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Rhône (; frp, Rôno) is a department of east-central
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, in the central-southeastern Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
. Named after the river
Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) 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. At Ar ...
, its prefecture is
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
. Its sole
subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...
is
Villefranche-sur-Saône Villefranche-sur-Saône (, ; frp, Velafranche) is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It lies 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the river Saône, and is around north of Lyon. The inhabitants of the town are called ''Caladois''. ...
. In 2019, it had a population of 1,875,747.Populations légales 2019: 69 Rhône
INSEE


History

The department was created on August 12, 1793, when the former Rhône-et-Loire was split into two departments: Rhône and
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) 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 ...
. Originally, the eastern border of Rhône was the city of
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
itself, so that the
communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...
immediately east of Lyon belonged to neighboring departments. With the growth of Lyon and the extension of its urban area into communes such as
Villeurbanne Villeurbanne (; frp, Velorbana) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is situated northeast of Lyon, with which it forms the heart of the second-largest metropolitan area in France after ...
, the limits of the department were judged impractical as they left the suburbs of Lyon outside of Rhône. Thus, Rhône was enlarged several times to incorporate into it the suburbs of Lyon from neighboring department: * In 1852, four communes from Isère were incorporated into Rhône. * In 1967, 23 communes of Isère and six communes of Ain were incorporated into Rhône. * In 1971, one commune from Isère was incorporated into Rhône. With these enlargements, the area of the department increased from 2,791 km2 to 3,249 km2 (16.4% larger). At the 1999 French census, the original department of Rhône would have had only 1,071,288 inhabitants, which means that the population in the territories added in the last two centuries was 507,581 inhabitants in 1999. In 2015 the
Metropolis of Lyon The Metropolis of Lyon (french: Métropole de Lyon), also known as ("Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity located in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly elected metropolitan authority encompassing t ...
was separated from the department of Rhône. Rhône lost 16% of its territory, and 75% of its population.Comparateur de territoires: Département du Rhône (69), Métropole de Lyon (200046977)
INSEE Lyon, although no longer part of the department, remains its administrative center.


Geography

Rivers include the
Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) 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. At Ar ...
and the
Saône The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name ...
(which joins the Rhône in Lyon). The neighboring departments are Ain, Isère,
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) 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 ...
and Saône-et-Loire.


Demographics

Population development since 1801 (with Lyon Metropolis) : Before the Metropolis of Lyon was separated from the department, over 75% of its population lived within the
Greater Lyon The Metropolis of Lyon (french: Métropole de Lyon), also known as ("Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity located in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly elected metropolitan authority encompassing t ...
, which included all of the largest cities of the Rhône department, apart from Villefranche-sur-Saône. The most populous commune of the new department of Rhône is
Villefranche-sur-Saône Villefranche-sur-Saône (, ; frp, Velafranche) is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It lies 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the river Saône, and is around north of Lyon. The inhabitants of the town are called ''Caladois''. ...
. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:


Politics

The President of the Departmental Council is Christophe Guilloteau, a member of the Republicans (LR).


Current National Assembly Representatives

This list includes representatives from
Lyon Metropolis The Metropolis of Lyon (french: Métropole de Lyon), also known as ("Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity located in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly elected metropolitan authority encompassing t ...
created in 2015 as a separate department.


Tourism

File:View from Chiroubles Cru Beaujolais.jpg,
Beaujolais Beaujolais ( , ) is a French ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) wine generally made of the Gamay grape, which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which mak ...
vineyards File:Oingt, July 2012 (3).jpg, Oingt, one of The Most Beautiful Villages of France File:Château de Jarnioux 1.JPG, Château de Jarnioux


See also

* Cantons of the Rhône department * Communes of the Rhône department * Arrondissements of the Rhône department * French language * Arpitan language


References


External links


Prefecture website

Departmental Council website

''69.pagesd.info - Webportal and directory of communes and web sites of the Rhône (69) département'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhone 1793 establishments in France Departments of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes States and territories established in 1793 Massif Central