Rhône-Alpes ( ; Arpitan: Rôno-Arpes; ) is one of
the 26 regions of France
, located on
the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The
region was named after the
Rhône
River and the
Alps mountain range.
Its
capital, Lyon
, is the
second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris
.
Rhône-Alpes is also the 6th European economic region.
Geography
A map of the
région
Rhône-Alpes is located in the east of France.
To the north are the
French regions of Bourgogne
(Burgundy) and Franche-Comté
, to the west it borders the region Auvergne
, to the
south it borders Languedoc-Roussillon
and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
. The east of the region contains the western
part of the Alps and borders Switzerland
and Italy
.
The
highest peak is Mont
Blanc
. The central part of the region is taken up
with the valley of the
Rhône and
the
Saône. The confluence of these two
rivers is at Lyon.
The western part of the region contains the
start of the Massif
Central
mountain range. The region also
borders or contains major lakes such as Lake Geneva
(Lac Léman) and Lake Annecy
. The Ardèche
is home to the deepest gorge in Europe.
As with
the rest of France, French is the only official language of the
region. 50 years ago,
Franco-Provençal was widely
spoken in the whole region. Many of the inhabitants of the south
spoke varieties of
Occitan although it is in
steep decline in this region.
There were relatively large immigrant
populations from Poland
, Italy, Portugal
and North Africa,
amongst other places.
Rhône-Alpes is made up of the following
départements:
Population
Rhône-Alpes contains 3 major cities in France. It forms the
triangle Lyon - Grenoble - Saint-Etienne. This triangle is the
economic core of the region. These three urban areas are very
complementary, and have smaller cities around, like
satellites.
- Lyon's area :
1,798,395 inhabitants (2008)
- Grenoble
's area : 560,453 inhabitants (2008)
- Saint-Etienne
's area : 321,703 inhabitants (1999)
- Valence
's area : 164,334 inhabitants (2008)
Prefectures
The biggest agglomeration to the smallest :
History
Although there have been people in Rhône-Alpes since pre-historic
times, the earliest recorded settlers of the region were the Gauls.
Cities such as Lyon were founded by them and the region traded with
both northern and southern Europe. Most of the area became part of
Roman territory during the invasion
of Gaul led by Julius Caesar and was at various times part of the
regions of Lugdunensis and Gallia. Lyon itself became a major Roman
city.
The region, excepting Savoy, was part of the Merovingian and
Carolingian Kingdoms before becoming a royal territory under the
Capetians. As it became a royal territory early on in French
history, its history has not differed much from France since. (see
History of France)
Transportation
- Main article : Transports in
Rhône-Alpes.
Rhône-Alpes is a major
European transit hub, linking northern France and Europe to the
Mediterranean
area. Millions travel along its motorways in summertime from Paris to holidays
at the sea. The E15
Euroroute (Britain
to Spain
) runs
through the region. There are
international airports at Lyon,
Grenoble and Saint-Étienne and many other minor airports and
airfields.The region is also a transport hub for the rail-network
with the
TGV running through Lyon from Paris and
the north, to the Mediterranean.
A trans-national, high-speed rail-link is
under construction from Lyon to Turin
.
Economy
- Main article : Economy of Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is a prosperous region, its
economy second in size only to Île-de-France
in France. This can be attributed to the
diversity of the production in different sectors.
- Industry, in particular:
- Light engineering and high-tech
- Mechanical engineering in the area of
Annecy
- Special machining in the area of Cluses
- Services, in particular:
- High-tech industries & nanotechnology,
especially in Grenoble
- Tourism with the Alps (for skiing), Lyon and Grenoble (for
culture) and the Ardèche (adventure sports/camping) particularly popular
- Education, with major universities in Lyon and Grenoble
In the
past mining, especially coal mining was an important sector,
particularly around Saint-Étienne
, although this has declined.
It should
be noted that the area of the region that lies close to Switzerland has an economy linked to that of Geneva
.
Indeed, this area forms a
hinterland for
the Geneva hub.
Major cities
Football
- Main article : Olympique
Lyonnais.
Rhône-Alpes is the home of several successful
football teams, including
Olympique Lyonnais (current French
Champions) and
AS
Saint-Étienne (one of the former clubs of
Michel Platini). Another team has come in the
french top-level in 2008 :
Grenoble
Foot 38.
Food
Lyon is noted as a gastronomic center of France and specialities
served in its traditional
bouchons
include Lyon
sausage, special
salami (known here as "
rosette"),
tripe
and
quenelles. In the east of the region
the food has an Alpine flavour with dishes such as
fondue,
raclette common,
gratin dauphinois and gratin
savoyard.
The region is also famous for its Bresse
poultry
and the many varieties of cheese including Tomme de Savoie, Bleu de Bresse, Reblochon, Saint-Marcellin and Vacherin.
Wines are also interesting in this region such as the very famous
Beaujolais,
Côtes du Rhône and
Savoy wine.
Chartreuse liqueur is made in
the region.
Tourism
The Bastille, 260 m above
Grenoble
Situated between Paris and the Côte d’Azur, on the border with both
Switzerland and Italy, and offering access to two international
airports (Lyon and Geneva), impressive rail connections and a vast
motorway network, the Rhône-Alpes region is literally at the
crossroads of Europe.
Boasting 8 natural parks and peerless sites such as Mont Blanc and
the Gorges de l’Ardèche, the Rhône-Alpes offers a wide range of
different landscapes: mountains, vineyards and gentle valleys,
fields of lavender and olive groves.
Every form of sport is readily available, set against an impressive
natural backdrop: hiking, mountain biking or even paragliding and
canoeing… the Rhône-Alpes is not only the second most important
golfing region in France with over 60 courses but it also has the
largest ski area in the world and has hosted the Winter Olympics
three times.
Enthusiasts of art and culture will not be disappointed by the
region’s Villes d’Art: Lyon, which is classified by UNESCO as a
World Heritage site, Annecy, Grenoble, Chambéry, and Saint
Etienne.
And last but not least, connoisseurs of good food and wine will be
spoilt for choice by the range of local specialties available to
taste along with a Beaujolais or a Côtes du Rhône, and by the sheer
number of famous restaurants (with Paul Bocuse at the top of the
list) in the region.
Lakes
There are six main lakes in Rhône-Alpes
Gastronomy
For several centuries Lyon, capital of Rhône-Alpes, has been known
as the French capital of
gastronomy,
due, in part, to the presence of many of France's finest chefs in
the city and its surroundings (e.g.
Paul
Bocuse). This reputation also comes from the fact that two of
France's best known
wine-growing regions are
located near Lyon: the
Beaujolais to
the North, and the
Côtes du
Rhône to the South. Beaujolais wine is very popular in Lyon and
remains the most common table wine served with local dishes.
Lyon is the home of very typical and traditional restaurants: the
bouchons.
Bouchons are usually convivial restaurants
serving local dishes, and local wines.
Lyon is famous for its morning snacks, the
mâchons, made
up of local
charcuterie and usually
accompanied by Beaujolais
red wine. Traditional
local dishes include
saucisson de Lyon (sausage),
andouillette,
coq au
vin,
esox quenelle,
gras
double (
tripe cooked with
onions),
salade lyonnaise (lettuce with
bacon,
croutons and a
poached egg),
marrons glacés and
cardoon au gratin.
See also
External links
(01).
Capital:
Bourg-en-Bresse
(07). Capital: Privas
(26).
Capital:
Valence
(38).
Capital:
Grenoble
(42).
Capital:
Saint-Étienne
(69). Capital: Lyon
(73).
Capital:
Chambéry
(74). Capital: Annecy
)
)
(Drôme
)
)
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