Franche-Comté
Encyclopedia : F : FR : FRA : Franche-Comté
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| Capital | Besançon | ||||
| Ranked_list_of_French_regions#By_area>Land area¹ | 16,202 km² | ||||
| President of the regional council>Regional President | Raymond Forni (PS) (since 2004) | ||||
| Population - Jan.1, 2005 estimate - March 8, 1999 census - Density | (Ranked 20th) 1,143,000 1,117,059 71/km² (2005) | ||||
| Arrondissement in France>Arrondissements | 8 | ||||
| Canton in France>Cantons | 116 | ||||
| Commune in France>Communes | 1,786 | ||||
| Département in France>Départements | Doubs Haute-Saône Jura Territoire de Belfort | ||||
| 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 | |||||
Franche-Comté (the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy) is a région and a traditional province of eastern France. It is formed by the modern départements of Doubs, Jura, Haute-Saône and Territoire de Belfort.
The principal cities are Besançon (the historical and modern capital of the région), Belfort, and Montbéliard (Aire Urbaine Belfort-Montbéliard-Héricourt-Delle). Other important cities are Dole (capital before the region was conquered by Louis XIV in the late 17th century), Vesoul (capital of Haute-Saône), Arbois (the "wine capital" of the Jura), and Lons-le-Saunier (capital of Jura).
History
- Main article: County of Burgundy
The region's population fell by a fifth between the censuses of 1851 and 1946, reflecting low French natural growth and migration to more urbanised parts of the country. Most of the decline occurred in Haute-Saône and Jura, which remain among the country's more agriculture-dependent areas.
Culture
The regional language, Franc-Comtois is dialect of Langue d'Oïl spoken by a minority of people and is recognised as one of the Languages of France.As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the southern 2/3 of Jura and southern 1/3 of Doubs spoke a dialect of the Franco-Provençal language. It continued to be spoken in rural areas into the 20th century. Franco-Provençal also is recognized as one of the official Languages of France.
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