Ardennes department

Ardennes
region	Grand Est
prefecture	Charleville-Mezieres
Sub-prefecture (s)	Rethel ; Sedan ; Vouziers
Residents	273,579 (Jan. 1, 2017)
Population density	52 inhabitants per km²
surface	5,229.86 km²
Arrondissements	4th
Community associations	8th
Cantons	19th
Communities	449
President of the ; Department Council	Benoît Huré ( UMP )
ISO-3166-2 code	FR-08
	; Location of the department of Ardennes in the ; region Grand Est

The Ardennes [ aʀˈdɛn ] department is the French department with the serial number 08. It is located in the north-east of the country in the Grand Est region , which has been formed from three former smaller regions since January 2016. The department was named after the low mountain range of the Ardennes .

geography

The department, traversed by the Ardennes Forest in its northern part, extends in a wedge shape on both banks of the Meuse into Belgium , bordering the Aisne department to the west, the Marne department to the south and the Meuse department to the east . In the south the country belongs to the undulating chalk plains of Champagne, in the middle to the Jurassic Argonne with more mountain character and in the north to the rough Devonian slate plateaus of the Ardennes, which are still richly wooded and in deep valleys of the navigable, winding Meuse, the Chiers and the Semoy are cut through. The Aisne and its tributary Aire flow in the southwest . The 105 km long Canal des Ardennes runs along the Aisne via Rethel and Attigny east to Semuy, then through the mountain gap of Chemin le Populeux to the Bar and along the same to the north into the Meuse.

The climate is temperate, but rougher than in the other provinces of France at the same latitude.

The Allée couverte de Giraumont (also Dolmen de la Ganguille) is a gallery tomb in Clavy-Warby, near Saint-Marcel .

history

The department was formed on March 4, 1790 from the northern areas of the province of Champagne ( Duchy of Rethel , County of Porcéan , Principality of Sedan and others).

From 1960 to 2015 it was part of the Champagne-Ardenne region , which in 2016 became part of the Grand Est region.

coat of arms

Description : Under a red shield head with three (2; 1) golden crests, a silver diagonal bar is accompanied by golden meanders on both sides in blue . A silver shield with a black boar lies on top .

Cities

The most populous municipalities in the Ardennes department are:

city	Population (2017)	Arrondissement
Charleville-Mezieres	46,428	Charleville-Mezieres
Sedan	16,428	Sedan
Rethel	7,592	Rethel
Givet	6,749	Charleville-Mezieres
Revin	6.239	Charleville-Mezieres
Nouzonville	5,836	Charleville-Mezieres
Bogny-sur-Meuse	5,100	Charleville-Mezieres

Administrative division

The Ardennes department is divided into 4 arrondissements , 19 cantons and 449 communes :

Communes and arrondissements in the Ardennes department

Arrondissement	Cantons	Communities	Residents January 1, 2017	Area km²	Density of population / km²	Code INSEE
Charleville-Mezieres	11	157	000000000157058.0000000000157.058	1,825.72	000000000000086.000000000086	081
Rethel	3	101	000000000037413.000000000037,413	1,199.72	000000000000031.000000000031	082
Sedan	5	73	000000000057356.000000000057,356	792.24	000000000000072.000000000072	083
Vouziers	2	118	000000000021752.000000000021,752	1,412.18	000000000000015.000000000015th	084
Ardennes department	19th	449	000000000273579.0000000000273,579	5,229.86	000000000000052.000000000052	08

See also:

economy

More than three fifths of the floor area is cultivated; the cultivation of grain is greater than the need, although agriculture is only practiced in the valleys, especially in that of the Aisne. Viticulture can only be found in the south. The cattle and sheep breeding, which itself supplies the neighboring departments, is very impressive. The extensive forests, which consist of oak, beech, ash, elm etc., still contain wolves and a lot of game. The rivers are rich in fish. The main food branches are also mining , metallurgical and manufacturing industries . This is particularly important on iron and slate, the iron industry employs numerous blast furnaces, sheet metal rolling mills, nail forges, machine and tool factories; then there are several copper smelters. The first place among the branches of industry in the department is cloth manufacture, which has its center in Sedan and employs around 17,000 workers in spinning, weaving and finishing. Other notable branches of industry are the production of clay pipes, glass, paper and sugar production, and brewing.