Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

I

Introduction

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, administrative region, south-eastern France. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, with Italy to the east, and the French regions of Rhône-Alpes and Languedoc-Roussillon to the north and west respectively. The region is divided into six departments: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, and Vaucluse. The small coastal principality of Monaco lies in the east enclosed by the department of Alpes-Maritimes. Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur has a total land area of 31,400 sq km (12,124 sq mi).

II

Physical Geography

The region is a limestone upland with river plains in the south-west. Among the important rivers of the region are the Durance, Argens, Verdon, and Var. The Rhône empties into the Mediterranean in the western corner of the region at the Camargue. The Camargue is a large, wild, marshy wetland, which provides sanctuary for much wildlife, particularly birds and Camargue horses. Further to the east, along the coast from Marseille to Cassis, are the Calanques, deep, narrow inlets with jagged, white limestone cliffs. Inland to the north, around Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, is the Lubéron, an area of lush valleys and medieval mountain villages. To the east is the Verdon Gorge, where the River Verdon has cut deep gorges through the limestone hills in the foothills of the Alps. The French Riviera, or Côte d’Azur, is world-famous for its holiday resorts, beaches, and glamour. The east of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is dominated by the Alps.

The climate of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is warm, dry, and subtropical, but it is well known for the mistral, a brisk dry wind that blows southwards from the Alps in winter and spring.

III

Population

Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur has 4,818,000 inhabitants (2007 estimate), with a population density of 149 people per sq km (386 per sq mi). The region’s population is concentrated on the coast and along the River Rhône; less than 20 per cent live in rural areas. The principal city of the region is the seaport of Marseille (population, 2005 estimate, 820,900) in the south-west. Other notable towns include Nice (2005 estimate, 347,900); Toulon (2005 estimate, 166,800); Aix-en-Provence (2005 estimate, 139,800); Avignon (2005 estimate, 90,800); Antibes (2005 estimate, 72,500); Cannes (2005 estimate, 70,200); Arles (2005 estimate, 52,600); Grasse (2005 estimate, 48,200); Menton (1999, 28,812); Orange (2005 estimate, 28,800); and Saint-Tropez (1999, 5,444).

The inhabitants of Provence preserve a distinct regional character as well as their own language, known as Provençal or Occitan. Although French is the official language of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, the Provençal language is spoken by around 250,000 people in south-eastern France. There is an active revival movement to promote and preserve Provençal literature, heritage, and culture, and in 1993 the French government instructed state schools to start teaching Provençal language. Higher education courses are available at a number of institutions throughout the region, including the University of Provence (Aix-Marseille I, 1970) and the University of the Mediterranean (Aix-Marseille II, 1970), both in Marseille; Paul Cézanne University (Aix-Marseille III, 1970), in Aix-en-Provence; the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965), in Nice; and the University of the South Toulon-Var (1970), in La Garde. Roman remains in the cities of Arles and Orange were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981, while the historic centre of Avignon was granted World Heritage status in 1995.

IV

Economy

Tourism is the most important contributor to the region’s economy, but there is a perfume industry (see Perfumery) focused around the town of Grasse. Vines and olives grow well as do nuts, figs, citrus, palms, wheat, flowers (such as roses, jasmine, and violets), and herbs (such as thyme, lavender, and rosemary). There is also mining, primarily bauxite and salt, and forestry and agriculture (mainly sheep farming and goat rearing).