Editing Drôme

{{short description|Department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France}}
{{Redirect-distinguish-for|Drome|Drone|the 1952 novel by John Martin Leahy|Drome (novel)|the locality in Western Australia|Drome, Western Australia}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Drôme
| native_name             = {{native name|oc|Droma}}<br>{{native name|frp|Drôma}}
| native_name_lang        = fr<!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| type                    = [[Departments of France|Department of France]]
| image_skyline           = {{Photomontage|position=center
   | photo3a = Montagne de Glandasse.jpg
   | photo2a = La ville de crest.jpg
   | photo1a = Buis-les-Baronnies Vue d'ensemble 31.JPG
   | photo2b = Valence-Pendentif-Cathedrale.jpg
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| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = Clockwise from top: a view of [[Buis-les-Baronnies]], [[Valence Cathedral]], lavender fields in the [[Vercors Massif]], [[Crest, Drôme|Crest]]
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| map_caption             = Location of Drôme in France
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| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = [[France]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Regions of France|Region]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]]
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 
| founder                 = 
| seat_type               = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]]
| seat                    = [[Valence, Drôme|Valence]]
| parts_type              = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefectures]]
| parts_style             = para
| p1                      = [[Die, Drôme|Die]]<br>[[Nyons]]
| government_footnotes    = 
| leader_party            = [[The Republicans (France)|LR]]
| leader_title            = [[List of presidents of departmental councils (France)|President of the Departmental Council]]
| leader_name             = Marie-Pierre Mouton<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/601ef073-d986-4582-8e1a-ed14dc857fba|website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=4 May 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
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| area_total_km2          = 6530
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| population_footnotes    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes2}}
| population_rank         = [[List of French departments by population|52nd]]
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| blank_name_sec1         = [[Departments of France|Department number]]
| blank_info_sec1         = 26
| blank_name_sec2         = [[Arrondissements of France|Arrondissements]]
| blank_info_sec2         = [[Arrondissements of the Drôme department|3]]
| blank1_name_sec2        = [[Cantons in France|Cantons]]
| blank1_info_sec2        = [[Cantons of the Drôme department|19]]
| blank2_name_sec2        = [[Communes in France|Communes]]
| blank2_info_sec2        = [[Communes of the Drôme department|363]]
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| footnotes               = {{note|area|1}} French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km<sup>2</sup>
}}

'''Drôme''' ({{IPA|fr|dʁom|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-GrandCelinien-Drôme.wav}}; [[Occitan language|Occitan]]: ''Droma''; [[Franco-Provençal language|Arpitan]]: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost [[Departments of France|department]] in the [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]] [[Regions of France|region]] of Southeastern [[France]]. Named after the river [[Drôme (river)|Drôme]], it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.<ref name=pop2019>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep26.pdf Populations légales 2019: 26 Drôme], INSEE</ref> Drôme's [[Prefectures in France|prefecture]] is [[Valence, Drôme|Valence]].

== History ==
[[Saint-Vallier, Drôme|Saint-Vallier]] in Drôme was the birthplace of one of France's most famous courtesans, the noble-born [[Diane de Poitiers]] (1499–1566), long-term mistress of [[Henry II of France|King Henri II]] (1519–1559).

The French [[National Constituent Assembly (France)|National Constituent Assembly]] set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of [[France]] on March 4, 1790, during the [[French Revolution]]. The territory formed part of the former [[province of France|French province]] of [[Dauphiné]]. The original Drôme department contained the exclave of [[Principality of Orange|Orange]], which was also part of the former province of Dauphiné. In 1792, following the annexation of [[Comtat Venaissin]], Drôme acquired the newly created district of Carpentras while Orange was ceded to [[Bouches du Rhône]]. In 1793, the district of Carpentras was ceded to the newly formed department of [[Vaucluse]], giving the Drôme its modern-day borders.

==Geography==
Drôme lies within the [[regions of France|region]] of [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]]. Drôme is bordered by [[Ardèche]] to the west, [[Isère]] to the north and east, [[Hautes-Alpes]] to the east, [[Alpes-de-Haute-Provence]] to the southeast and [[Vaucluse]] to the south. The northwestern tip of the department is only 3 miles (5&nbsp;km) from the [[Loire (department)|Loire]] border.

The boundaries of the department have changed several times with the incorporation of the [[Comtat Venaissin]] in 1792 and the creation of the Vaucluse department in 1793. Drôme surrounds an exclave of the Vaucluse department, the [[Canton of Valréas]] ([[Enclave des Papes]]).

The commune of [[Montfroc]] forms a small [[Salient (geography)|salient]] which was surrounded by the department of [[Alpes-de-Haute-Provence]], which is similar to the small salients of [[Newmarket, Suffolk|Newmarket]] in [[Suffolk]], [[Dieveniškės]] in [[Lithuania]], [[Bogatynia]] in [[Poland]], [[West Bengal]] and [[Sikkim]] in [[India]], and the [[Wakhan Corridor]] in [[Afghanistan]]. It also the pene-exclave of the department.

The department contains 363 communes. The smallest commune in France, [[Rochefourchat]], with a population only of one person, is in Drôme.<ref name=pop2019/>

===Climate===
{{unreferenced section|date=July 2016}}
The Drôme department is in a zone of transition between the oceanic climate of [[Lyon]], the [[continental climate]] to the north and the Mediterranean climate of [[Provence]] to the south. In the [[Rhône|Rhône valley]], the meeting of the mild humid southern Mediterranean air masses with the colder northern air mass sometimes causes particularly violent thunderstorms and snowstorms.

In the northern hills near [[Tain-l'Hermitage]] (15&nbsp;km north of [[Valence (Drôme)|Valence]]), the climate is a mixture of oceanic and semi-continental climates. Rainfall occurs throughout the year with the most falling in spring and autumn. The summers are moderated by storms and the [[Mistral (wind)|mistral]] does not blow hard. Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse has a moderate temperature of 3&nbsp;°C in January and 21&nbsp;°C in July due to the Lyonnic climate, where more precipitation falls in summer than winter.

The influence of the mountains is evident in the east. In the [[Vercors Plateau]], the [[mountain climate]] is wet due to the oceanic influences from the north. The average annual temperature at Lus la Croix Haute at altitude 1061m is 7.3&nbsp;°C and the annual rainfall is {{Convert|1051|mm|abbr=on}}. The [[Diois]] (southern Vercors) and the [[Baronnies]] are dry regions due to the Mediterranean climate. The mistral is less influential here and this region has minimal rainfall. The lowest temperatures in January at Nyons is 0.3&nbsp;°C but 1.4&nbsp;°C at Pierrelatte.

The Valence plane is a transition zone between the Mediterranean influence and the northern cold climate. Summers are warmer than in the northern regions, and the increase in sunlight and heat is evident upon the appearance of Mediterranean vegetation in the region. The temperatures are moderate between Lyon and Montélimar. Valence's average temperature in January is 3.8&nbsp;°C and 22&nbsp;°C in July. The [[Mistral (wind)|mistral]] here blows harder.

From Montélimar, the climate can be considered to be that of a Mediterranean climate. Near the highway, the change of vegetation is particularly visible near the stream at [[Donzère]], particularly due to the change of the [[soil profile]]. The most southern part of the department clearly exhibits a Méso-Mediterranean climate with the reinforcement of the [[Mistral (wind)|mistral]] and a hotter summer due to the rarity of storms. Most rainfall occurs in autumn and the winters are milder than the rest of the Drôme. [[Pierrelatte]] has an average temperature of 5&nbsp;°C in January and 23&nbsp;°C in July.

==Demographics==
The inhabitants of the department are called ''Drômois''.
{{historical populations|cols=2|align=none|percentages=pagr|footnote=Sources:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://splaf.free.fr/26his.html|title=Historique de la Drôme|website=Le SPLAF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4176909?geo=DEP-26|title=Évolution et structure de la population en 2016|publisher=INSEE}}</ref>|graph-pos=bottom
|11=1791|12=246,687|13=1801|14=235,357|15=1806|16=253,502|17=1821|18=273,511|19=1831|20=299,556|21=1841|22=311,551|23=1851|24=326,846|25=1861|26=326,684|27=1872|28=320,417|29=1881|30=313,763|31=1891|32=306,419|33=1901|34=297,321|35=1911|36=290,894|37=1921|38=263,509|39=1931|40=267,080|41=1936|42=267,281|43=1946|44=268,233|45=1954|46=275,280|47=1962|48=304,227|49=1968|50=342,891|51=1975|52=361,847|53=1982|54=389,781|55=1990|56=414,072|57=1999|58=437,778|59=2006|60=468,367|61=2011|62=487,993|63=2016|64=508,006}}

===Principal towns===

The most populous commune, home to about 1/8 of the department's population, is [[Valence, Drôme|Valence]], the prefecture. As of 2019, there are six communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:<ref name=pop2019/>

{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2019)
|-
| [[Valence, Drôme|Valence]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 64,749
|-
| [[Montélimar]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 39,818
|-
| [[Romans-sur-Isère]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 33,098
|-
| [[Bourg-lès-Valence]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 19,792
|-
| [[Pierrelatte]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 13,510
|-
| [[Portes-lès-Valence]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 10,680
|}

==Economy==
Most of the economic activity of the Drôme department is located in the west of the [[department (France)|department]], along the [[Rhône valley]]. This area which contains most of the population of the department, also has accessible transportation, such as the [[A7 autoroute]] and the rail routes [[LGV Rhône-Alpes]] and [[LGV Méditerranée]]. Economic activity in [[Valence, Drôme|Valence]] was boosted by the creation of the [[Valence TGV station|Valence TGV]] line in 2001.

===Statistics===
*''Total employment (2004)'': 158 930 (about 10.6% is self-employed)
*''Unemployment rate (2006)'': 9.9%
*''Jobs per sector of activity (2005)''
**Agriculture: 6.0%
**Industry: 20.4%
**BTP: 6.8%
**Commerce: 15.0%
**Services: 51.8%
*''Qualification of Jobs (1999)''
**Farmers: 4.0%
**CEO: 7.8%
**Executives: 9.6%
**Technicians and associate professionals: 23.0%
**Employees: 27.2%
**Labourers: 28.5%
*''Average annual salary (2004)''
**CEO: €53 113 
**Executives: €39 265 
**Technicians and associate professionals: €22 927 
**Employees: €15 688 
**Labourers: €16 344 
**Apprentices and labourers : €7 498 

===Tourism===
*The Drôme benefits from an excellent image in the view of tourists. Attendance has grown steadily (+4% between 2006 and 2007), faster than the neighbouring departments of Ardèche and the Vaucluse (+1%).
*Number of overnight stays in 2022: 12.8 million<ref>{{Cite web |year=2023 |title=Chiffres clés tourisme et attractivité 2022 |url=https://www.ladrometourisme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/chiffres-cles-tourisme-et-attractivite-2022.pdf |access-date=November 9, 2023 |website=La Drôme Tourisme}}</ref>
*The [[Tourism Committee of the Drôme department]]'s website La Drôme, du Vercors à la Provence received over 44000 visits in 2007, along with a new TV station Drome.tv

===Main companies===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Main companies in 2002
! Rank
! Company
! Revenue
! Headquarters
! Activity
|-
| 1 || [[Imaje]]|| 231 Million Euros ||[[Bourg-lès-Valence]]|| Industrial plant
|-
| 2 || [[Alain Manoukian]] || 157 Million Euros ||[[Tain-l'Hermitage]]|| Moving company
|-
| 3  || [[Lafuma]] || 154 Million Euros ||[[Anneyron]]|| Hiking equipment
|-
| 4  || [[Crouzet Automations]] || 122 Million Euros ||[[Valence (Drôme)|Valence]]|| Automation systems
|-
| 5  || [[Spit (company)|Spit]] || 121 Million Euros ||[[Bourg-lès-Valence]]|| Metallic fixation systems
|}

==Politics==
The president of the Departmental Council is Marie-Pierre Mouton, elected in May 2017.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!colspan=2| Party || seats
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Socialist Party (France)}}" |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|[[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]] ||align="right"| 9
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|The Republicans (France)}}" |
|[[Les Republicains]] ||align="right"| 10
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|The Republicans (France)}}" |
|[[Union of Democrats and Independents]] ||align="right"| 8
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Miscellaneous Left}}" |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|[[Miscellaneous Left]] ||align="right"| 6
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Miscellaneous Right}}" |
|[[Miscellaneous Right]] ||align="right"| 4
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Democratic Movement (France)}}" |
|[[Democratic Movement (France)|MoDem]] ||align="right"| 0
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|The Greens (France)}}" |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|[[The Greens (France)|The Greens]] ||align="right"| 0
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Left Radical Party}}" |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|[[Left Radical Party]] ||align="right"| 1
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|French Communist Party}}" |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|[[French Communist Party]] ||align="right"| 0
|-
|}

===Current National Assembly Representatives===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/|title=Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français|first=Assemblée|last=Nationale|website=Assemblée nationale}}</ref>!!Party
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Renaissance (French political party)}}" |
| [[Drôme's 1st constituency]]
| [[Mireille Clapot]]
| [[Renaissance (French political party)|Renaissance]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|National Rally}}" |
| [[Drôme's 2nd constituency]]
| [[Lisette Pollet]]
|[[National Rally|RN]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Europe Ecology - The Greens}}" |
| [[Drôme's 3rd constituency]]
| [[Marie Pochon]]
|[[Europe Ecology – The Greens|EELV]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|The Republicans (France)}}" |
| [[Drôme's 4th constituency]]
| [[Emmanuelle Anthoine]]
| [[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]]
|}

==Tourism==

Sport activities in Drôme include:
* in winter: skiing, cross-country skiing,  snow-shoeing
* in summer: excursions, mountain biking in the mountainous area

The Drôme River is also a great place to practice canoëing and kayaking. In the spring the water flow allows for rafting. The Saoü Forest is known for its climbing paths.

<gallery>
File:Valence cathedrale 2003-12-10 047.jpg|[[Valence Cathedral]]
File:Dielavan.jpg|Lavender fields near [[Die, Drôme|Die]]
File:France Provence Grignan castle château.JPG|[[Grignan]] town and castle
File:P1130738 modified.jpg|[[Ferdinand Cheval]]'s palace
File:Vercors Glandasse.jpg|[[Vercors Plateau]]
File:Nougat de Montélimar - 20090704.jpg|[[Nougat]] from [[Montélimar]]
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Cantons of the Drôme department]]
*[[Communes of the Drôme department]]
*[[Arrondissements of the Drôme department]]
*[[Marie Louis Descorches]]
*[[Albert Severin Roche]], WW1 [[Legion of Honour]] recipient.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Drôme |volume=8 |short=x}}
* {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.drome.gouv.fr/ Prefecture website]
* {{in lang|fr}} [https://www.ladrome.fr/ Departement Council website]

{{Departments of France}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drome}}
[[Category:Drôme| ]]
[[Category:1790 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Departments of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]]
[[Category:Economy of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1790]]