensland, a town in the Somerset Region Canada * Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a Formula One racetrack in Montréal * Villeneuv ...

, Sainte-Tulle, Gréoux-les-Bains,

Barcelonnette Barcelonnette (; oc, Barciloneta de Provença, also ; obsolete it, Barcellonetta) is a commune of France and a subprefecture in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located in the souther ...

and

Castellane Castellane (; Provençal: ''Castelana'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. With about 1,600 inhabitants, Castellane has the distinction of being the least-populated sub-prefecture of France. Its inh ...

.

Hydrology

618x599-Carte-04-Alpes-de-Haute-Provence-R2

The main river is the

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .A51 autoroute and the railway main line. Almost all of the department is in the watershed of the Durance except for the extreme south-east (the cantons of Annot and Entrevaux) which are drained by the Var. The main tributaries of the Durance in the department are the

Ubaye The Ubaye (; oc, Ubaia) is a river of southeastern France. It is long and flows through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department. Its drainage basin is .Bléone The Bléone (; oc, Blèuna) is a long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ''département'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .Asse Asse () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik. Asse is also situated in the Pajottenland. As of 2020, Asse had a total ...

, the Verdon on the left bank, the Buëch, the Jabron, and the Largue on the right bank. The Durance and its tributaries have a torrential character, with a transition between the snow regime of the high valleys and the Mediterranean rainfall regime in the lower mountains and below. The summer low water levels are severe and violent floods occur when heavy rains fall which is often in autumn. The Durance, Verdon, Bléone and Buëch have had the construction of several dams and the diversion of parts of the river for irrigation and power generation in the 20th century.

Climate

The climate of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department is a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

degrading by altitude and latitude. In fact, while in the lower valleys and flat lands of Haute-Provence an inland Mediterranean climate prevails, by contrast in the hills it is more mixed with the valley of the Ubaye characteristic of the inner Alps, with a marked continentality: winters are very harsh with stormy summers. In between, the two influences mingle in the area of the Lower Alps. The characteristics of both climate trends are found throughout the department to a greater or lesser extent: *dry air and little fog (less than 20 days per year) *infrequent rainfall (less than 90 days per year) but heavy (650 to 1500 mm per year) *frequent thunderstorms in the mountains in summer *High sunshine hours in all seasons (2550 to 2850 hours per year) *high thermal amplitudes, diurnal (over 10 °C) and annual (18 °C) *fresh and bright winters *very hot summers barely tempered by altitude. Haute-Provence is therefore very interesting for European astronomers looking for a partly cloudy night sky and untouched by light pollution. Many amateur observatories have been built and the Observatoire de Haute-Provence is one of the largest observatories in continental Europe. It is an active astronomy research centre.

Demographics

The population was once fairly evenly distributed in the territory, including in the mountainous areas where mountain agriculture was well developed. From the middle of the 19th century, however, it began to decline due to a strong rural exodus. There were more than 150,000 inhabitants in 1850 but it fell to less than 100,000 after the

First World War 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 fig ...

. It was not until 1960 that the trend changed upwards quite strongly from less than 90,000 in 1954 to nearly 140,000 in 1999 and 162,565 in 2016. However, if this figure is close to the number of inhabitants the department had 150 years earlier, the distribution and activity of the population are very different. The population is now concentrated in the valley of the Durance and the South West of the department, and agriculture employs less than ever before. Services, mainly tourism and local services, is now the main industry. The population of the department is sightly similar to

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic ce ...

. The department has never really developed: in 1870 there were 27 small mines (one

lead Lead is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metals, heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale of mineral hardness#Intermediate ...

, four

oil shale Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition to kerogen, general composition of oil shales constitu ...

and 22 lignite).

A departmental resort

According to the general census of the population, 32.8% of available housing in the department are second homes.

A very dense and very uneven settlement

The department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is one of the least densely populated of France with barely more than 20 inhabitants per km². The population is concentrated mainly in the valleys of the Durance, the Bléone (up to Digne) and the nearby flat lands. The rest of the department is sparsely populated (less than 10 inhabitants per km² over most of the territory). 83 (42%) of the communes have less than 200 inhabitants, 9 communes have less than 50 and many villages have been abandoned. The towns are small: only

Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...

and

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

approach or exceed 20,000 people. The arrondissement of Barcelonnette is the least populated arrondissement in France and the only one in France with less than 10,000 inhabitants. The city of

Castellane Castellane (; Provençal: ''Castelana'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. With about 1,600 inhabitants, Castellane has the distinction of being the least-populated sub-prefecture of France. Its inh ...

is the smallest sub-prefecture in France. Among the 15 cantons in the department, 5 have a resident population of less than 10,000 inhabitants:

Barcelonnette Barcelonnette (; oc, Barciloneta de Provença, also ; obsolete it, Barcellonetta) is a commune of France and a subprefecture in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located in the souther ...

,

Castellane Castellane (; Provençal: ''Castelana'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. With about 1,600 inhabitants, Castellane has the distinction of being the least-populated sub-prefecture of France. Its inh ...

, Riez, Seyne, and

Valensole Valensole (; Occitan: ''Valençòla'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the southeastern Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. Its inhabitants are called Valensolais (masculine) and Valensolaises (feminine). ...

. The ten most populous communes are: In contrast, the three communes with less than 20 inhabitants in 2019 were

Archail Archail (; oc, Archalh) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of south-eastern France. With 14 inhabitants (as of 2019), it is the third least populated commune in the department, after ...

(14 inhabitants), Saint-Martin-lès-Seyne (13 inh.) and Majastres (4 inh.).

History

''Basses-Alpes'' was one of the 83 original departments created 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

on 4 March 1790 under the Act of 22 December 1789. On 12 August 1793, the department of

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label=Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and l ...

, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes. Basses-Alpes lost the canton of Sault to Vaucluse at this point. Seventeen years later, in 1810, the canton of

Barcillonnette Barcillonnette (; oc, Barciloneta de Vitròla) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hautes-Alpes department The following is a list of the 162 communes of the Hautes-Alpes ...

was transferred over to

Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,22 ...

. The department of Basses-Alpes was occupied by fascist Italy from November 1942 to September 1943. On 13 April 1970, During the Cold War, the department of Basses-Alpes was renamed to Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Here is an unflattering excerpt from an article called "Basse Alpes" from the Atlas Larousse published at the beginning of the 20th century: ''"Scattered whitish rocks stand out like bones, a thin topsoil where bushes languish, some mountain flowers and stunted trees ... these mountains form almost everywhere a dreadful desert which will not have more inhabitants: this is the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

without the sun of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, with the snows of

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part o ...

."'' (P. Joanne). ''"On these steep slopes deforestation and flooding have resulted in a lack of fertile soil and agriculture has been the most miserable. There is a small harvest of

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeolog ...

,

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...

in small quantities (but good), and

truffles A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including '' Geopora'', '' Pezi ...

in large numbers. In the southern part, which has the climate of Provence, there are

olive trees The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ' ...

, mulberry trees, and

orange trees "Orange Trees" is a song by Welsh singer and songwriter Marina from her fourth studio album, ''Love + Fear'' (2019). The song was released for digital download and streaming as the album's third single on 22 March 2019 by Atlantic Records. It w ...

. Aromatic plants abound, and there are 250,000 beehives.

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

because its location is by far the second largest city of the department (with 5,500 inhabitants). Near Manosque are the lignite and

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and dr ...

mines. Despite a fairly active trade in olive oil, wine and raw silk, this department is also one of the least populated."'' (Larousse Illustrated Atlas, Printing Larousse, Paris, 1900).

Heraldry

Administrative division

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is subdivided into 4

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements'' ...

s, 15

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

s and 198

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

.

Ancient communes and changes to the administrative divisions of the communes

The rural exodus of the 19th and 20th centuries has had a significant impact on the population of towns: some were completely or almost completely abandoned by their inhabitants which led to the disappearance of fifty communes since the creation of the department. Some villages still exist and sometimes gave their name to a new commune created by mergers (e.g.

La Mure-Argens La Mure-Argens is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administra ...

) and others are nothing more than a pile of stones (like Levens in the commune of Majastres). They are sometimes listed on maps (e.g. Bédejun in the commune of

Chaudon-Norante Chaudon-Norante (; oc, Chaudon e Noranta) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The river Asse flows northwest through the commune. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Prov ...

). At its formation, the department had 270 communes (262 after changing the limits of the department) but it is now 198. Apart from eight communes which were attached either to

Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,22 ...

(the three communes of the Barcillonnette canton, or to

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label=Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.canton of Sault) many communes have disappeared. In 1854, the state of communes in the department was as follows: * Arrondissement of Barcelonnette: 20 communes, 4 cantons * Arrondissement of Castellane: 48 communes, 6 cantons * Arrondissement of Digne-les-Bains: 87 communes, 9 cantons * Arrondissement of Forcalquier: 51 communes, 6 cantons *Arrondissement of Sisteron (former): 50 communes, 5 cantons in total 256 towns and 30 townships. ;Special cases of mergers and changes in municipal boundaries: *some communes have chosen a name without historical connection, e.g.

Val-de-Chalvagne Val-de-Chalvagne (, literally ''Vale of Chalvagne''; oc, Vau de Chalvanha) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. It was established in 1974 by the merger of the former communes Castellet-Saint-Cassien, M ...

formed by the merger of three communes (Castellet-Saint-Cassian, Montblanc and Villevieille) *some communes have absorbed a large number of others – such was the case of Digne and

Castellane Castellane (; Provençal: ''Castelana'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. With about 1,600 inhabitants, Castellane has the distinction of being the least-populated sub-prefecture of France. Its inh ...

with seven towns merged: Villars-Brandis, Taloire, Eoulx, Taulane, Chasteuil, and Castillon when creating the namesake Also some other noteworthy atypical cases: *merger then separation:

Archail Archail (; oc, Archalh) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of south-eastern France. With 14 inhabitants (as of 2019), it is the third least populated commune in the department, after ...

and Draix then split between Saint-Martin-les-Eaux and

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

*merger with one commune then another: ''Aurent'' (merged with Braux then Castellet-lès-Sausses) *a first merger of two communes followed by a merger with another commune: Peyresq with ''La Colle-Saint-Michel'' (under the name of ''Saint-Michel-Peyresq''), the new entity was then merged with Thorame-Haute *merged communes but not adjacent: ''Le Poil'' merged with

Senez Senez is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Ecclesiastical history Marcellus I, the first known bishop of Senez, attended the Council of Agde in 506 CE; nevertheless, Senez must have been an episcopal ...

. There are still some cases of communal associations since 1973 (some have also gone more or less quickly in favour of a "simple aggregation"). For example,

La Mure-Argens La Mure-Argens is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administra ...

with Argens enjoying this status (with the Mayor delegated specifically for Argens, a city hall annex and an electoral district).

Politics

Departmental Council of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

In the 2021 departmental election, the Departmental Council of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence was elected as follows: The department has an electoral tradition markedly old left. There are strong republican traditions such as the number of Political clubs 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

and the resistance to the coup of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...

in 1851. The tradition of the left is also manifested in rural areas since all cantons devoted to agriculture very early showed an inclination to vote for Republican candidates. The installation of the large chemical plant at

Saint-Auban Saint-Auban (; oc, Sant Auban; it, Sant'Albano sull'Esterone) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Govern ...

also had a favorable effect on the vote for the left (see below) and has been a breeding ground for the political organization of the left in the department by the trade union movement. The power station at Sainte-Tulle also supplied many activists to leftist organizations. Exceptions in the department: the alpine areas of

Barcelonnette Barcelonnette (; oc, Barciloneta de Provença, also ; obsolete it, Barcellonetta) is a commune of France and a subprefecture in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located in the souther ...

and the upper valley of the Verdon, both territories of emigration but also with a garrison of

Chasseurs Alpins The ''chasseurs alpins'' ( en, Alpine Rangers) are the elite mountain infantry force of the French Army. They are trained to operate in mountainous terrain and in urban warfare. History France created its own mountain corps in the late 19th ...

in the first. These areas, deeply Catholic, have long opted for elected conservatives – one of the most famous being the former Minister of the Third Republic,

Paul Reynaud Paul Reynaud (; 15 October 1878 – 21 September 1966) was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. Reynaud opposed the Munich Agreement of ...

. A definition of the political choices of the county population is often translated as: the higher the altitude rises, the more the popular vote looks to the right. Since the end of the

First World War 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 fig ...

the department has been most often depicted, both by the Senate and the National Assembly, as an electoral issue of either the PCF or, especially, the socialist movement – the

SFIO The French Section of the Workers' International (french: Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO) was a political party in France that was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the modern-day Socialist Party. The SFIO was fou ...

or the PS, or by the radical left. A landmark of the

Resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

during the

Second World War 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, at Liberation the department deeply changed is roots to the left, a change that has not really been challenged since. A change, which may be temporary however, was recorded in 2007 when, for the first time in local political history, a right-wing deputy elected in the previous election (in 2002) was re-elected to the National Assembly. The other seat is occupied by the President of the Departmental Council,

Jean-Louis Bianco Jean-Louis Bianco (born 12 January 1943) is a French politician and civil servant who served as Minister of Social Affairs and Integration from 1991 to 1992 and Minister of Equipment, Transport and Housing from 1992 to 1993 under President Fra ...

, a former minister with

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, ...

. In the Senate, the department is represented by Claude Domeizel, a former Socialist Mayor of Volx.

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, ...

won the majority of votes of the inhabitants of the department in 1974, 1981, and 1988 although in the last two cases it was 53% of the vote. In 1995,

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as ...

was leading the second round of the presidential election with just over 52% but less than the national score. In 2002 it was

Jean Marie Le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015. Le Pen graduated from ...

who topped the first round. Finally, in 2007,

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Sei ...

, who reached the top in the first round, with nearly 30% of the votes, gained 53.2% in the second round. In European referendums, the department has voted "No" during the consultation on the

Maastricht Treaty The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the p ...

at 51.6% (majority of 2238 votes) and "No" during the consultation on the European Constitutional Treaty at 60.3% (majority 16,575 votes).

Members of the National Assembly

Both of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence's seats in 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 ...

changed hands in the 2022 legislative election with the 1st constituency lost by the New Democrats' Delphine Bagarry to

Christian Girard Christian Girard (born 7 May 1952) is a French politician who has represented the 1st constituency of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the National Assembly since 2022. A member of the National Rally (RN), he has also held a seat in the ...

of

National Rally The National Rally (french: Rassemblement National, ; RN), until 2018 known as the National Front (french: link=no, Front National, ; FN), is a far-rightAbridged list of reliable sources that refer to National Rally as far-right: Academic: * ...

and the 2nd lost by LREM's Christophe Castaner to Léo Walter of

La France insoumise La France Insoumise (FI or LFI; ; "France Unbowed") is a left-wing populist political party in France, launched in 2016 by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, then a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and former co-president of the Left Party (PG). It ai ...

.

Economy

The department has, by its own characteristics (mountainous and low population), a character marked by a relatively weak industrial base and a move towards the creation of jobs in the areas of trades and services. Thus, according to the survey on labour needs by ASSEDIC, most of the jobs available are now from the professions of sociocultural and sports activities (1031 offers listed out of 4752 total in the department), hotel (968 offers), cleaning (438 offers), catering (345 offers). Of all these offers at least three-quarters were for seasonal jobs. However, significant changes in the sociological situation of the department are to be expected from the implementation of the

ITER ITER (initially the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, ''iter'' meaning "the way" or "the path" in Latin) is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject aimed at creating energy by replicating, on Ear ...

project at the mouth of the Durance valley.

Primary sector

In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department agriculture has had a very important place in the economy but the food-producing polyculture has given way to a much more specialized agriculture oriented around fruit,

cereal A cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grain crops are grown in greater quantities and provide more foo ...

s and high value added products (

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

,

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. ...

s, and

essential oils An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

,

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protec ...

,

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

s, and

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...

). The cultivated species are temperate species, especially those at higher altitude, and Mediterranean species at low altitude. The production is of a wide variety. In recent years, an increase in the cultivation of

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and east ...

has emerged, particularly in the area of

Saint-André-les-Alpes Saint-André-les-Alpes (; oc, Sant Andrieu) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and mil ...

. The utilised agricultural area is 165,809 hectares mostly devoted to farming activities such as grass meadows for over 96,000 hectares. According to the agricultural census of 2000, the department has 2,947 farms, more than the 1,500 farms under the previous census carried out twelve years previously. The average farm size has increased from 32 to 56 hectares. This is an area of

arboriculture Arboriculture () is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. The science of arboriculture studies how these plants grow and respond to cultural practices and to their envir ...

particularly along the Durance, which is the main farming area in terms of number of farms (829 in total). It is followed by the crop sector (mostly grain) with 740 farms with the rest in the livestock sector. One of the characteristics of the department is that there are 614 farms devoted to breeding animals other than cattle. These are for the breeding of

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sh ...

and

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

, including the production of milk used for cheese making under

Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...

(AOC) for Banon cheese. The winemakers of Pierrevert also have an

appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...

(AOC) ranking for their production. The Alpes de Hautes-Provence department is a region where 49.1% of the area is forested or 343,691 hectares, with an average rate of 39.4% for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The National Office of Forests (ONF) manages 86,000 hectares. The main species exploited are

Scots pine ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and or ...

, black pine,

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains furt ...

, pubescent oak (or white oak), and

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engl ...

.

Fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

and

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ( taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the sub ...

are less common. The 2003 heat wave caused the decline of many species of trees, consequently accelerating the return of Mediterranean oaks,

alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

s and linden.

Industry

Industry is relatively small in terms of business establishments but has several relatively large companies. At the end of 2004 the department had 937 establishments with 17 exceeding fifty employees. This is particularly the case of the historic plant at

Saint-Auban Saint-Auban (; oc, Sant Auban; it, Sant'Albano sull'Esterone) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Govern ...

(the

Arkema Arkema S.A. is a publicly listed, multi-national manufacturer of specialty materials, headquartered in Colombes, near Paris, France. It has three specialty materials segments (or divisions); adhesives, advanced materials and coatings. A further ...

factory formerly Elf-Atochem), the

Sanofi Sanofi S.A. is a French Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. Originally, the corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synth� ...

of Sisteron factory (north of Saint-Auban), and Manosque (L'Occitane factory). Some more specialized factories (olive oil, perfumes, wines) produce products with high added value. At the end of 2006, according to ASSEDIC data, the industrial sector employed 4,261 employees in the department, or a little over 14% of private sector employees. In the Chemistry sub-sector there are 1,761 employees and agribusiness has 1,205 employees: these are the two main divisions. The chemical sector includes segments of: pharmacy (Sanofi factory, cited above, with more than 650 employees), basic chemistry (Arkema factory, with more than 500 employees), and cosmetics with more than 450 people. The industrial sector has lost nearly 400 jobs since 2001 particularly from downsizing at Arkema and despite the good financial health of Total S.A. which owns it. This may change with the implementation of the

International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor ITER (initially the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, ''iter'' meaning "the way" or "the path" in Latin) is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject aimed at creating energy by replicating, on Ear ...

(ITER). The Building sector and public works account for 1,387 active establishments with more than half (758) institutions without any employees (artisans established their behalf). In late 2006, the sector employed more than 3,900 employees including nearly 1,500 in the public works sector particularly driven by the completion of major infrastructure (motorway A51 and others).

Tertiary

After the depopulation caused by the rural exodus, the department pioneered

agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. Types A 2018 article published in the ''Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development'' classified a ...

in the 1950s although it is no longer the leader in France in this field. Approximately 120 farms offer tourist activities (accommodation, catering or leisure), with 70 certified. The tertiary sector includes very different enterprises. Commercial activities have undergone considerable change, and had in 2004 2,473 establishments but with 1,396 (over 56%) with no employees. In late 2006, however, this sector employed 6,478 people in more than 1,000 establishments. Employee headcounts have risen sharply since 2001 as there have been a total of 627 additional jobs (more than 10% of the workforce) since that date. The number of employees is about 22% of the workforce employed in the private sector. This has resulted from the development, particularly in the cities of Manosque and Digne, of major retail shopping areas. Nearly 1,600 employees in the services sector are employed there. Service activities cover a total of 7,322 institutions in late 2004 with 4,323 (over 59%) with no employees. It is this sector, however which has the largest number of establishments with more than 50 employees – 96 establishments. At the end of 2006, this sector employed, among others, 1,141 employees in the transport sector, 3,425 employees in business services, and more than 4,000 in the field of services to individuals. These sectors are evolving and increasing their activities. The positive migration flow for the department often originates from the arrival of retired households, due in particular to the significant increase in numbers of elderly and home care services. The transport sector created sixty additional jobs but it was especially the service sector enterprises and service to individuals (e.g. health and social activity) experienced a dramatic and significant growth. The health sector has substantially increased its importance in the economy with over a thousand more jobs, especially in the segments of short-term care-giving and maintenance, with nearly 850 related jobs. This is largely explained by the fact that the major industrial companies in the department, such as companies in the construction sector, use temporary workers, instead of hiring full-time. In the canton of Volonne, where Saint-Auban is, the reduction in industrial jobs (160 jobs lost on the Arkema work site) is partially offset by the increase in temporary employment (100 additional jobs ). Similarly, in Manosque, the first city of the department in terms of employment, and sustainable development (2,000 more jobs in five years), the increase in temporary jobs has been spectacular – reaching 400 jobs. These jobs are in, among other things, the cosmetics industry, the construction industry and public works, and retail. Large retail chains in the city prefer this mode of hiring to permanent staff. In the field of health and social activities, there has been significant job creation also with 760 more jobs, bringing to 13% the share of employees in the sector in terms of total private employment. This increase is particularly in hospitality and accommodation with nearly a thousand employees, an increase of about 150 jobs since 2001, while the area of home care now employs 741 employees instead of 457 five years earlier. Finally, note that voluntary work, with nearly 1,000 jobs offered, is also present in the department.

Tourism

The area's scenery provides the background to many activities and sights. Eleven villages have been classified as having special architectural character, including: * The town of

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

, known for the birthplace and home of famed Provençal writer

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

* The town of

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label= Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the r ...

, with its ancient citadel and narrow streets * The

Verdon Gorge The Verdon Gorge (French: ''Gorges du Verdon'') is a river canyon located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is about 25 km (15.5 mi) long and up to 700 metres (0.4 mi) deep. It was formed by the ...

, dubbed Europe's Grand Canyon *

Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...

, a hot-spa town *

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (; oc, Mostiers Santa Maria), or simply Moustiers, is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. In 2017, it had a population of 709. It conside ...

, known for its pottery *

Forcalquier Cathedral Forcalquier Cathedral, now the Church of Notre-Dame-du-Bourguet (french: Concathédrale Notre-Dame-du-Bourguet de Forcalquier; Église Notre-Dame-du-Bourguet), is a former Roman Catholic cathedral, and a national monument of France, located in ...

In summer many aerial sports use the surrounding mountains such as

gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is ...

,

hang gliding Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covere ...

and

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched Glider (aircraft), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness o ...

. In winter there is extensive skiing at eleven ski resorts. File:Digne Gassendi et cathédrale Saint-Jérôme.jpg,

Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...

, The prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department File:Vue forcalquier 2402.JPG,

Forcalquier Forcalquier (; oc, Forcauquier, ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Forcalquier is located between the Lure and Luberon mountain ranges, about south of Sisteron and west of the Durance river. ...

File:Sisteron (2452199561).jpg,

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label= Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the r ...

File:Rocher de la Baume (2450672419).jpg, Rocher de La Baume File:Moustiers Sainte Marie 1.jpg,

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (; oc, Mostiers Santa Maria), or simply Moustiers, is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. In 2017, it had a population of 709. It conside ...

File:Gorges du Verdon 2010.jpg,

Verdon Gorge The Verdon Gorge (French: ''Gorges du Verdon'') is a river canyon located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is about 25 km (15.5 mi) long and up to 700 metres (0.4 mi) deep. It was formed by the ...

File:Chambeyron-lac du marinet.jpg, The Aiguille de Chambeyron and the Marinet Lake in the Ubaye Valley

Gastronomy

Famous dishes from the commune:
Les tomates à la Provençale
from Manosque *Black Pudding traditionally cooked with leeks *Scrambled eggs with truffles from Riez *''Pattes a la main de Fours'' *Sisteron Lamb *Coteaux de Pierrevert AOC, Pierrevert wine (AOC since 1997) *Lavender Honey * Banon cheese *Génépi from the Ubaye Valley *Pieds paquets from Sisteron *Henri Bardouin de Forcalquier Liqueurs.

Local media

Print Media

Daily newspapers: ''La Provence'', ''le Dauphine Libere'', an
''La Marseillaise''
All three have a local edition. Weekly Newspaper: ''Haute Provence info'' Free Newspapers:''
''J'y Vais Provence''
a bimonthly journal. Cultural information and portraits of artists of the department.

Local radio

*''Alpes 1'' (based at Gap, Hautes-Alpes), transmits to the regions of Digne-les-Bains, Sisteron, Barcelonnette and Allos *''Durance FM'' (based at Reillane), transmits in the regions of Manosque, Digne-les-Bains, and Sisteron *''Fréquence Mistral'' (based in Manosque), transmits in the regions of Manosque, Digne-les-Bains, Sisteron, and Castellane *''Grimaldi FM'' (based in Puget-Théniers (Alpes-Maritimes)) transmits to the cantons of Annot and Entrevaux *''Là la radio'' (based at Gap (Hautes-Alpes)) transmits to the regions of Allos, Barcelonnette, and Colmars-les-Alpes *''Radio Oxygène'' (based in Fréjus (Var)), transmits in the regions of Barcelonnette and Val d'Allos; *''Radio Star'' (based in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône)), transmits in the regions of Manosque, Digne-les-Bains, and Sisteron *''Radio Verdon'' (based in Saint-Julien-le-Montagnier (Var)), transmits to the regions of Manosque and Castellane *''Radio Zinzine'' (based at Limans), funded by the ''Longo Maï cooperative'', transmits to the areas of Manosque, Digne-les-Bains, Sisteron, and Forcalquier.

Local TV

*''Télévision Locale Provence'' (TLP) is available through Television in France, TNT channel 30 in the area of Manosque and Val de Durance, by satellite in the FRANSAT package, by Internet on ADSL Orange, SFR/Neuf, ''Numéricâble'' in Avignon and its region (soon to be Free)

Website

*'
jy
This free cultural news site was launched in January 2011. There are more than 200 cultural events in the department every week. A free bimonthly magazine is associated with the website providing close-ups of artists and events in the region. Distributed to 4,000 copies in town halls, tourist offices and shops, it is to this day the strongest support media for the department. *Verdon Info: Information on the area ''Pays Asses-Verdon-Vaïre-Var'' ( Arrondissement of Castellane).

Infrastructure

Road network

Many roads in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence are narrow and winding due to terrain. These natural conditions make access to certain parts of the department rather difficult, especially in winter, and particularly the communes in the Arrondissements of Barcelonnette and Castellane. They are therefore quite isolated from the rest of the department and the region. National Highway N85 between

Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...

and

Castellane Castellane (; Provençal: ''Castelana'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. With about 1,600 inhabitants, Castellane has the distinction of being the least-populated sub-prefecture of France. Its inh ...

passes through several narrow gorges including that of ''Taulanne'' which is especially narrow.

Rail network

There are several railway lines in Alpes de Haute-Provence. These are: *the Chemins de Fer de Provence line (known as the Train des pignes) from Nice – Digne *two lines of the SNCF: **the Lyon-Perrache – Marseille-Saint-Charles (via Grenoble) line **the Saint-Auban – Digne line (service provided by coaches) is now abandoned. It formed the junction between the Train des Pignes and the Lyon-Marseille lines. A project to reopen the line is being studied and included in the planning between the State and Region. Old abandoned lines: *the Volx – Forcalquier line *the Volx – Cavaillon line *the Chorges – Barcelonnette line (never opened)

Notable people associated with the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department

Scientists

*''Pierre Gassendi'' (1592 at Champtercier – 1655), mathematician, philosopher, theologian and astronomer. *''Jean Solome'' (1674–1752), historian from

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (; oc, Mostiers Santa Maria), or simply Moustiers, is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. In 2017, it had a population of 709. It conside ...

*''Prior Laurensi'' (1719–1808), historian. *''Jean Marc Gaspard Itard'' (1774 at ''Oraison'' – 1838), a famous doctor for his work on the case of the Feral child, Victor of Aveyron, and pioneer of the ear, nose and throat speciality *''Jean Aimé Édouard de Laplane'' (1774–1870), historian from

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label= Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the r ...

*''Simon-Jude Honnorat'' (1783 at Allos – 1852), physician, naturalist, regional linguist *''Elzéard Gras-Bourget'' (1788–1860) Judge and historian *''Father Jean-Joseph-Maxime Feraud'' (1810 at Riez – 1897), historian *''Alphonse Beau de Rochas, Alphonse Eugene Beau'' called ''Beau de Rochas'' (1815 at Digne-les-Bains – 1893) thermodynamics engineer, inventor of the four-stroke engine, and turbine engine *''Dr. Antoine Ollivier'' (1823 – ?), a medical doctor and archaeologist from

Ubaye The Ubaye (; oc, Ubaia) is a river of southeastern France. It is long and flows through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department. Its drainage basin is .Barcelonnette Barcelonnette (; oc, Barciloneta de Provença, also ; obsolete it, Barcellonetta) is a commune of France and a subprefecture in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located in the souther ...

Artists

;Painters *''Eugene Martel'' (1869 at Revest-du-Bion – 1947) *''Raoul Dufy'' (1877–1953 at

Forcalquier Forcalquier (; oc, Forcauquier, ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Forcalquier is located between the Lure and Luberon mountain ranges, about south of Sisteron and west of the Durance river. ...

) *''Serge Fiorio'' (1911–2011), born in Switzerland, died at Viens, Vaucluse, he settled in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in 1947 *''Paul Martin'' (1830–1903) and his son Étienne Martin (1856–1945). Naturalist painters and botanists ;Singers / Musicians *''Albertet de Sisteron'' (1194–1221), troubadour *''Jean-Philippe Argento'' (1972 at Digne-les-Bains – ) *''Damien Saez'' (1977– ) ;Others *''Joseph Olérys'', Faiencer of the 18th century *''Jean Daviot'' (1962 at Digne-les-Bains – ), visual artist *''Bernar Venet'' (1941 at Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban), visual artist ;Fictional Characters *''Elzéard Bouffier'', the shepherd in ''The Man Who Planted Trees'' by

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

Other historical figures

;Military *''Joseph de Richery'' (1757 at Allons – 1798 at Eoulx) Rear Admiral who distinguished himself during the wars of the French Revolution, Revolution *''Pierre Charles Silvestre de Villeneuve'' (1763 at Valensole – 1806), admiral of the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar *''Louis Alexis Desmichels'' (1779 at Digne – 1845), an officer of the First French Empire, First Empire, General *''Paul Touvier'' (1915 at Saint-Vincent-sur-Jabron – 1996), leader of the Milice in Lyon, the first Frenchman condemned for crimes against humanity *''Bruno Dary'' (1952 at Barcelonnette – ), Military governor of Paris ;Political and financial *''Jacques-Antoine Manuel'' (1775 at Barcelonnette – 1827), fourth deputy (MP) under the Bourbon Restoration in France, Bourbon Restoration *''Hippolyte Fourtoul'' (1811 Digne – 1856), Minister of Education under the Second French Empire, Second Empire *The ''Brothers Arnaud'' originators of the Ubayens emigration movement to Mexico and Louisiana in the 19th and early 20th century *''André Honnorat'' (1868–1950), originally from Allos and

Barcelonnette Barcelonnette (; oc, Barciloneta de Provença, also ; obsolete it, Barcellonetta) is a commune of France and a subprefecture in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located in the souther ...

, Minister of Public Education and Fine Arts in 1920 *''

Paul Reynaud Paul Reynaud (; 15 October 1878 – 21 September 1966) was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. Reynaud opposed the Munich Agreement of ...

'' (1878 at Barcelonnette – 1966), former President of the Council of Ministers (1940) *''Henri Laugier'' (1888 at Mane, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Mane – 1973), Deputy Secretary General of the UN *''

Jean-Louis Bianco Jean-Louis Bianco (born 12 January 1943) is a French politician and civil servant who served as Minister of Social Affairs and Integration from 1991 to 1992 and Minister of Equipment, Transport and Housing from 1992 to 1993 under President Fra ...

'' (1943 – ), deputy for Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and president of the department's general council

Sports

;Motor Sports *''Jean Rolland'' (1935 at Digne – 1967), racing driver *''Jean-Michel Bayle'' (1969 at Manosque – ) motocross champion *''Mickael Maschio'' (1973 at Digne – ), French motocross driver ;Footballers *''René Gallice'' (1919 at Forcalquier – 1999), former professional soccer player *''Alain Boghossian'' (1970 at Digne – ), former professional soccer player, world champion in 1998, assistant coach of the French football team since 2008. ;Skiers *''Honoré Bonnet'' (1919–2005) coach of the French ski team at the 1968 Winter Olympics *''Carole Merle'' (1964 at Sauze, Alpes-Maritimes, Sauze), the most successful French skier in the history of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, World Cup ;Cyclists *''Édouard Fachleitner'', (1921–2008), racing cyclist called the Shepherd from Manosque *''Julien El Fares'' (1985 at Manosque – ) cyclist. ;Rugby Players *''Grégory Bernard'', (1984 at Digne – ), second line at Auch

Philosophers, poets, writers

*''Alphonse Rabbe'' (1786 at Riez – 1830), romantic poet in prose, ''Album of a pessimist'' *''Paul Arène'' (1843 at

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label= Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the r ...

– 1896) writer and poet *''Lazarine Negro'' (1848–1899), a poet from

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

, a member of Félibrige *''Elemir Bourges'' (1852 at

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

– 1925), novelist, member of the Académie Goncourt *''Alexandra David-Neel'' (1868–1969), explorer and Franco-Belgian writer, a resident of Digne in 1926 until his death in 1969 *''Germaine Waton Ferry'' (1885 at Riez – 1956), poet, member of Félibrige *''Alexandre Arnoux'' (1884–1973), novelist, playwright *''Maria Borrely'' (1890 at Puimoisson – 1963), novelist *''Regis Messac'' (1893–1945), writer *''

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

'' (1895 at

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

– 1970), writer *''Jean Proal'' (1904 at Seyne-les-Alpes – 1969), writer *''Pierre Magnan'' (1922 at

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

– 2012), writer *''Cécile Sauvage'' (1883–1927), poet, lived in Digne *''Felicien Champsaur'' (1858 at Turriers – 1934), writer *''Pierre Martel'' (1923–2001), founder of ''Alpes de Lumiere'' (Alpine Lights) *''Pierre Bottero'' (1964 at

Barcelonnette Barcelonnette (; oc, Barciloneta de Provença, also ; obsolete it, Barcellonetta) is a commune of France and a subprefecture in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located in the souther ...

– 2009), writer

Miscellaneous

;Religious *''Tulle de Manosque'' (?-430), daughter of Eucherius of Lyon *''Faustus of Riez, Fauste de Riez'' (408–495), bishop and theologian of free will *''Mayeul de Cluny'' (906 at Valensole – 994). Fourth abbot of Cluny. *''John of Matha'' (1160 at Faucon-de-Barcelonnette – 1215), priest, founder of the Trinitarian Order to recover prisoners of the Saracens *''Jacques Chastan'' (1803 at Marcoux, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Marcoux – 1839), priest of Foreign Missions Society ;People in the news *''Jack Cecil Drummond'' (1891–1952), assassinated at Lurs with his wife and daughter which triggered the Dominici affair ;Others The families ''Simiane'', ''Agoult'', and ''Ponteves'', nobles of Provence

Learned societies and associations

*''Société scientifique et littéraire des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence'', founded in 1878 by Father Jean-Joseph-Maxime Feraud *''Alpes de Lumière'', a nonprofit organization founded in 1953 by Pierre Martel and state-approved *''Proserpine'', a non-profit association founded in 1993 in order to know and protect the butterflies of Haute-Provence. Manages the butterfly garden (insects release) at Digne-les-Bains. *''Sabença de la Valeia'' is a learned society from the Ubaye Valley. It researches, studies and disseminates everything about the valley.

Movies and TV films made in the department

(TV films in Italics) *1925: ''Les Misérables (1925 film), Les Misérables'' by Henri Fescourt with Gabriel Gabrio *1934: ''Les Misérables (1934 film), Les Misérables'' by Raymond Bernard with Harry Baur *1953: ''Napoleon Road, La Route Napoléon'' by Jean Delannoy with Pierre Fresnay *1958: ''L'Eau vive'' by François Villiers with Pascale Audret *1960: ''Crésus'' by

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

with Fernandel *1970: ''La Maison des bories'' by Jacques Doniol-Valcroze with Marie Dubois, Maurice Garrel, Mathieu Carrière, and Marie-Véronique Maurin *1973: ''L'Affaire Dominici'' by Claude Bernard-Aubert with Jean Gabin, Victor Lanoux, and Gérard Darrieu *1981: ''Les Babas Cool'' by François Leterrier with Christian Clavier, Marie-Anne Chazel, and Anémone (actress) *1986: ''Jean de Florette'' by Claude Berri with Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu, and Yves Montand *1988: ''La Maison assassinée'' by Georges Lautner with Patrick Bruel *1989: ''Après la guerre'' by Jean-Loup Hubert with Richard Bohringer *1995: ''Le Hussard sur le toit (film), Le Hussard sur le toit'' by Jean-Paul Rappeneau with Juliette Binoche, Olivier Martinez, and François Cluzet *2003: ''L'Affaire Dominici'' by Pierre Boutron with Michel Serrault and Michel Blanc *2006: ''Les Courriers de la mort'' by Philomène Esposito with Victor Lanoux *2007: ''C'est mieux la vie quand on est grand'' by Luc Béraud with Daniel Russo *2010: ''Le Sang des Atrides'' by Bruno Gantillon with Victor Lanoux

References

External links

* * *
Prefecture website
*
Departmental Council website

Abbeys in the Alps
(fr. with translator) *
SPLAF Detailed information in French

Sisteron guide
*
Department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04) The accounts of the Communes and groupings
– Individual and Consolidated data "Principle Budget and annexes" *
Website for Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Basses-Alpes
well documented and illustrated (anecdotes, personalities) *
''Robbery in the Basses-Alpes...''
by Abbot Maurel (1899). Text online. *
''The Plague of 1720 in the Basses-Alpes''
by Abbot Maurel (1908). Text online. *
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
*
Visit to the Valley of La Blanche, Seyne-les-Alpes and nearby villages
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alpes-De-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, States and territories established in 1790 1790 establishments in France Departments of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur