Champagne-Ardenne
Encyclopedia : C : CH : CHA : Champagne-Ardenne
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| Capital | Châlons-en-Champagne | ||||
| Ranked_list_of_French_regions#By_area>Land area¹ | 25,606 km² | ||||
| President of the regional council>Regional President | Jean-Paul Bachy (PS) (since 2004) | ||||
| Population - Jan.1, 2005 estimate - March 8, 1999 census - Density | (Ranked 18th) 1,334,000 1,342,363 52/km² (2005) | ||||
| Arrondissement in France>Arrondissements | 15 | ||||
| Canton in France>Cantons | 146 | ||||
| Commune in France>Communes | 1,947 | ||||
| Département in France>Départements | Aube Ardennes Haute-Marne Marne | ||||
| 1 French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers | |||||
Champagne-Ardenne is one of the 26 régions of France.
Geography
Champagne-Ardenne is in the northeast of France, bordering Belgium. It consists of four départements: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne.
Its rivers, all of which flow west, include the Seine, the Marne, and the Aisne.
The region has three autoroutes, totaling 460 km:
- Autoroute A4 connecting Paris and Strasbourg and serving the Reims metropolitan area
- Autoroute A5 connecting Paris and Dijon and serving Troyes and Chaumont
- Autoroute A26 connecting Calais and Dijon and serving Reims and Châlons-en-Champagne
The région 's canals include the canal lateral to the Marne and canal from the Marne to the Rhine, which connects to the Marne at Vitry-le-François. These are petit gabarit canals.
The Vatry International Airport, primarily dedicated to air freight, has a runway 3650 m long, yet it is often unused. The airport is in a sparsely populated area just 150 km from Paris. Some people say it is a good candidate for transformation into a third Parisian airport. Les verts (the French green party) supported such a move because the resulting noise pollution would affect fewer people than an airport closer to Paris.
See also: Ardennes
Economy
- 61.4% of its land is dedicated to agriculture
- 1st in France for the production of barley and alfalfa for (désydration == dehydration ?)
- 2nd in France for the production of beets, onions, and peas
- 3rd in France for the production of tender wheat and rapeseed.
- 282.37 km² of vineyards
- Champagne sales in 2001: 263 million bottles (4% increase from 2000) of which 37.6% were exported.
- 25% of French hosiery production
- 3rd metallurgic région in France
Businesses
Food-processing
Demographics
The population of Champagne-Ardenne has been in steady decrease since 1982 due to a rural exodus. With 1.3 million people and a density of 52/km², it is one of France's least populated régions.
Tourism
Champagne-Ardenne has the following:
- 291 approved tourist hotels offering 8,000 rooms
- 152 structures offering chambres d'hôtes (roughly, bed and breakfast)
- 19 museums
- 92 screens in local movie theaters
- 16 theaters
- 10 golf courses
- 650 km of waterways
- 8 lakes reserved for tourists, including the Lac du Der-Chantecoq, the largest man-made lake in Europe
The region contains some magnificent forests and lakes where you can enjoy walks and water sports.
See also
External links
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