Savoie

French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps

Savoie is a département in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France, bordering Italy.

Savoie
Prefecture building of the Savoie department, in Chambéry
Prefecture building of the Savoie department, in Chambéry
Flag of Savoie
Coat of arms
Location of Savoie in France
Location of Savoie in France
Coordinates: 45°35′N 6°20′E / 45.583°N 6.333°E / 45.583; 6.333
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Département1860
PrefectureChambéry
SubprefecturesAlbertville, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
Government
 • PresidentHervé Gaymard[1]
Area
 • Total6,028.3 km2 (2,327.5 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)[3]
 • Total426,924
 • Density71/km2 (180/sq mi)
DemonymSavoyards
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeFR-73
Arrondissements3
Cantons19
Communes285
Websitewww.savoie.fr

Before 1860, the territory of the modern Haute-Savoie and Savoie departments had been part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, as a Duchy, since 1713. Annexation of the region by France was made in 1860. In that year, the Emperor Napoléon III divided the territory in two departments: Savoie, to the south, with the city of Chambéry, and Haute-Savoie, to the north, with the city of Annecy.

History

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The department of Savoie was created in 1860 from the southern part of the Duchy of Sardinia with four arrondissements: Chambéry, Albertville, Moûtiers and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. The capital was Chambéry.[4]

On 10 September 1926, the arrondissement of Moûtiers was eliminated.[4]

During World War II, the department was occupied by fascist Italy from November 1942 to September 1943.

Geography

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The Savoie is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It has an area of 6,028.3 km2 (2,328 sq mi).[2]

The department borders with the Ain, Isère and Haute-Savoie departments in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, the Hautes-Alpes in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region and with Italy (Piedmont region).

Much of Savoie is covered by mountains; the highest mountain in the department is La Grande Casse (45°24′19″N 6°49′39″E / 45.40528°N 6.82750°E / 45.40528; 6.82750 (La Grande Casse)) in the Alps; it is 3,855 m (12,648 ft) high.[5]

The main rivers in the department are the Isère and its tributary Arch; both flow through the department from east to west. They are within the watershed of the Rhône river. The main lake in the department is the Lac du Bourget, the largest and deepest lake entirely in France.

Climate

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The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Chambéry is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Maritime Temperate climate) and of the subtype Cfb.

Administration

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Savoie is managed by the Departmental Council of Savoie in Chambéry. The department is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Savoie is a member of the UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization) and maintains relations with several other underrepresented and unrepresented nations.

Administrative divisions

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There are 3 arrondissements (districts), 19 cantons and 285 communes (municipalities) in Savoie.[6]

Arrondissements of the Savoie
INSEE
code
Arrondissement Capital Population[7]
(2014)
Area[8]
(km²)
Density
(Inh./km²)
Communes
731 Albertville Albertville 111,839 2,466.1 45.4 74
732 Chambéry Chambéry 271,647 1,586.1 171.3 155
733 Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne 43,438 1,976.0 22.0 56

The following is a list of the 19 cantons of the Savoie department (with their INSEE codes), following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:[9]

Demographics

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The inhabitants of Savoie are known, in French, as Savoyards (women: Savoyardes).[10]

Savoie had a population, in 2014, of 426,924,[3] for a population density of 70.8 inhabitants/km2. The arrondissement of Chambéry, with 271,647 inhabitants, is the arrondissement with more inhabitants.[7]

Evolution of the population in Haute-Savoie

The communes in the department with more inhabitants are:

City Population
(2014)[7]
Arrondissement
Chambéry 59,490 Chambéry
Aix-les-Bains 30,291 Chambéry
Albertville 18,950 Albertville
La Motte-Servolex 11,726 Chambéry
La Ravoire 8,032 Chambéry
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne 7,889 Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
Bourg-Saint-Maurice 7,204 Albertville
Ugine 7,019 Albertville
Cognin 6,027 Chambéry
Entrelacs 5,920 Chambéry
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References

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  1. "Le Président du Conseil départemental". Conseil départemental de la Savoie. Archived from the original on 19 July 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Département de la Savoie (73)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Populations légales 2014 des départements et des collectivités d'outre-mer" (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Historique de la Savoie". Le SPLAF (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  5. "La Grande Casse, France". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  6. "Département de la Savoie (73)" (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Régions, départements, arrondissements, cantons et communes" (PDF). Populations légales 2014 (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  8. "Département de la Savoie (73) et Arrondissements". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  9. "Décret n° 2014-272 du 27 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département de la Savoie" (in French). Légifrance.gouv.fr. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  10. "Habitants du départment: Savoie" (in French). habitants.fr. Retrieved 4 October 2017.

Other websites

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