Drôme
Coat of Arms of Drôme
Location
Administration
Department number:	26
Region:	Rhône-Alpes
Prefecture:	Valence
Subprefectures:	Die Nyons
Arrondissements:	3
Cantons:	36
Communes:	369
President of the General Council:	Didier Guillaume PS
Statistics
Population	Ranked 53rd
-1999	437,778
Population density:	67/km2
Land area¹:	6530 km2
¹ French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2.

Drôme (Droma in Occitan, Drôma in Arpitan) is a department in southeastern France named after the Drôme River.

[edit] History

Drôme is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the former province of Dauphiné.

[edit] Geography

Drôme is part of the current region of Rhône-Alpes (Rôno-Arpes) and is surrounded by the departments of Ardèche, Isère, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and Vaucluse.

The boundaries of the department have changed several times with the incorporation of the Comtat Venaissin in 1792 and the creation of the department of Vaucluse in 1793. There is an enclave of the department of Vaucluse, the Canton of Valréas (Enclave des Papes), which is surrounded by Drôme.

[edit] Economy

Drôme has one of the fastest growing industrial sectors in France. It is very diversified, including plastics, large machinery, packaging, food processing, and high tech.

The economical heart of the department is situated in the west, next to the Rhone.

[edit] Politics

The President of the General Council is Didier Guillaume of the Socialist Party.

[edit] Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called Drômois.

[edit] Main cities

(1999 figures)

• Valence: 66,568
• Romans-sur-Isère: 33,665
• Montélimar: 32,896
• Nyons: 6,731

[edit] Tourism

Sporting and green tourism : Winter sports—skiing, cross-country skiing, and snow-shoeing—are all available in Drôme. During the summer period, excursions, mountain biking can be practiced, discovering the mountainous area.

Cultural tourism : Monuments (churches ...) craft industry...

[edit] See also

• Cantons of the Drôme department
• Communes of the Drôme department
• Arrondissements of the Drôme department

[edit] External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Drôme.

• (English) Tourism website
• (English) Drôme Tourism Guide
• (French) Prefecture website
• (French) General Council website
• (French) Drome valley website
• (French) Drome Pictures
• Renée Laurent's website, a painter who lives in Venterol, Drome

Coordinates: 44°45′N 05°10′E / 44.75°N 5.167°E / 44.75; 5.167