Bouches-du-Rhône

Bouches-du-Rhône (/buːʃ djuː roʊn/, French: [buʃ dy ʁon], locally [ˈbuʃə dy ˈʁonə]; Occitan: Bocas de Ròse, pronounced [ˈbukɔz de ˈʀɔze]; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and largest city is Marseille; other important cities include Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Martigues and Aubagne.

Bouches-du-Rhône
Bocas de Ròse  (Occitan)
Department of France
From top down, left to right: Marseille, the department's prefecture, Les Baux-de-Provence, one of the most beautiful villages in France, Cassis on the Mediterranean coast and the Arles Amphitheatre
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Bouches-du-Rhône in France
Coordinates: 43°30′N 5°5′E
CountryFrance
RegionProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
PrefectureMarseille
SubprefecturesAix-en-Provence
Arles
Istres
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilMartine Vassal (LR)
Area
1
 • Total5,087 km2 (1,964 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2019)[1]
 • Total2,043,110
 • Rank3rd
 • Density400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number13
Arrondissements4
Cantons29
Communes119
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km².

Marseille, France's second-largest city, has one of the largest container ports in the country. It prizes itself as France's oldest city, founded by Greek settlers from Phocaea around 600 BC.[2] Bouches-du-Rhône is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, with 2,019,717 inhabitants as of 2016. It has an area of 5,087 km2 (1,964 sq mi). Its INSEE and postal code is 13.

History
Marseille, second-largest city of France and Bouches-du-Rhône's prefecture

The history of the area is closely linked to that of Provence. Marseille has been an important harbour since before Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul. The Roman presence left numerous monuments across the department. Notable people born in the area include Romantic painter Camille Roqueplan and his brother, journalist and theatre director Nestor Roqueplan.

Bouches-du-Rhône is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the western part of the former province of Provence and the principalities of Orange, Martigues and Lambesc. It lost part of its territory in 1793, including Orange and Apt, when the Vaucluse department was created.

Following its creation, the department strongly supported the French Revolution, containing 90 Jacobin Clubs by 1794.[3] It was also noteworthy that more than 50% of the priests in the department accepted the Civil Constitution of the Clergy which in effect subordinated the church to the government.[4] During the ascendancy of the French Communist Party in the twentieth century, election results showed that support for left-wing politics remained relatively strong there, especially in the northern suburbs of Marseille.

Geography

Natural regions
TER PACA near Le Rove, on the Mediterranean coast

The department is part of the current region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It is surrounded by the departments of Gard on the west, Vaucluse on the north, and Var on the east, and by the Mediterranean Sea on the south. The Rhône river delta forms a vast swampy wetlands area called the Camargue in the southwestern part of the department.

Bouches-du-Rhône is bordered by the Rhône to the west and the Durance to the north. The Rhône divides into the Grand Rhône and Petit Rhône south of Arles; the area between forms the Camargue, a large wetland. The principal mountains of the department are the Sainte-Baume massif (1,042 metres – 3,418 feet), Mont Sainte-Victoire (1,011 metres – 3,316 feet), the Garlaban massif and Alpilles massif.

Seismic activity
Seismic risk in the department

The department of Bouches-du-Rhône is also known for its seismic activity: the zone II ("average seismic activity") townships of Lambesc Peyrolles-en-Provence and Salon-de-Provence are the most exposed.

Areas Ib ("low seismic activity") including the cantons of Aix-en-Provence, Trets Eyguières, Orgon, Berre-Pond, Istres, Istres-North and South, and Ia areas ("very low seismic activity") including the other cantons in the district of Aix-en-Provence, Arles-East, Châteaurenard, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Marignane, Martigues-East and Roquevaire-West, are least exposed. Zone 0 ("negligible seismic activity") includes the rest of the department.

Climate

The department has a Mediterranean climate, with contrasting temperatures within a range of 15 degrees. Precipitation is irregular, with only 65 days per year where rain falls in excess of 1 mm. However it falls in sudden downpours, with an average of 500–700 millimetres (20–28 inches) annually. This mainly happens in the spring and autumn; summer is very hot, winter mild. Violent winds are common, especially the famed mistral, which blows 100 days per year with a maximum of 100 km/h (62 mph). The coast is drier, especially along the Côte Bleue, the Calanques and the bay of La Ciotat, which include some of the driest areas in France, with only 450 mm (18 in) of rain per year. Higher areas receive more precipitation and lower temperatures. The Arc region in the interior is much colder than other areas, with heavy frosts in winter.

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1801285,012—    
1806292,903+0.55%
1821313,614+0.46%
1831359,473+1.37%
1841375,003+0.42%
1851428,989+1.35%
1861507,112+1.69%
1872554,911+0.82%
1881589,028+0.67%
1891630,622+0.68%
1901734,347+1.53%
1911805,755+0.93%
1921841,996+0.44%
19311,101,672+2.72%
19361,224,802+2.14%
1946971,935−2.29%
19541,048,762+0.96%
19621,248,555+2.20%
19681,470,271+2.76%
19751,632,974+1.51%
19821,724,199+0.78%
19901,759,371+0.25%
19991,835,719+0.47%
20162,019,717+0.56%
source:[5]

Cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants
  • Marseille, population 853,000 (2 million in the urban area that includes the following cities) is the departmental and regional capital (prefecture)
  • Aix-en-Provence, population 142,743, subprefecture, a university town and seat of the regional Court of Appeals
  • Arles, population 52,729, sous-préfecture and site of an ancient Roman city
  • Martigues, population 46,471, the leading city for the European petrochemical industry
  • Aubagne, population 46,093, birthplace of Provençal author Marcel Pagnol
  • Istres, population 42,603, sous-préfecture and home to a military airbase
  • Salon-de-Provence, population 41,411, the home city of 16th-century soothsayer Nostradamus
  • Vitrolles, population 36,610
  • Marignane, population 33,909, site of Marseille Provence Airport
  • La Ciotat, population 33,790
  • Miramas, population 25,632, regional railway hub
  • Gardanne, population 21,121
  • Les Pennes-Mirabeau, population 20,187

Cities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants
  • Arles
  • Martigues
  • Istres
  • Salon-de-Provence
  • La Ciotat

Politics

History
The cantons of Bouches-du-Rhône

Since Bouches-du-Rhône is one of the most populous and diverse departments of France, it has long been the scene of particularly fierce political battles. The development of the Marseille-Fos Port, the relationship maintained between France and its colonial empire, the industry around coal mining in Provence, as well as significant immigration, especially coming from Italy, from the end the 19th century and during the period between the two world wars are all factors that led to the emergence of a large and militant working class. From the late 19th century, the socialist movement gained influence, such as in 1881 by the election of the country's first socialist MP, Clovis Hugues. Rural areas, particularly in the region of Aix-en-Provence, have tended to favour the influence of right-wing parties, including monarchists and Catholics at the beginning of the French Third Republic. The interwar period and the time of the Popular Front marked the beginning of the dominance of the left in the department, first with the election of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO).

Map of the communes of Bouches-du-Rhône and the political majority of their municipal council after the 2014 municipal elections. Grey signifies no political majority.
  PCF
  PS
  Left-wing independents
  UDI
  LR
  Right-wing independents

After the Second World War, the Marseillais right, linked to the underworld and who collaborated with the German occupation, was widely discredited. The left largely dominated the Liberation and Marseille even saw the election in 1945 of Communist Mayor Jean Cristofol. In 1947 the SFIO led an alliance with right and centre parties against the Communists, resulting in the election of Gaston Defferre as Mayor of Marseille. The dominance of socialism was, however, challenged by deindustrialisation. The conservative success in 1995 by Jean-Claude Gaudin in Marseille is a symbol of widespread political shifts while even the communists bastions of La Ciotat and Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône voted for the right. The 1990s saw the rise of the National Front, including its victories in the municipal elections of Marignane and Vitrolles. The President of the Departmental Council is Martine Vassal of The Republicans party since 2015, after former Socialist President Jean-Noël Guérini was voted out of office and faces corruption charges.

In the 2022 French presidential election, Marine Le Pen of the National Rally (formerly National Front) won a majority in Bouches-du-Rhône in the first round; incumbent Emmanuel Macron of La République En Marche! won a majority in the second round.

Members of the National Assembly

Bouches-du-Rhône elected the following members of the National Assembly during the 2017 legislative election:

ConstituencyMember[6]Party
Bouches-du-Rhône's 1st constituency Valérie Boyer The Republicans
Bouches-du-Rhône's 2nd constituency Claire Pitollat La République En Marche!
Bouches-du-Rhône's 3rd constituency Alexandra Louis La République En Marche!
Bouches-du-Rhône's 4th constituency Jean-Luc Mélenchon La France insoumise
Bouches-du-Rhône's 5th constituency Cathy Racon-Bouzon La République En Marche!
Bouches-du-Rhône's 6th constituency Guy Teissier The Republicans
Bouches-du-Rhône's 7th constituency Saïd Ahamada La République En Marche!
Bouches-du-Rhône's 8th constituency Jean-Marc Zulesi La République En Marche!
Bouches-du-Rhône's 9th constituency Bernard Deflesselles The Republicans
Bouches-du-Rhône's 10th constituency François-Michel Lambert La République En Marche!
Bouches-du-Rhône's 11th constituency Mohamed Laqhila MoDem
Bouches-du-Rhône's 12th constituency Éric Diard The Republicans
Bouches-du-Rhône's 13th constituency Pierre Dharréville French Communist Party
Bouches-du-Rhône's 14th constituency Anne-Laurence Petel La République En Marche!
Bouches-du-Rhône's 15th constituency Bernard Reynès The Republicans
Bouches-du-Rhône's 16th constituency Monica Michel La République En Marche!

Departmental Council of Bouches-du-Rhône
Martine Vassal, current President of the Departmental Council
Main article: Departmental Council of Bouches-du-Rhône

Below is a list of seats won by the department's different parties after the 2015 departmental elections.

PartySeats in the Departmental Council
• The Republicans (LR)25
Socialist Party (PS)15
• Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI)7
French Communist Party (PCF)5
Europe Ecology – The Greens (EELV)2
La Force du 132
National Front (FN) and France Arise (DLF)2

Culture
Paul Cézanne's Mont Sainte-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley

The department is well represented in French art. Paul Cézanne painted numerous representations of the Mont Sainte-Victoire. Vincent van Gogh spent two years in Arles, painting many scenes in the area. The department's main museums include the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations, the Musée de la Faïence de Marseille and the Marseille History Museum.

Tourism

Main sights

Major sites of tourism include:

Natural landmarks

Rivers include:

  • The Rhône, which forms the border with the department of Gard
  • The Durance, which forms the border with the department of Vaucluse
  • The Arc
  • The Huveaune

Lakes include:

Mountains include:

See also

Sources
  1. "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2019". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2020.
  2. Vella, Alexandre (7 February 2022). "« Marseille est la plus vieille ville de France, mais il n’y a rien à voir »… Mais où sont les vestiges archéologiques ?", 20-minutes.fr (in French).
  3. Albert Ceccarelli, La Révolution à l’Isle sur la Sorgue et en Vaucluse, Éditions Scriba, 1989, 2-86736-018-8, p. 27.
  4. Albert Ceccarelli, La Révolution..., p. 30.
  5. Site sur la Population et les Limites Administratives de la France
  6. http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/

Bouches-du-Rhone at Curlie

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