Drôme (;
Occitan: ''Droma'';
Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost
department in the
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
of Southeastern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. Named after the river
Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.
[Populations légales 2019: 26 Drôme]
INSEE Drôme's
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...
is
Valence.
History
Saint-Vallier in Drôme was the birthplace of one of France's most famous courtesans, the noble-born
Diane de Poitiers (1499–1566), long-term mistress of
King Henri II (1519–1559).
The French
National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
on March 4, 1790, during the
French Revolution. The territory formed part of the former
French province of
Dauphiné. The original Drôme department contained the exclave of
Orange, which was also part of the former province of Dauphiné. In 1792, following the annexation of
Comtat Venaissin
The (; ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States from 1274 to 1791, in what is now the region of Southern France.
The region was an enclave within the Kingdom of France, comprising the area aroun ...
, Drôme acquired the newly created district of Carpentras while Orange was ceded to
Bouches du Rhône. In 1793, the district of Carpentras was ceded to the newly formed department of
Vaucluse, giving the Drôme its modern-day borders.
Geography
Drôme lies within the
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
of
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...
. Drôme is bordered by
Ardèche
Ardèche (; , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche (river), Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.[Isère
Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.] to the north and east,
Hautes-Alpes to the east,
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to the southeast and
Vaucluse to the south. The northwestern tip of the department is only 3 miles (5 km) from the
Loire
The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône.
It rises in the so ...
border.
The boundaries of the department have changed several times with the incorporation of the
Comtat Venaissin
The (; ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States from 1274 to 1791, in what is now the region of Southern France.
The region was an enclave within the Kingdom of France, comprising the area aroun ...
in 1792 and the creation of the Vaucluse department in 1793. Drôme surrounds an exclave of the Vaucluse department, the
Canton of Valréas (
Enclave des Papes).
The commune of
Montfroc forms a small
salient which was surrounded by the department of
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, which is similar to the small salients of
Newmarket in
Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
,
Dieveniškės in
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
,
Bogatynia in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
and
Sikkim
Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, and the
Wakhan Corridor in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. It also the pene-exclave of the department.
The department contains 363 communes. The smallest commune in France,
Rochefourchat, with a population only of one person, is in Drôme.
[
]
Climate
The Drôme department is in a zone of transition between the oceanic climate of Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, the continental climate
Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...
to the north and the Mediterranean climate of Provence to the south. In the Rhône valley, the meeting of the mild humid southern Mediterranean air masses with the colder northern air mass sometimes causes particularly violent thunderstorms and snowstorms.
In the northern hills near Tain-l'Hermitage (15 km north of Valence), the climate is a mixture of oceanic and semi-continental climates. Rainfall occurs throughout the year with the most falling in spring and autumn. The summers are moderated by storms and the mistral does not blow hard. Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse has a moderate temperature of 3 °C in January and 21 °C in July due to the Lyonnic climate, where more precipitation falls in summer than winter.
The influence of the mountains is evident in the east. In the Vercors Plateau, the mountain climate is wet due to the oceanic influences from the north. The average annual temperature at Lus la Croix Haute at altitude 1061m is 7.3 °C and the annual rainfall is . The Diois (southern Vercors) and the Baronnies are dry regions due to the Mediterranean climate. The mistral is less influential here and this region has minimal rainfall. The lowest temperatures in January at Nyons is 0.3 °C but 1.4 °C at Pierrelatte.
The Valence plane is a transition zone between the Mediterranean influence and the northern cold climate. Summers are warmer than in the northern regions, and the increase in sunlight and heat is evident upon the appearance of Mediterranean vegetation in the region. The temperatures are moderate between Lyon and Montélimar. Valence's average temperature in January is 3.8 °C and 22 °C in July. The mistral here blows harder.
From Montélimar, the climate can be considered to be that of a Mediterranean climate. Near the highway, the change of vegetation is particularly visible near the stream at Donzère, particularly due to the change of the soil profile. The most southern part of the department clearly exhibits a Méso-Mediterranean climate with the reinforcement of the mistral and a hotter summer due to the rarity of storms. Most rainfall occurs in autumn and the winters are milder than the rest of the Drôme. Pierrelatte has an average temperature of 5 °C in January and 23 °C in July.
Demographics
The inhabitants of the department are called ''Drômois''.
Principal towns
The most populous commune, home to about 1/8 of the department's population, is Valence, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are six communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:[
]
Economy
Most of the economic activity of the Drôme department is located in the west of the department, along the Rhône valley. This area which contains most of the population of the department, also has accessible transportation, such as the A7 autoroute
The A7 Autoroutes of France, Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Soleil (English: the Motorway of the Sun) is a French motorway. It continues the A6 autoroute (France), A6 and links Lyon to Marseille. The autoroute du Soleil is long and fo ...
and the rail routes LGV Rhône-Alpes and LGV Méditerranée. Economic activity in Valence was boosted by the creation of the Valence TGV line in 2001.
Statistics
*''Total employment (2004)'': 158 930 (about 10.6% is self-employed)
*''Unemployment rate (2006)'': 9.9%
*''Jobs per sector of activity (2005)''
**Agriculture: 6.0%
**Industry: 20.4%
**BTP: 6.8%
**Commerce: 15.0%
**Services: 51.8%
*''Qualification of Jobs (1999)''
**Farmers: 4.0%
**CEO: 7.8%
**Executives: 9.6%
**Technicians and associate professionals: 23.0%
**Employees: 27.2%
**Labourers: 28.5%
*''Average annual salary (2004)''
**CEO: €53 113
**Executives: €39 265
**Technicians and associate professionals: €22 927
**Employees: €15 688
**Labourers: €16 344
**Apprentices and labourers : €7 498
Tourism
*The Drôme benefits from an excellent image in the view of tourists. Attendance has grown steadily (+4% between 2006 and 2007), faster than the neighbouring departments of Ardèche and the Vaucluse (+1%).
*Number of overnight stays in 2022: 12.8 million
*The Tourism Committee of the Drôme department's website La Drôme, du Vercors à la Provence received over 44000 visits in 2007, along with a new TV station Drome.tv
Main companies
Politics
The president of the Departmental Council is Marie-Pierre Mouton, elected in May 2017.
Current National Assembly Representatives
Tourism
Sport activities in Drôme include:
* in winter: skiing, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing
* in summer: excursions, mountain biking in the mountainous area
The Drôme River is also a great place to practice canoëing and kayaking. In the spring the water flow allows for rafting. The Saoü Forest is known for its climbing paths.
File:Valence cathedrale 2003-12-10 047.jpg, Valence Cathedral
File:Dielavan.jpg, Lavender fields near Die
File:France Provence Grignan castle château.JPG, Grignan town and castle
File:P1130738 modified.jpg, Ferdinand Cheval's palace
File:Vercors Glandasse.jpg, Vercors Plateau
File:Nougat de Montélimar - 20090704.jpg, Nougat from Montélimar
See also
* Cantons of the Drôme department
*Communes of the Drôme department
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** List of comm ...
* Arrondissements of the Drôme department
* Marie Louis Descorches
* Albert Severin Roche, WW1 Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
recipient.
References
External links
*
*
Prefecture website
*
Departement Council website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drome
1790 establishments in France
Departments of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Economy of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
States and territories established in 1790