The Rhone-Alps

the Rhone-Alps is a French Région which gathers eight departments: the Ain, the Ardeche, the Drome, the Isere, the the Loire, the the Rhone, the Haute-Savoie and the Savoy. Its Chef-lieu is Lyon, which is also its more big city. It is the second area of France in surface (after the Midday-Pyrenees), in economy and a population (after Île-de-France). It is also classified 8ère Européenne area.

It is bordering on the French areas Provence-Alp-Coast of Azure, Languedoc-Roussillon, Auvergne, Burgundy and Franche-Comté; Italian areas of Valley of Aoste and Piedmont as well as Swiss Cantons of Vaud, Were worth and of Geneva.

Metropolises

The Rhone-Alps Area is the French area more in competition with the Île-de-France. Indeed, it is known for its triangle Lyon - Grenoble - Saint-Etienne, which is one of most active of France. These three metropolises have the characteristic to be very close. Saint-Etienne and Lyon is distant of 60 km. Grenoble and Lyon, of 100 km. Lastly, Grenoble and Saint-Etienne are most distant: approximately 160 km.

  • Agglomeration of Lyon: approximately 1.348.832 hab. (1999) → urban Surface: 1.648.216 hab.

  • Agglomeration of Grenoble: 419.334 hab. (1999) → urban Surface: 514.559 hab.
  • Agglomeration of Saint-Etienne: 291.960 hab. (1999) → urban Surface: 321.704 hab.

These three urban surfaces give a total of approximately 2,5 million inhabitants.

One can finally quote a fourth pole, Geneva, whose agglomeration, or at least zone of influence extends on the Genevese Rhone-alpine.

Prefectures

The Prefecture S of the area, by decreasing order of population:

More big cities

Population of the city even.

Other cities

However, other important cities intervene in the development of the area:

History

See also: History of the area the Rhone-Alps

Administration

See also: District council of the Rhone-Alps

Policy

See also: Political of the area the Rhone-Alps

Geography

The area is 2nd of France in term of surface (1: the Midday-Pyrenees).

Administrative geography

The area scolairement is scolairement divided into two academy S: Lyon for the Ain, the the Loire and the the Rhone and Grenoble for the Ardeche, the Drome, the Isere, the Haute-Savoie and the Savoy. In the south, one finds an enclave of the area Provence the Alps Riviera, known as enclave of the popes, within the Rhone-Alps.

Natural subsets

The Rhone-Alps extends from the Massif Central in the west until the the Alps in the east. Between these two mountainous units the valley of the Rhone is.

Massif Central

In the west, the area is composed of the oriental party of the Massif Central:
  • Mounts and plain of the Drill
  • Massif Pilat
  • Monts of the Vivarais
  • Monts of the Beaujolais
  • Monts of the Lyonnais
The Massif Central Rhone-alpine culminates with the Mézenc Mount.

Valleys

In the center, it is crossed north in the south by the valleys of the the Saone and the the Rhone, framed the broad ones extended to the little marked relief (Bresse, Dombes, low Dauphiné).

The Alps and the Jura

To the east, the area extends on the Alps and the Jura. North towards the south, the southernmost folds of the the Jura leave room to the the Alps north. The Alps from the Dauphine and Savoyard are strongly marked by the last glaciations (broad valleys of the Isere and the Maurienne/ Môrièna , and its lakes). The Alps are easily penetrable thanks to the alpine furrow, which includes/understands the cluses of Grenoble and Chambéry, as well as Grésivaudan and the combe of Savoy. The culminating points of the Jura and the Alps are in the Rhone-Alps, respectively in Crêt of Snow and Mont Blanc.

Lakes

The area contains the greatest fresh water extents of France:

Classification of the chief towns by their altitude

The Rhone-Alps area being primarily a mountainous region, its cities are located in altitude.

  1. Saint-Etienne, the second plus big city of altitude of Europe with 750 m on average (culminating point of 1.117 m district of Rochetaillée).

  2. Annecy 450 m
  3. Deprived 390 m
  4. Chambéry 279 m
  5. Borough-in-Bresse 239 m
  6. Grenoble 213 m (culminating point of 475 m to the Fort of the Bastille)
  7. Lyon 186 m with 2 hills: Fourvière (culminating point of 320 m to the antenna) and the Cross-Russet-red .
  8. Valence 139 m

The altitude overall higher of the cities of the Massif Central (Saint-Etienne and Privas) that those of the Alps (Grenoble, Annecy, Chambéry) can appear paradoxical at first sight since the Alps are higher than the Massif Central. That is due to the fact that the Alps rhônalpines are largely ventilated the deep ones and broad valleys (Grésivaudan, Combe of Savoy), whereas the Massif Central has a not easily penetrable relief. Lastly, Valence and Lyon being in the valley of the Rhone, furrow between the Alps and Massif Central, profit from the most modest altitudes.

See also: Geography of the area the Rhone-Alps

Transport

Railway

The area has a significant number of cities served by the TGV.

  • Towards the network LGV the Mediterranean (Marseilles serves in particular): Lyon Share-God, Valence TGV, Montélimar (perhaps in the long term compromised by the future station of Allan)
  • Towards Paris: Lyon Share-God, Valence TGV, Montélimar, Chambéry, Grenoble, Saint-Maurice Borough, Saint-Etienne
  • In construction, towards the North-East (will serve Besancon and Strasbourg in particular): Lyon Share-God
  • In project, towards Italy (Turin will serve in particular): Lyon Share-God, Shawl-the-water, Grenoble-University Gières

Connection TGV Paris-Grenoble stops at the station and airport of Lyon Saint-Exupéry.

Punctually the station of Saint-Maurice Borough becomes one of the most attended stations of the Rhone-Alps. During the weekends of the winter vacation, TGV coming from Paris or Brussels serve the station.

The railway line Lyon - Saint-Etienne, is attended regional lines of province in France. The Mâcon-Lyon connection also is very attended.

A project of the RER Saint-Etienne - Lyon - Mâcon is being studied, which would make of them the first RER out of Paris in France. This one will be baptized Réseau express train of the Lyons urban surface, that is to say REAL.

Another project is under development in Grenoble. It is about densifier the rail network, in order to make there circulate suburban trains, very regularly, between the 5 stations of the agglomeration. The purpose of this project would be to replace the subway, unrealizable in Grenoble, because of the presence of ground water.

Lastly, the Rhone-Alps has tourist railway lines circulating in the middle of landscapes with private interest:

  • the train of the throat of Soft in Ardeche
  • the train of Walls It, in the south of Grenoble
  • the train of Montenvers, close to Chamonix, in the solid mass of Mont Blanc

See also: FOR THE THIRD TIME the Rhone-Alps

Truck driver

The highway network of the Rhone-Alps, European crossroads, is densest of province. It is also one of only in France not to follow the diagram " araignée" (axes centered on the regional capital and not of communications between the secondary cities) but to ensure a true squaring of the area, except for the Drome and the Ardeche, only served by the Valley of the Rhone. It is connected to two foreign networks, namely the Italy and the Suisse. The highway of the sun one of is attended France, located on axis PLM (Paris - Lyon - Marseilles). This one will be perhaps doubled in the future by the highway Grenoble - Gap - Marseilles, which would make it possible to unchoke it. If she is born, this highway will be highest of France.

Lyon, Grenoble, Saint-Etienne, Chambéry, Annecy and Valence is connected by an important network of highways.

Lyon, Grenoble, Saint-Etienne and Valence are surrounded by peripheral (partial or whole).

Thanks to the deep valleys of the Rhone-Alps (Valley of the Rhone, Grésivaudan and Combe of Savoy in particular), the highway tunnels are rather rare for this mountainous region. One counts however several around Lyon of them (Tunnel of Fourvière for example), around Chambéry (Tunnel of the cat) and Grenoble (Tunnel of Sinard).

Public transport

The three plus big cities of the Rhone-Alps are equipped in the Tram and have a network of important bus. Largest, Lyon, profits in addition to several underground lines. Lyon and Saint-Etienne preserved their lines of trolley bus (only cities in France with Limoges) and Holy Etienne is the only French city which preserved its tram (in service since 1881).

Many cities also have their networks of bus (Valence, Chambéry, Roanne,…). There are also inter-departmental networks of bus.

In winter, additional lines open to connect the valleys to the ski station. It is for example the case between Grenoble and Chamrousse.

Lastly, the airport of Lyon Saint-Exupéry is accessible in regular shuttle from the surrounding big cities, namely Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Grenoble and Chambéry. There are also connections between Grenoble Saint-Geoirs and Grenoble like Saint-Etienne Bouthéon and Saint-Etienne.

Air

The Rhone-Alps counts several airports of which many regular lines and seasonal flights for the Ski.

The large regional airport is that of Lyon Saint-Exupéry (in the past Satolas). It is located in the middle of the area, so that the regional main cities are with less than 100 km of the airport. The three principal other airports are those of Saint-Etienne, Grenoble Saint-Geoirs and Chambéry. The airports of Grenoble and Chambéry are consequently managed company which developed them thanks to the white gold.

  • Lyon Saint-Exupéry: it is the airport of the Rhone-Alps which counts the greatest number of destinations and which accommodates the greatest number of passengers.

  • Grenoble Saint-Geoirs and Chambéry: They are mainly companies Low cost. The traffic is more constant in winter because of the multitude of the tourists towards the ski stations, in particular coming from Great Britain.
  • Airport of Saint-Etienne - Bouthéon: following the stop of the Saint-Etienne-Paris line, the airport does not accommodate, currently, more regular line.

Economy

The economy rhônalpine is one of most dynamic of France, in many fields.

See also: Saving in the Rhone-Alps

Demography

The Rhone-Alps is the second most populated area France, with approximately 6 million inhabitants.

See also: Demography of the Rhone-Alps

Culture

See also: Culture of the Rhone-Alps

External bonds

  • the official site of the area the Rhone-Alps
  • All tourist sites of the Rhone-Alps
  • Photographs of the Rhone-Alps
    • Natural
  • LIFE and Territories in area the Rhone-Alps

Simple: The Rhone-Alps

Random links:Fion | Waalwijk | Maléfique (character) | History of the golf of 1353 to 1850 | Under the reign of Bone