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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.Populations légales 2019: 07 Ardèche
INSEE
Its Prefectures of France, prefecture is in Privas, but its largest city is Annonay.


History


Prehistory and ancient history

Humans have inhabited the area at least since the Upper Paleolithic, as attested by the famous cave paintings at Chauvet Cave, Chauvet Pont d'Arc. The Ardèche river plateau has extensive standing stones (mainly dolmens and some menhirs), erected thousands of years ago. The river has one of Europe's largest canyons, and the caves that dot the cliffs—which go as high as 300 metres (1,00 ...
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Communes Of The Ardèche Department
The following is a list of the 335 communes of the Ardèche department of France. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):Périmètre des groupements en 2025
BANATIC. Accessed 28 May 2025.
*Communauté d'agglomération
Annonay Rhône Agglo Annonay Rhône Agglo is the ''communauté d'agglomération'', an intercommunal structure, centred on the town of Annonay. It is located in the Ardèche department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, southern France. Created in 2017, its seat i ...
*
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Ardèche (river)
The Ardèche (; ) is a long river in south-central France, a right-bank tributary of the River Rhône. Its source is in the Massif Central, near the village of Astet. It flows into the Rhône near Pont-Saint-Esprit, north-west of Orange, France, Orange. The river gives its name to the French Departments of France, department of Ardèche. The valley of the Ardèche is very scenic, in particular a section known as the Ardèche Gorges. The walls of the river here are limestone cliffs up to high. A kayak and camping trip down the Canyon, gorge is not technically difficult and is very popular in the summer. The most famous feature is a natural stone arch spanning the river known as the Pont d'Arc (arch bridge). Geography The source of the river lies at above sea level in the Vivarais, near the Col de la Chavade, in the forest of Mazan in the commune of Astet. After the towns of Aubenas and Ruoms, it collects the Chassezac and the Beaume and plunges into its famous gorge below Va ...
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Annonay
Annonay (; ) is a Communes of France, commune and largest city in the north of the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It is the most populous commune in the Ardèche department although it is not the capital which is the smaller town of Privas. Other communes in the Ardèche department are Aubenas, Guilherand-Granges, and Tournon-sur-Rhône. Geography The commune consists of the city of Annonay and the hamlets of Vissenty, Chatinais, and Boucieu. With residential development, these four entities have merged into one today. Further away is the hamlet of Toissieu. Annonay was built over several small hills at the confluence of the rivers Cance (Canse) and Deûme (Deôme). Annonay is a crossroads of trade routes: from the Rhône Valley to the region of Saint-Étienne (east-west) and from Lyon to south of the Massif Central (north-south). It is located south of Lyon, south-west of Saint-Rambert-d'Albon, and north-west of Saint-Vallier ...
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Chauvet Cave
The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave ( ) in the Ardèche department of southeastern France is a cave that contains some of the best-preserved figurative cave paintings in the world, as well as other evidence of Upper Paleolithic life.Clottes (2003b), p. 214. It is located near the commune of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc on a limestone cliff above the former bed of the river Ardèche, in the Gorges de l'Ardèche. Discovered on December 18, 1994, it is considered one of the most significant prehistoric art sites and the UN's cultural agency UNESCO granted it World Heritage status on June 22, 2014. The cave was first explored by a group of three speleologists: Eliette Brunel-Deschamps, Christian Hillaire, and Jean-Marie Chauvet (for whom the cave was named) six months after an aperture now known as "Le Trou de Baba" ('Baba's Hole') was discovered by Michel Rosa (Baba). At a later date the group returned to the cave. Another member of this group, Michel Chabaud, along with two others, travelled furt ...
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Viviers, Ardèche
Viviers (, also Viviers-sur-Rhône; ) is a village in the department of Ardèche in southern France. It is known for its medieval cathedral and views over the Rhone river. Population History The village's name is derived from the Latin '' Vivarium'', referring to fish farming ponds built on the banks of the Rhône by the Romans to supply '' Alba Helviorum''. A Roman-built bridge designed to facilitate trade in the area still stands near the village's center. Viviers became the capital of the Gaulish Helvii tribe following the decline of nearby Alba-la-Romaine. In the fifth century, Viviers was incorporated into the Kingdom of the Burgundians and was later conquered by the Franks. In the late fifth century, the fortified town became a powerful episcopal seat and the capital of the ''pays Vivarais''. It remains the see of the Bishop of Viviers. In the 6th century, Venant de Viviers served as the Bishop of Viviers.Charles Beaunier, ''Recueil Historique, Chronologique, Et ...
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Privas
Privas (; , also ) is a city located in France, in the department of Ardèche. With its 8,465 inhabitants (2019), it is the least populated prefecture (capital of a department). It was the location of the 1629 Siege of Privas. Today, Privas is known for the purée made from the local chestnuts, and for its sweetened marron glacé. History The earliest traces of the commune are attested in the hamlet of Lac where recent archaeological excavations have revealed a Roman villa dating to the beginning of the Empire, as well as a medieval burying-ground. Moulds for counterfeiting coinage found in the 19th century on the slopes of Mont-Toulon have not been interpretable as signifying a local centre of population. Privas possibly comes from the old Gallic word ''briva'' meaning thoroughfare, or more specifically a wooden causeway over a ravine or water. This may refer to a river crossing now spanned by the ''Pont Louis XIII'', just to the south of the town centre. Privas inhabit ...
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Arrondissements Of The Ardèche Department
The 3 arrondissements of the Ardèche department are: # Arrondissement of Largentière, (subprefecture: Largentière) with 151 communes. The population of the arrondissement was 103,712 in 2021. # Arrondissement of Privas, (prefecture of the Ardèche department: Privas) with 66 communes. The population of the arrondissement was 86,154 in 2021. # Arrondissement of Tournon-sur-Rhône, (subprefecture: Tournon-sur-Rhône Tournon-sur-Rhône (; , before 1988: ''Tournon'') is a commune in the Ardèche department of southern France. It is one of the most populous communes in the Ardèche department, after Annonay, Aubenas, and Guilherand-Granges. Geography It i ...) with 118 communes. The population of the arrondissement was 141,549 in 2021. History In 1800 the arrondissements of Privas, Largentière, Tournon were established. All of them have never been disbanded. In 2007 the four cantons of Antraigues-sur-Volane, Aubenas, Vals-les-Bains and Villeneuve-de-Berg from the ar ...
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Tournon-sur-Rhône
Tournon-sur-Rhône (; , before 1988: ''Tournon'') is a commune in the Ardèche department of southern France. It is one of the most populous communes in the Ardèche department, after Annonay, Aubenas, and Guilherand-Granges. Geography It is located on the right bank of the river Rhône, in the Ardèche , opposite Tain-l'Hermitage, (which is located in the Drôme ). History Tournon had its own counts as early as the 9th century reign of Louis I. In the middle of the 17th century the title passed from them to the dukes of Ventadour. Population Notable sights *The church of St Julian dates chiefly from the 14th century. *The occupies an old college founded in the 16th century by Cardinal François de Tournon, and is today still a functioning high school but is occasionally open for tours. * One of the two suspension bridges which unite the town with Tain-l'Hermitage on the left bank of the river is the . It was built in 1825 and is the oldest suspension bridge in Fran ...
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Largentière
Largentière (; Occitan language, Occitan: ''L'Argentièira'') is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture and Communes of France, commune of the Ardèche Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southern France. It is located in the narrow valley of the Ligne (Ardèche), Ligne, approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Aubenas. With a population of 1,573 as of 2020, Largentière is the second-least populated subprefecture in France after Castellane in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Its name, adopted in the 13th century in place of its more ancient name ''Segualeriae'' (Ségualières), refers to the silver mines in the area between the 10th and 15th centuries, when the silver-bearing lead ores in intrusive veins in the Largentières sandstone were exploited under the authority of the Count of Toulouse, Counts of Toulouse and the Bishops of Viviers, whose title ''Barons de Largentière'' was linked to the bishopric. Demog ...
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Pont D'Arc
The Pont d'Arc (French language, French ''pont'' = bridge) is a large natural arch, natural bridge, located in the Ardèche ''departments of France, département'' in the south of France, 5 km from the town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. The arch, formed when the river Ardèche (river), Ardèche broke through a narrow escarpment between its meander, is wide and high at the top of the opening. It is a very popular canoeing and kayaking area and is heavily visited by tourists. It is usually described as the natural entrance to the Ardèche Canyon. In the near vicinity of the arch is the Chauvet cave, Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave, containing one of the earliest known Paleolithic cave paintings, about 30,000 years old (featured in the 3D documentary ''Cave of Forgotten Dreams'' by film director Werner Herzog). References See also

* Chauvet Cave Natural arches of France Landforms of Ardèche Tourist attractions in Ardèche Rock formations of France Landforms of Auvergne-Rhône-Alp ...
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Cantons Of The Ardèche Department
The following is a list of the 17 cantons of the Ardèche department, in France, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015: * Annonay-1 * Annonay-2 * Aubenas-1 * Aubenas-2 * Berg-Helvie * Bourg-Saint-Andéol * Les Cévennes ardéchoises * Guilherand-Granges * Haute-Ardèche * Haut-Eyrieux * Haut-Vivarais * Le Pouzin * Privas * Rhône-Eyrieux * Sarras * Tournon-sur-Rhône * Vallon-Pont-d'Arc Vallon-Pont-d'Arc (; ) is a village in southern France in the Ardèche Department. The village is a gateway to one of the most beautiful tourist sites in France, the Ardèche Gorges, where the Ardèche river has carved a dramatic canyon thro ... References {{DEFAULTSORT:Cantons of the Ardeche department ...
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List Of Presidents Of Departmental Councils (France)
In France, the President of the Departmental Council ( French: ''Président du Conseil départemental'') is the locally elected head of the departmental council, the assembly governing a department in France. The position is elected by the departmental councillors from among their number. If there is a tie, the councillor senior of age is elected. As per Articles L1111-1 to L7331-3 of the General code of local and regional authorities, the responsibilities of the President of the Departmental Council include: * Chairing the departmental authorities * Preparing and implementing the council's decisions * Collection of tax revenues * Representing the department in legal cases History In 1833, a law was enacted that gave each canton (subdivision of a department) representation of a councillor (''Conseiller général''). As a result of the decentralisation of government ( Deferre law), the election criteria were redefined in 1982 and the President of the Departmental Council took ...
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