PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE-D'AZUR INFORMATION
PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE-D'AZUR Topography
The region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is located in the south-eastern part of France. It is bounded by the Region of Rhône-Alpes to the north, Departments of Savoie, to the north, Isère and Drôme, to the northwest, and Gard, to the west. The Region of Languedoc-Roussillon to the west. The western boarder of the region consists of the plains of Comtat, Crau, and Camargue. They are drained by the Rhone river. This river constitutes the official western bounds of the region. Its departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, and Alpes-Maritimes border the Mediterranean Sea to the south. To the east of the départements of Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes is Italy. These departments are dominated by the Alpes. The region abounds with flower fields, vineyards, orchards and olive and mulberry groves.
The capital of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is Marseille. The other principal cities are Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Cannes, Nice and Toulon. The cities of Marseille and Toulon are located along the western coast of the region. To the east, the area from Cannes to the Italian boarder, is known as the French Riviera.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) (Provençal Occitan: Provença-Aups-Còsta d'Azur in classical norm or Prouvènço-Aup-Costo d'Azur in Mistralian norm) is one of the 26 regions of France.
the former French province of Provence
the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin
the former Sardinian-Piedmontese county of Nice, whose coastline is known in English as the French Riviera, and in French as the Côte d'Azur
the southeastern part of the former French province of Dauphiné, in the French Alps.
It encompasses six departments in south-eastern France, bounded to the east by the Italian border, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea and by the principality of Monaco, to the north by Rhône-Alpes, and to the west by Languedoc-Roussillon, with the Rhône river marking its westernmost border.
PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE-D'AZUR Climate
The climate of Provence is typically Mediterranean, warm and dry. However, the legendary Mistral is a strong, cold wind from the north that occurs mostly in the winter and spring. The higher regions of Provence get snow in winter. Temperatures can be as high as 44 degrees Celsius.
The climate in Provence results from the combination of three factors, high annual daylight hours, limited snow and rain etc., in the winter the Mistral drives out the clouds after short but intense downpours, and significantly dry annual weather.
It rains only 30 to 50 days in the plain, but more in the Alps (it rains more than 70 days in London by comparison). The annual average temperature on the coast is 15.1 degrees C in Marseilles to 17.3 degrees C in Menton, (compaired to 16.5 degrees C in Barcelona, 18 degrees C in Tunis, and 10.2 degrees C in London). During the coldest month, the temperature in the day is from 11 degrees C to 14.8 degrees C on the coast (8 degrees C in London).
PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE-D'AZUR Demography
Four and a half million people live in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur i.e. 7.7% of the population of metropolitan France. The region is the third most populated of France. The population density among the six départements of the region varies from 20 inhabitants/km2 in the département Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to 360 inhabitants/km2 in the département Bouches-du-Rhône.
The population and the economic activity of the region are concentrated around to two urban areas: in the west, around the urban areas of Avignon, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence and Toulon, and in the east along the coast of the Cote d'Azur. There is a big difference between these two areas and the rest of the territory of the region, which has a low population density, is alpine and is endowed with a great variety of protected natural areas.
The three biggest conurbations are in terms of population are Marseille-Aix-en-Provence (30%), Nice (20%) and Toulon (12%).
PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE-D'AZUR Economy
The region logo displays the coat of arms created in the 1990s and which combines the coats of arms of the old provinces making up Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
Economically the region is the third most important in France just behind Île-de-France and Rhône-Alpes. Its GDP in 2006 was € 130,178 million ($US 163,600 million) and per capita GDP was € 27,095 ($US 34,051).
PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE-D'AZUR The Gulf of Lion
The Gulf of Lion (French: golfe du Lion, Spanish: golfo de León, Occitan: golf del/dau Leon, Catalan: golf del Lleó, Medieval Latin: sinus Leonis, mare Leonis, Classical Latin: sinus Gallicus) is a wide embayment of the Mediterranean coastline of Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence in France, reaching from the border with Catalonia in the west to Toulon.
The chief port on the gulf is Marseille. Toulon is another important port. The fishing industry in the gulf is based on hake (Merluccius merluccius), being bottom-trawled, long-lined and gill-netted and currently declining from over-fishing.
The continental shelf is exposed here as a wide coastal plain, and the offshore terrain slopes rapidly to the Mediterranean's abyssal plain. Much of the coastline is composed of lagoons and salt marsh.
This is the area of the famous cold, blustery catabatic wind called the Mistral.
PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE-D'AZUR Main cities
Aix-en-Provence, Antibes, Arles, Aubagne, Avignon, Cannes, Draguignan, Fréjus, Grasse, Hyères, La-Seyne-sur-Mer, Le Cannet, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Marseille, Mougins, Martigues, Nice, Saint-Tropez, Toulon, Villeneuve-Loubet
PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE-D'AZUR Wine
PROVENCE-ALPES-COTE-D'AZUR HOLIDAY RENTALS in Region of FRANCE
MORE THAN 10.000 B&B in all France
MORE THAN 10.000 Gîtes in all France
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