Drôme (;

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

: ''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 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.

, 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 Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and courtier who wielded much power and influence as King Henry II of France, Henry II's Maîtresse-en-titre, royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position inc ...

(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

on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution. The territory formed part of the former French province of

Dauphiné The Dauphiné ( , , ; or ; or ), formerly known in English as Dauphiny, 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 ...

. The original Drôme department contained the exclave of

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

, 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 Vaucluse (; 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.

, giving the Drôme its modern-day borders.

Geography

Drôme lies within the

. 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 Hautes-Alpes (; ; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population ...

to the east,

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (sometimes abbreviated as AHP; ; ; ), formerly until 1970 known as Basses-Alpes (, ), is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the sou ...

to the southeast and

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; 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.

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

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 Montfroc () is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivation ...

forms a small salient which was surrounded by the department of

, 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 Dieveniškės (in Lithuanian literally: ''Place of gods''; ; ''Dzevyanishki;'' Yiddish: דיװענישאָק) is a town in the Vilnius County of Lithuania, about from the Belarusian border in the so-called Dieveniškės appendix. It is surroun ...

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 Bogatynia (; German language, German: ''Reichenau in Sachsen''; ; ) is a town in Zgorzelec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. As of December 2021, the town had a population of 16,460. Geography The municipal area forms Po ...

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 ...

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 The Wakhan Corridor (; ) is a narrow strip of territory in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. This corridor stretches eastward, connecting Afghanistan to Xinjiang, China. It also separates the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajiki ...

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 Rochefourchat (; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Drôme department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, southeastern France. In the commune, there is a single house, the St. Pierre's Church, a converted barn, and the ruins of an old c ...

, 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 Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

to the south. In the

Rhône valley The Rhône ( , ; Occitan: ''Ròse''; Arpitan: ''Rôno'') 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 ( Gu ...

, 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 Tain-l'Hermitage (; or ), commonly known as Tain, is a commune in the French department of Drôme, southeastern France. Geography It is located on the left bank of the river Rhône, opposite Tournon-sur-Rhône, which is located in Ardèche. Th ...

(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 Vercors massif (; ) is a mountain range in eastern France consisting of rugged plateaus and mountains straddling the ''département in France, départements'' of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, ...

, the

mountain climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...

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 Donzère (; ) is a commune of the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It is a town located in the south of Drôme and on the left bank of the Rhône river, next to Montélimar. Geography The name of t ...

, particularly due to the change of the

soil profile A soil horizon is a layer parallel to the soil surface whose physical, chemical and biological characteristics differ from the layers above and beneath. Horizons are defined in many cases by obvious physical features, mainly colour and texture. ...

. 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 Pierrelatte (; ) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Since the 1980s it hosts one of the biggest production plants of the enriched uranium existing in the world, used both for civil and military purposes. Population ...

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

. 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 The LGV Rhône-Alpes (French: ''Ligne à Grande Vitesse''; English: high-speed line) is a French high-speed rail line situated in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region which extends the LGV Sud-Est southwards. Opened to service in 1994, the line by ...

and

LGV Méditerranée The LGV Méditerranée (French: ''Ligne à Grande Vitesse''; English: Mediterranean high-speed line) is a French high-speed rail line running from north to south between Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence, Drôme and Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, also fe ...

. 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 Valence Cathedral () is a Catholic church, dedicated to Saint Apollinaris of Valence, in Valence, France. It is the seat of the Bishop of Valence. It was elevated to the status of a minor basilica in 1847. The cathedral is in the Romanesque arc ...

File:Dielavan.jpg, Lavender fields near Die File:France Provence Grignan castle château.JPG,

Grignan Grignan (; ) is a commune in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. It has a Renaissance castle ...

town and castle File:P1130738 modified.jpg,

Ferdinand Cheval Ferdinand Cheval (; 19 April 1836 – 19 August 1924), often nicknamed Facteur Cheval ("Mail Carrier Cheval") was a French mail carrier who spent 33 years building Le Palais idéal (the "Ideal Palace") in Hauterives, in southeastern France.

's palace File:Vercors Glandasse.jpg,

File:Nougat de Montélimar - 20090704.jpg,

Nougat Nougat refers to a variety of similar confections made from a sweet paste hardened to a chewy or crunchy consistency.. The usual version in Western and Southern Europe is made from a mousse of whipped egg white sweetened with sugar or ho ...

from

Montélimar Montélimar (; Vivaro-Alpine dialect, Vivaro-Alpine: ''Montelaimar'' ; ) is a town in the Drôme Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is the second-largest town in t ...

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