Haute-Savoie department

Haute-Savoie
region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
prefecture	Annecy
Sub-prefecture (s)	Bonneville ; Saint-Julien-en-Genevois ; Thonon-les-Bains
Residents	807.360 (Jan. 1, 2017)
Population density	184 inhabitants per km²
surface	4,387.32 km²
Arrondissements	4th
Community associations	21st
Cantons	17th
Communities	279
President of the ; Department Council	Christian Monteil
ISO-3166-2 code	FR-74
	; Location of the Haute-Savoie ; region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes

The Haute-Savoie department [ otsavwa ] ( German Haute Savoie and Haute-Savoie ) is the French department with the atomic number 74. It is in the east of the country in the region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and after the landscape Savoy named. The capital of the department is Annecy .

geography

Cranves-Sales , about twelve kilometers east of Geneva

The department is bordered by the Swiss canton of Geneva and Lake Geneva to the north, the Swiss canton of Valais and the Italian region of Aosta Valley to the east, the Savoie department to the south and the Ain department to the west .

In the partially high-alpine area of the department, in addition to Lake Geneva (French part, 190 km²), Lake Annecy , the Mont Blanc group in the southeast and the Chamonix valley are located . The most important rivers are the Rhone (border river in the west against the Ain department) and its tributaries Arve and Dranse .

coat of arms

Description: In blue, a silver tip that has just been inserted with the red shield and a continuous silver common cross for Savoy.

history

The Haute-Savoie has long been one of the poorest regions in France; Typical of the early 19th century were the children's chimney sweeps, who in Paris and other parts of France cruelly illustrated the poverty of the rural population in the region.

Savoy , annexed by France between 1792 and 1815 , was returned to the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont at the Congress of Vienna . Switzerland was granted the right to occupy the northern Savoy provinces of Chablais and Faucigny in the event of war to protect Swiss neutrality .

The department was formed on June 15, 1860 after the Savoy trade from the old provinces of Genevois , Chablais and Faucigny , which formerly belonged to the Duchy of Savoy and were annexed to France when the Italian part of the duchy was dissolved in the newly founded Kingdom of Italy .

From 1960 to 2015 it was part of the Rhône-Alpes region , which in 2016 became part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Administrative division

Communes and arrondissements in the Haute-Savoie department

The Haute-Savoie department is divided into four arrondissements :

Arrondissement	Cantons	Communities	Residents January 1, 2017	Area km²	Density of population / km²	Code INSEE
Annecy	7th	79	000000000284358.0000000000284,358	1,261.59	000000000000225.0000000000225	741
Bonneville	7th	60	000000000187266.0000000000187.266	1,558.17	000000000000120.0000000000120	742
Saint-Julien-en-Genevois	5	72	000000000188787.0000000000188,787	660.29	000000000000286.0000000000286	743
Thonon-les-Bains	3	68	000000000146949.0000000000146.949	907.27	000000000000162.0000000000162	744
Haute-Savoie department	17th	279	000000000807360.0000000000807.360	4,387.32	000000000000184.0000000000184	74

economy

Of the land, which is only partially productive, 13,216 hectares come from arable and garden land, 44,480 to artificial, 34,791 to natural meadows, 110,084 to woodlands , 8582 hectares to vineyards .

Ground products are: wheat and oats (around 1 million hl), potatoes, hemp, tobacco, fruit, especially chestnuts, wine (180,000 hl) and wood. The cattle breeding is quite extensive (133,239 head of cattle, 29,594 goats) and provides a lot of cheese. The main branch of industry is precision mechanics and long turning (décolletage) (mainly automotive, machine and watchmaking suppliers), otherwise spinning and weaving in cotton and silk, tannery, manufacture of paper, jewelery and watches. The most important companies are Somfy (drives and controls for roller shutters, sun protection and gates, turnover: € 996 million), Entremont (cheese, € 823 million), Provencia (supermarkets, € 744 million), Tefal (household and electrical appliances , € 543 million), Sopra (system integration, € 531 million), Stäubli (mechatronics, € 483 million), SNR Roulements (ball bearings, € 417 million) and Salomon (€ 391 million).

The manufacture still forms a large part of the department's industry today. The Arve valley (Vallée de l'Arve, Vallée Verte) plays a historical role in watchmaking and the supply of parts to Geneva . Long turning plays an important role here.

In addition to industry, tourism is particularly important in the ski areas of the French Alps. With Megève , Chamonix , Morzine-Avoriaz , Flaine and La Clusaz, there are outstanding ski areas with convenient transport links to Geneva.

In addition to its function as a transport hub, Geneva also influences the economy in Haute-Savoie. Around 30,000 cross-border commuters (Frontaliers) live in Haute-Savoie and work in Geneva. In addition, there are the functionaries of international organizations ( UN , WHO , ICRC , ...) who are based in Geneva.

With the conclusion of the bilateral agreement on the free movement of persons between Switzerland and the European Union , a further expansion of the influence of Geneva into the Haute-Savoie is to be expected.

In Evian-les-Bains , in the summer 2003, the 29th G8 summit took place, which is mineral water - source Evian .