Department Var

Var
region	Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur
prefecture	Toulon
Sub-prefecture (s)	Brignoles Draguignan
Residents	1,058,740 (Jan. 1, 2017)
Population density	177 inhabitants per km²
surface	5,972.46 km²
Arrondissements	3
Community associations	14th
Cantons	23
Communities	153
President of the Department Council	Marc Giraud
ISO-3166-2 code	FR-83
Location of the Var in the region d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Cote

The Var [ vaʀ ] is the French department with the atomic number 83. It is in the southeast of the country in the region Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur and is after the river Var named, which no longer belongs to the department, however, since 1859 .

geography

The department bordering on the east is Alpes-Maritimes , the Bouches-du-Rhône on the west . The northern border is the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department , and the Vaucluse department in the northwest over a length of a few hundred meters . The south of the department is formed by the Mediterranean coast with the western Côte d'Azur .

coat of arms

Description: In gold, a fallen blue tip with a golden lily . A red three-legged tournament collar is close to the head of the shield.

history

The department was created in 1790 from parts of the former county of Provence and originally extended to the river Var of the same name , after which the department is named. The nine districts of the department were Barjols , Brignoles , Draguignan , Fréjus , Grasse , Hyères , Saint-Maximin , Saint-Paul-de-Vence , Toulon .

The Var river basin has not been part of the department since 1859. In that year Italy ceded the County of Nice to France, among other things , whereupon the Arrondissement Grasse ( Antibes , Cannes , Grasse ) with the River Var was separated from the Département Var in order to re-establish the Département Alpes-Maritimes together with the County of Nice . The seat of the prefecture changed several times: 1790 Toulon , 1793 Grasse, 1795 Brignoles , 1797 Draguignan . Since 1974, Toulon is again the seat of the prefecture of the department.

population

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2016
Residents	469.557	555.926	626.093	708.331	815.449	898.441	985.099	1,055,821
Source: INSEE

Cities

Some of the bigger and better known places in the Var include:

• Brignoles
• Cogolin
• Draguignan
• Fréjus
• Hyeres
• Sanary-sur-Mer
• Saint-Raphaël
• Saint Tropez
• Toulon

Administrative division

Communes and arrondissements in the Var department

Arrondissement	Cantons	Communities	Residents January 1, 2017	Area km²	Density of population / km²	Code INSEE
Brignoles	6th	67	182.227	2,518.28	72	833
Draguignan	10	54	305,697	2,220.79	138	831
Toulon	13	32	570.816	1,233.39	463	832
Department Var	23	153	1,058,740	5,972.46	177	83

See also:

• List of communes in the Var department
• List of cantons in the Var department
• List of associations of municipalities in the Var department

Economy and Infrastructure

tourism

The main source of income, as in most of the departments on the Mediterranean coast, is tourism. The vineyards and wine cellars in Bandol , hikes in the Esterel , windsurfing and kite surfing on the Presqu'île de Giens as well as excursions to the islands of Porquerolles and Port-Cros are among the special attractions . The longest sandy beach in the region is the beach of Cavalaire-sur-Mer , the most famous is probably the Gulf of Saint-Tropez . In the Haute-Var, the north of the department, are the high-altitude Provencal villages of the Pays de Fayence ( Montauroux , Fayence , Callian , Seillans , Tourrettes , Saint-Paul-en-Forêt , Tanneron ) and the impressive nature of the Verdon Gorge and the Lac de Sainte-Croix .

Agriculture

In agricultural production, flowers, fruit, vegetables and wine are traditionally grown. About 800 km², that is 13% of the area, are used for agriculture. There are also around 10 km² in which horticulture is practiced. With an annual production of 500 million flowers, the Var department is the largest producer of cut flowers in France. Other important products are figs (80% of French production), olives (25% of French production) and honey . In the livestock sector, mainly sheep (50,000 animals) and goats (4,200 animals) are kept.

Almost half of the agricultural area is used for viticulture. The annual production is 150 million liters, with predominantly rosé wine being produced. A large part of the Côtes de Provence wine-growing region , which has had the status of an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) since 1977 , is located in the Var department. Embedded in the appellation is the Coteaux Varois en Provence wine-growing region , which has had its own AOC since 1993. The AOC Bandol in the southwest of the department has existed since 1941.

media

The local radio station France Bleu Provence broadcasts in the departments of Var and Bouches-du-Rhône.

Attractions

• Le Thoronet Abbey (Abbaye du Thoronet)
• The ancient city ​​of Olbia west of Hyères
• The Verdon Gorge on the border with the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department
• The Gaoutabry dolmen is located in La Londe-les-Maures above the Bay of Hyères .
• The La Briande dolmen is in Ramatuelle
• The Dolmen de la Brainée , Dolmen of Peygros and Dolmen of Riens are located near Mons.
• Saint Tropez

climate

The climate in the department is a distinctive, warm Mediterranean climate . Toulon is statistically the warmest and sunniest city in mainland France.

maritime climate data from Cap Camarat	J	F.	M.	A.	M.	J	J	A.	S.	O	N	D.
mean maximum temperature	12	13	14th	16	20th	23	27	27	24	20th	16	13
mean low temperature	6th	6th	8th	10	13	16	19th	19th	17th	14th	10	8th
Number of very sunny days	6th	5	6th	5	6th	7th	14th	11	9	8th	6th	6th
Number of days with an overcast sky	10	10	10	7th	6th	4th	1	2	5	8th	9	9
Number of rainy days	7th	7th	7th	6th	5	3	1	2	4th	7th	8th	7th
Rainfall in mm	82	85	75	50	40	24	17th	28	70	100	100	82
Water temperature near the coast	13	13	13	14th	16	19th	22nd	23	23	21st	17th	15th

Days per year with

• Rainfalls over 1 mm: 63
• Frost: 3 (mid-January)
• Snow: 1
• Thunderstorm: 8
• Hail: 1

As of 1991

On June 16, 2010, 350 liters of precipitation per square meter fell within a few hours at certain locations, as much as usual in several months. The heavy rains are called "épisodes cévenols" because this type of weather occurs frequently in the Cevennes . There was severe flooding around the city of Draguignan. The state of disaster was declared. In future, strict care should be taken to ensure that no more construction is carried out in floodplain areas.

Web links

• Départmentrat des Départements Var (French)
• Prefecture of the Var department (French)
• Official tourism website of the Var department
• Quinze jours après la crue de la Nartuby, back dans le Var. Le Monde, audiovisual, 3 July 2010.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Des élus de terrain. Les conseillers départementaux, accessed on March 31, 2017 (French). 
2. ↑ Bataille pour une prefecture. Institut national de l'audiovisuel, accessed on September 3, 2009 (French). 
3. ↑ Climate data from: Jean-Noël Darde, Plages et côtes de France, Éditions Balland, Paris 1991
4. ↑ Measurement station: ( Cap Camarat , Ramatuelle ), 600 meters from the sea
5. ↑ (dpa), FAZ, June 18, 2010, p. 6.
6. ↑ Marion Solletty: Inondations dans le Var: les raisons de la crue. Le Monde , June 17, 2010.
7. ↑ L'état de catastrophe naturelle décrétée mardi dans le Var. Le Monde, with Reuters, June 22, 2010.