Alp-of-High-Provence

The department of Alp-of-High-Provence (04) is a French Département of the area Provence-Alp-Coast of Azure.

Its inhabitants name the Low-Alpine , in reference to the old name of the department.

History

detailed Article: History of Alp-of-High-Provence

The department of the “Low-Alps” east one of the 83 departments created with the French revolution, the March 4th 1790, pursuant to the law of the December 22nd 1789. It includes the mountainous North-East of the Provence, and was amputee of the canton of Sault during the formation of the Vaucluse in 1793.

In 1970, its name was changed into “Alp-of-High-Provence”.

Policy

List of the senators of Alp-of-High-Provence
List of the general advisers of Alp-of-High-Provence
List of the legislative districts of Alp-of-High-Provence
List of the prefects of Alp-of-High-Provence

Geography

detailed Article: Geography of Alp-of-High-Provence

Bordering on the Italy, the department of Alp-of-High-Provence is surrounded by the departments of the the Alpes-Maritimes, of the Var, Vaucluse, the Drome and the Hautes-Alpes. It can be divided into three zones of relief, climate, settlement and economy:

the plates, hills and valleys of High-Provence, which gather a third of surface but two thirds of the population, the near total of the economic activity in-outside tourism of mountain and the most important cities of the department. The valley of the Durance, artery of the department, cuts this zone in two halves;
Préalpes, intermediate mountainous area with the steepsided valleys and the very wedged villages;
the Large Alps, which gather the valleys of Ubaye there, White and the high Verdon (upstream of the Colmar-the-Alps), where the economy was rebuilt around tourism of mountain (ski stations). Into High-Ubaye, the tops exceed 3000 m of altitude.

Cours d' water

The principal river is the Durance, which circulates in the west of the department. It is in this valley that one finds the axes of circulation most important (autorute A51, railway, main road). The near total of the department is in the catchment area of the Durance, except for the extreme south-east (cantons of Annot and Entrevaux) drained by the Var. Its principal affluents in the department are the Ubaye, the Bléone, the Asse and the the Verdon for left bank, the Buëch, Jabron and the Loose one for Right Bank. All these affluents are torrential, and are subjected to violent and brutal risings when violent ones storms fall down in autumn, like with high waters related to the snow melt in spring for the rivers of mountain. The Durance, the Verdon and Bléone were arranged at the 20th century with the construction of several stoppings and the deviation of part of the rivers for the irrigation and the electrical production.

Climate

detailed Article: Climate of Alp-of-High-Provence

The climate of Alp-of-High-Provence is a Mediterranean Climat degraded by altitude and the latitude. In fact, so in the low valleys and plates of High-Provence reigns a Mediterranean climate of back-country, more contrasted than on the coast, that of the valley of the Ubaye is characteristic of the Large Alps, with marked an enough continentality: the winters are very rigorous there and the stormy summers. Between the two, the two influences mix in the zone of the Préalpes. The characteristics of the two climatic tendencies are found in all the department with more or less of intensity:

a dry air and very little fog (less than 20 days per annum);
of not very frequent precipitations (less than 80 days per annum) and brutal (annual office pluralities from 650 to 1500 mm);
of the frequent storms in mountain the summer;
an excellent sunning in any season (2550 to 2850 hours per annum);
of great thermal, as well diurnal amplitudes (more than 10 °C) that annual (18 °C);
of the fresh and luminous winters;
of the very hot summers hardly moderated by altitude.

So High-Provence is very interesting for all the European astronomers in the search of a night sky often released and saved by luminous pollution. Many observatories amateurs were built, and the Observatoire of High-Provence, one of the largest observatories of continental Europe, is a very active research center in astronomy.

Demography

A rural department

The department of the Alpes de Haute-Provence east one of the least densément populated France, hardly more than 20 inhabitants per km ². The population concentrates primarily in the valleys of the Durance, Bléone (until Digne) and on the close plates, the remainder of the department being populated very little (less than 10 inhabitants to the km ² on a good part of the territory).

Half of common has less than 200 inhabitants, 17 communes have some less than 50, and of many hamlets were abandoned. The cities are of a modest size: only Worthy and Manosque approach or exceed the 20000 inhabitants. The districts of Barcelonnette and Castellane are the two the least populated districts France (the only ones of less than 10.000 inhabitants). The town of Castellane is also the smallest sub-prefecture of France.

History

The population was formerly distributed rather regularly on the territory, including in the mountainous areas where the mountain and hill farming was well developed. But as of the middle of the 19th century, it started to decrease because of a fort Rural migration. Of more than: 150000 inhabitants in 1850, it fell to less: 100000 after the First World War. It was then necessary to await 1960 so that the tendency returns to the rise, rather strongly besides, passing from less: 90000 inhabitants in 1954 with close to: 140000 in 1999 and: 153000 in 2005. However, if this figure approaches the number of inhabitants whom the department had 150 years earlier, the distribution is very different, E the activity too.

Gentilé

The inhabitants of Alp-of-High-Provence are called the Low-Alpine in reference to the old name of the department.

Economy

Until rather recently, the economy of the Alpes de Haute-Provence was dominated by agriculture, but for these last decades the tertiary sector has taken the top. Industry always remained very minority.

Agriculture

In the Alpes de Haute-Provence, agriculture had a very important place in the economy, but the food mixed-farming left room to an agriculture more specialized much directed around the fruits, of cereals and products with high added value (honey, perfumes, cosmetics, olives). The cultivated species are moderated, especially in altitude, and Mediterranean, especially at low altitude. The production is of a large variety.

Industry

Industry is far from present in the department, and is limited at Saint-Auban (Arkéma factory, in the past Elf-Atochem), Sisteron (in the north of the city) and Manosque (factory of Occitane). Some more specialized factories (olive oil, perfumes, wines) produce products with high added value.

Tertiary sector

The economy of the services takes importance more and more, in particular with the development of tourism.

Tourism

In spite of the weak density of population and relative enclavement, tourism in the Alpes de Haute-Provence is developed a little, primarily around natural curiosities, of the inheritance and the sports of outdoor.

Artificial lakes

The lakes of Greenhouse-Ponçon and Holy Cross, both artificial, like full with others smaller, are water levels appreciated by the amateurs of water sports. They allowed has very rural areas to know an economic advancement around tourism.

Mountain

The department of the Alpes de Haute-Provence is mainly mountainous, and tourism developed in several directions:

winter sports, with several stations in the valleys of Ubaye, of White and the high Verdon, for example Pra Loup, Sauze, Valley of Ales or Chabanon;

natural curiosities, in particular geological, mainly gathered in the geological reserve of High-Provence, greater geological reserve of Europe, which are particularly abundant in the department.

Architectural heritage

Isolated and rural, High-Provence kept many old men villages and typical hurdy-gurdies constructions of architecture of Provence.

Most remarkable of the monuments of the Alps de Haute Provence is the Monastère of Ganagobie which shelters a community of monks Bénédictins of the congregation of Solesmes (it is acted in fact of a Abbaye since 1992, and which was formerly known under the name of " Priory of Ganagobie"). The abbey dating of more than 1000 years, is particularly remarkable for its extraordinary mosaics of XIIe century, its Romanesque architecture, but also for its stained glasses created by the Dominican monk Kim In Joong. More: 100000 people visit it each year.

Among most known are also, the citadel of Sisteron, thus the cathedral of Forcalquier or several villages classified more beautiful villages of France.

Sports of outdoor

High-Provence is an area privileged for the practice of the sports of outdoor, which they are air (sailplane, parapente), terrestrial (ramble, with bicycle or horse) or watery (water sports or of water running). The gorges of the Verdon shelter considered sites of climbing, and can be descended in raft or canyoning.

See too

Internal bonds

General advice of Alp-of-High-Provence
Common of Alp-of-High-Provence
Old communes of Alp-of-High-Provence
List of bridges of Alp-of-High-Provence
French Department

External bonds

Prefecture of Alp-of-High-Provence
General advice of Alp-of-High-Provence
the Abbey of Ganagobie on Abbeys in Provence
Country of High-Provence
Chart and text of the department in 1883, drawn from the Atlas of Vuillemin

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