Var (, ) is a
department in the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pre ...
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 ...
of Southeastern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. It takes its name from the river
Var, which flowed along its eastern boundary, until the boundary was moved in 1860 and the department is no longer associated with the river. The Var department is bordered on the east by the department of
Alpes-Maritimes, to the west by
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and ...
, to the north of the river
Verdon by the department of
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and to the south by the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
. It had a population of 1,076,711 in 2019.
[Populations légales 2019: 83 Var]
INSEE
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
is the largest city and administrative capital (
prefecture) of Var. Other important towns in Var include
Fréjus
Fréjus (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 54,458.
It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one urban agglomeration. The north ...
,
Saint-Raphaël,
Draguignan
Draguignan (; oc, Draguinhan) is a commune in the Var department in the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (formerly Provence), southeastern France.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department and self-proclaimed "capital of A ...
,
Brignoles,
Hyères and
La Seyne-sur-Mer. Var is known for the harbour of Toulon, the main port of the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
, for its seaside resorts, the most famous of which is
Saint-Tropez
, INSEE = 83119
, postal code = 83990
, image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg
, image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg
Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence- ...
, for some fine examples of
Romanesque and other medieval architecture, such as
Le Thoronet Abbey
Thoronet Abbey (french: L'abbaye du Thoronet) is a former Cistercian abbey built in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century, now restored as a museum. It is sited between the towns of Draguignan and Brignoles in the Var Department of Prov ...
and the
Fréjus Cathedral, for its wines, particularly the wines of
Bandol, as well as for its motorsport race track
Circuit Paul Ricard, located in
Le Castellet.
History
Early years
The department of Var was created at the time of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
, on 4 March 1790, from a portion of the former royal province of
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
. Its capital was originally
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
, but this was moved to
Grasse in 1793 to punish the Toulonnais for yielding the town to the British in 1793. Subsequently, the capital was moved to
Brignoles in 1795, then to
Draguignan
Draguignan (; oc, Draguinhan) is a commune in the Var department in the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (formerly Provence), southeastern France.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department and self-proclaimed "capital of A ...
in 1797. It was not returned to
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
until 1974.
19th century
In 1815, following the defeat of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
at
Waterloo the department was occupied by Austrian troops until November 1818. In 1854 the first railroad reached Toulon.
With the creation of the new department of
Alpes-Maritimes in 1860 and following the annexation by France of Nice, the eastern part of the department, corresponding to the
arrondissement of Grasse
The arrondissement of Grasse is an arrondissement of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It has 62 communes. Its population is 561,067 (2016), and its area is .
Composition
The communes of the arron ...
, was moved to the new department. This move also shifted the river Var, which had given the department its name, to the new department.
In 1884 a
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...
epidemic struck Toulon. The leader of the fight against the epidemic was
Georges Clemenceau, a doctor and a member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...
for the
Seine department. He was later elected a member of the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
for the Var department from 1888 to 1893 and
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from 1902 to 1920, during which time he also served as
Prime Minister of France.
Recent times
The
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
(1914–1918) stimulated growth in shipyards and military industries in the region, but weakened the agricultural and food industries. In 1942 the German Army moved from
Occupied France
The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied z ...
into the ''
zone libre'', which included the Var department. The French Fleet was sabotaged in Toulon Harbour to keep it from falling into German hands. The
Maquis Vallier, a group of
maquis
Maquis may refer to:
Resistance groups
* Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance
* Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War
* The netwo ...
resistance fighters, was active. On 15 August 1944 American and
Free French forces land at
Saint-Tropez
, INSEE = 83119
, postal code = 83990
, image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg
, image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg
Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence- ...
,
Sainte-Maxime and
Saint-Raphaël. The Free French fleet arrived at Toulon on 13 September.
In the 1960s about one hundred thousand French citizens were repatriated from
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
following the
Algerian War of Independence and settled in the Var department. In 2014,
Fréjus
Fréjus (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 54,458.
It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one urban agglomeration. The north ...
Mayor
David Rachline
David Rachline (born 2 December 1987) is a French politician for National Rally. He was elected mayor of Fréjus in March 2014 and elected to the French Senate in September 2014.
Early life and education
David Rachline was born the son of soci ...
became the first
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for Var elected under the
National Front banner; alongside
Stéphane Ravier for
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and ...
, the two became the first National Front Senators under the
Fifth Republic.
Geography
The department of Var has a surface area of 6,032 km
2, and 420 km of coastline, including the offshore islands. 56% of it is covered with forest. Its geological formations are divided into two regions; one composed of
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
to the northwest of a line between Toulon and Draguignan and of crystalline rock (
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical f ...
) to the southeast.
The department is in the foothills of the
French Alps and largely mountainous. Major mountains include:
* The
Massif des Maures
The Massif des Maures (, "plateau of the Moors") is a small mountain range in southeastern France. It is located in the department of Var, near Fraxinet and between Hyères and Fréjus. Its highest point, at ''Signal de la Sauvette'', is high.
...
(771 m) and
Massif de l'Esterel
The Massif de l'Esterel (Occitan Provençal: ''Esterèu''; English: Esterel Massif) is a Mediterranean coastal mountain range in the departments of Var and Alpes-Maritimes on the French Riviera. Neighbouring cities are Mandelieu-la-Napoule and C ...
, along the coast, (618 m) are made of quartz rock.
* The
Sainte-Baume mountain ridge (1,147 m), in the west.
* Mountain of Lachens (1,715 m), in the northwest of the department, and the highest point in the Var.
The plateau of
Canjuers
Canjuers is a calcareous plateau and a military camp in Provence located in southeastern France. It’s the largest military camp in Continental Europe.
Geography
Situated in the ''département'' of the Var in the Prealps of Castellane, on the so ...
(French: ''Plan de Canjuers'') in the northeast of Var gradually rises from 500 to 1,000 metres. In the south and west there are several plateaus, such as the plateau of Siou Blanc to the north of Toulon, which rise from 400 to 700 metres in altitude.
* The
Canyon du Verdon, the gorges of the Verdon River, is a popular place for hikers, kayakers, and nature lovers.
* The
Îles d'Hyères (also known as
Porquerolles) is a group of three islands off
Hyères The islands are named
Porquerolles,
Port-Cros, and
Île du Levant. Together, they make up an area of 26 km
2. They can be reached by boat from either Hyères or Toulon.
Climate
The department of Var has a
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
, slightly warmer, drier and sunnier than Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes, but is also less sheltered from the wind. Toulon has an average of 2899.3 hours of sunshine each year.
[infoclimat.fr precipitations a Toulon](_blank)
The average maximum daily temperature in August is 29.1 °C, and the average daily minimum temperature in January is 5.8 °C.
The average annual rainfall is 665 mm.
Winds exceeding 16 m/s (57.6 km/h) blow an average of 116 days per year in Toulon,
compared with 77 days per year at
Fréjus
Fréjus (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 54,458.
It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one urban agglomeration. The north ...
further east.
[infoclimat.fr precipitations a Fréjus](_blank)
Demographics
Population development since 1801:
Principal towns
In 2019, the population of Var was 1,076,711, of whom 51% live in the agglomeration (
urban unit) of
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
, the prefecture and most populous commune. As of 2019, there are 9 communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:
[
]
Politics
In the 2022 French presidential election
The 2022 French presidential election was held on 10 and 24 April 2022. As no candidate won a majority in the first round, a runoff was held, in which Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen and was re-elected as President of France. Macron, ...
, Marine Le Pen of the National Rally won a majority in Var in both rounds.
Departmental Council of Var
The Departmental Council of Var comprises 46 seats. In the 2021 departmental election, 26 seats were won by The Republicans (LR), 13 by the miscellaneous right
Miscellaneous right (', ''DVD'') in France refers to right-wing candidates who are not members of any large party. This can include members of small right-wing parties, dissidents expelled from their party for running against their party's can ...
, 3 by the Union of Democrats and Independents
The Union of Democrats and Independents (french: Union des démocrates et indépendants, UDI) is a centre to centre-right political party in France and former electoral alliance founded on 18 September 2012 on the basis of the parliamentary grou ...
(UDI), 2 by the National Rally (RN) and 2 by the miscellaneous centre
Miscellaneous centre (''Divers center'', ''DVC'') in France refers to centrist candidates who are not members of any large party. It is a nuance and ''de facto'' a political label created by the French Ministry of the Interior in 2020.
Affiliat ...
. Var currently has no left-wing departmental councillors. Since 2015, Marc Giraud (LR) has been President of the Departmental Council of Var.
Members of the National Assembly
Var elected the following representatives to the National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...
in the 2017 legislative election:
Economy
The principal industry of Var is tourism, thanks largely to the big summer influx of tourists to the South of France and the Mediterranean coast in particular, but also inland to the Verdon River Canyon and hilltop villages and vineyards.
Tourism
Popular tourist attractions in Var include:
* The port and beaches of Saint-Tropez
, INSEE = 83119
, postal code = 83990
, image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg
, image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg
Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence- ...
;
* The seaside village of Sainte-Maxime, with waterfront promenade, shops and restaurants, and a ferry service to Saint-Tropez;
* The beach of Cavalaire-sur-Mer, the longest sand beach on the coast;
* Boat tours of the Rade, or harbour, of Toulon, the main anchorage of the French Navy;
* Wind-surfing offshore of the peninsula of Giens;
* Le Thoronet Abbey
Thoronet Abbey (french: L'abbaye du Thoronet) is a former Cistercian abbey built in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century, now restored as a museum. It is sited between the towns of Draguignan and Brignoles in the Var Department of Prov ...
, one of the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monasteries in France;
* The Baptistery of Fréjus Cathedral, the oldest Christian structure in Provence;
* The hilltop village of Bormes-les-Mimosas
Bormes-les-Mimosas (; oc, Bòrmas dei Mimòsas) is a commune in the Var department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region, southeastern France.
It has a Mediterranean climate.
Bormes-les-Mimosas is a city in bloom and won the 2003 Gold Medal a ...
;
* The Îles d'Hyères, including the underwater natural park around the Île de Port-Cros;
* Hiking in the Massif de l'Esterel
The Massif de l'Esterel (Occitan Provençal: ''Esterèu''; English: Esterel Massif) is a Mediterranean coastal mountain range in the departments of Var and Alpes-Maritimes on the French Riviera. Neighbouring cities are Mandelieu-la-Napoule and C ...
;
* The hilltop villages of Gassin, Ramatuelle, Montauroux
Montauroux (; oc, Montauron) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
Its neighbor town is the picturesque Callian which can be seen across a small valley.
Geography
Montauroux is ...
, Fayence
Fayence (; oc, Faiença) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 5,735.
Fayence is one of a series of "perched villages" overlooking the plain between ...
, Callian, Seillans
Seillans (; oc, Selhan) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
It is a ''ville perché'' (perched hill-top village) overlooking the plain between the southern Alps and the Esterel, w ...
, Tourrettes, Saint-Paul-en-Forêt, Mons
Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...
and Tanneron
Tanneron (; oc, Tanaron) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
See also
*Communes of the Var department
The following is a list of the 153 communes of the Var department of Fra ...
in the Fayence
Fayence (; oc, Faiença) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 5,735.
Fayence is one of a series of "perched villages" overlooking the plain between ...
region;
* The Verdon Gorge, Lake of Sainte-Croix
The Lake of Sainte-Croix (french: lac de Sainte-Croix) is a man-made lake
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural ...
and hilltop villages of the upper Var;
* The hilltop villages, wine caves and vineyards near Bandol.
Industry
The construction industry employs 28,000 workers in the Var of which 4,000 work alone and 4,500 companies employ the remaining 24,000 salaried workers. Industry generates an annual turnover of €2.5 billion. Of this, €500 million is derived from public works.
Agriculture
800 km2 or 13% of the total area is dedicated to agriculture, on which 40,000 people (14% of the Var working population) depend for their livelihoods. The department also has 10 km2 of horticultural land (of which 4 km2 are covered). Var is France's largest grower of cut flowers, producing some 500 million stems a year. Livestock farming is mainly sheep (50,000) and goats (4,200). Vines and viticultural related activities account for 345 km2 of farmland. The 450 ''domaines'' or ''coopératives'' and the 4 AOCs (''appellation d'origine contrôlée
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...
'') produce 150 million litres of wine a year. Var leads the world in the production of rose wine.
Other important agricultural products include olives (cultivated on 42 km2 of land—a quarter of all French olive groves—and processed in 40 mills), figs (the Var produces 80% of France's figs), and honey (800 tonnes per year). There are also 9 km2 of market gardens.
Agricultural turnover in Var is 610 million per year, of which 45% is sales of wines and 42% of horticultural products.
In 2008 the Var department received approximately €15 million in farm subsidies under the EU Common Agriculture Policy, an average of about €6,000 per recipient farm. This compares with an average across France as a whole of over €18,000 per farm.[farmsubsidy.org.]
Viticulture
* AOC Coteaux varois en Provence is a recent ' in Provence. The name Coteaux Varois was first used in 1945, and became an AOC in 1993. the name was changed to Couteaux Varois en Provence in 2005. The red wines principally use the grenache
Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world.Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditio ...
, cinsaut, mourvèdre and syrah grapes. White wines use the clairette, grenache blanc
Grenache blanc (also known as garnatxa blanca in Catalonia) is a variety of white wine grape that is related to the red grape Grenache. It is mostly found in Rhône wine blends and in northeast Spain. Its wines are characterized by high alcohol a ...
, rolle blanc, Sémillon Blanc, and Ugni Blanc. There are 22 km2 in this AOL. It produces 80% rosés, 17% red wines, and 3% white wines.
* Bandol AOC
Provence (Provençal) wine comes from the French wine-producing region of Provence in southeast France. The Romans called the area ''provincia nostra'' ("our province"), giving the region its name. Just south of the Alps, it was the first Roman p ...
, is grown on the coast west of Toulon, mostly around the villages of La Cadière-d'Azur
La Cadière-d'Azur (; oc, La Cadiera de Provença) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
It is situated north-west of Toulon next to Le Castellet and Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer.
History
L ...
and . Wines of this appellation must have at least 50% Mourvèdre grapes, though most have considerably more. Other grapes used are Grenache
Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world.Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditio ...
, Cinsault Syrah and Carignan
Carignan (also known as Mazuelo, Bovale Grande, Cariñena, Carinyena, Samsó, Carignane, and Carignano) is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Mediterr ...
.
See also
* Arrondissements of the Var department
The 3 arrondissements of the Var department are:
# Arrondissement of Brignoles, (subprefecture: Brignoles) with 67 communes. The population of the arrondissement was 181,649 in 2016.
# Arrondissement of Draguignan, ( subprefecture: Draguignan) ...
* Cantons of the Var department
* Communes of the Var department
* List of senators of Var
References
External links
*
*
*
Prefecture website
*
Departmental Council website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Var (Department)
1790 establishments in France
Departments of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
States and territories established in 1790