- Savoie
Infobox_Department_of_France
department=Savoie
number=73
region=Rhône-Alpes
prefecture=Chambéry
subprefectures=Albertville Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
population=373,258|pop_date=1999|pop_rank=61st|density=62
area=6028|area_scale=9
arrond=3|cantons=37|communes=305
president=Jean-Pierre Vial |pres_party=UMP
img_coa=Blason73.svgSavoie (
Arpitan : "Savouè d’Avâl") is a French department located in theRhône-Alpes ("Rôno-Arpes") region in the FrenchAlps .It is one of the two departments of the region of
Savoy that was annexed by France onMarch 24 ,1860 , the other beingHaute-Savoie . For history before 1860, details of the annexation and reasons for the current separatist movement in the departments, seeSavoy .History
It is widely accepted that Savoie takes its name from the
Latin "Sapaudia" or "Sabaudia", meaning land covered infir trees.Savoie was long part of the states of
Savoy , though it was occupied many times byFrance starting in the 16th century. It was integrated into theMont-Blanc department from 1792 to 1815 (and partially into theLéman department from 1798 to 1814), later being annexed by France in 1860. The formerDuchy of Savoy became the two departments of Savoie andHaute-Savoie .Moûtiers , capital of the formerprovince of Tarentaise Valley (French: "Vallée de la Tarentaise") ceased to be thecounty seat after a law passed onSeptember 10 1926 .Savoie, along with
Albertville , hosted the1992 Winter Olympics , with ski events atTarentaise andBeaufortain .Geography
[
Relief map of
Savoy .] Savoie is part of theRhône-Alpes région. It borders the departments ofHaute-Savoie ,Ain ,Isère andHautes-Alpes in addition toItaly .Much of Savoie is covered by mountains:
*Bauges Massif
*Chartreuse Massif
*Vanoise Massif
*Beaufortain Massif The department is crossed by the
Isère river , which has its source in the Iseran pass. Its two main lakes areLake Bourget (the largest and deepest lake entirely in France) andLake Aiguebelette , one of the least polluted in France due to a 1976 law forbidding any use ofmotorboat s on the lake.Economy
According to the Chambéry chamber of commerce, close to 50% of the department's wealth comes from tourism. Each year, Savoie hosts over 30 million visitor-nights of tourists. Savoie also profits from its natural resources with particular strengths in ore processing and
hydroelectric power .Savoie had an exceptionally high export/import ratio of 214% in 2005. Its exports rose to €1.768 billion €825 million in imports. Its leading exports were
steel ,aluminum , and electric and electronic components.Agriculture
Savoie is famous for its cows, which produce numerous cheeses, some of them are:
*Beaufort
*SavoieGruyère
*Reblochon
*Tamié
*Tome des Bauges
*Tomme de Savoie Numerous wines are also grown in Savoie. The most famous are made of
Gamay ,Pinot Noir andMondeuse grapes. Fruit production is the third largest component of agriculture in Savoie.Demographics
Residents of Savoie are known as "Savoyards" though they can also be called "Savoisiens" (the historical name) or "Savoyens".
Main cities:
*Chambéry : pop. 55 786 (113 457 agglomeration, of which 10 912 are inLa Motte-Servolex )
*Aix-les-Bains : pop. 25 732(40 278 agglomeration)
*Albertville : pop. 17 340 (31 162 agglomeration)
*Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne : pop. 8 902 (9 846 agglomeration)The average population density is not a good indication of actual population density, as valleys tend to be quite densely populated, whereas the mountains tend to be near-completely uninhabited.
Religion
The Catholic Church in Savoie is divided into three
diocese s: Chambéry, Maurienne et Tarentaise. Together, they form anarchdiocese , in which thebishop of Chambéry is thearchbishop .Tourism
Tourism, which is quite important to Savoie, began to develop towards the end of the 19th century, mostly summer oriented. The increase in the popularity of
skiing in the 20th century made Savoie home to the largest number of ski hills in France, including many famous ones:
*Val-d'Isère
*Tignes
*Les Arcs
*La Plagne
*Courchevel
*Méribel
*Valmorel
*Les Menuires
*Val Thorens
*Les Saisies
*Savoie Grand Revard
*Bramans
*Bessans Hydrotherapy , practised in the region since antiquity, is also quite developed. There are four locations that are still active:
*Aix-les-Bains
*Challes-les-Eaux
*Brides-les-Bains
*La Léchère ee also
History
*
Savoy - Historical region
*House of Savoy - Ruling dynasty of Savoy from 1032 to 1860
*Duchy of Savoy - Rulers of Savoy region from 1416 to 1720
*Kingdom of Sardinia - 1720 to 1860.Language
*
French language
*Arpitan language Places
*
Communes of the Savoie department
*Arrondissements of the Savoie department
*Cantons of the Savoie department
*Chambéry - Capital
*Aix-les-Bains
*Lac du Bourget The largest lake in France.Wine
*
French wine - AOC wine of Savoie
*Savoy wine or Wine of Savoie AllobrogieExternal links
* [http://www.cg73.fr General Council website]
* [http://www.savoie.pref.gouv.fr/ Prefecture website]
* [http://www.france-voyage.com/travel-guide/savoie.htm Savoy Tourism Guide]
* [http://www.tourism.savoiehautesavoie.com/ Regional Tourism Agency]
* [http://www.supphoto.com/album-gallery/savoy/ Gallery Photos and pictures of Savoie]
* [http://tip2trip.com/france/chindrieux/savoie-mountains/ Photos of Savoie mountains]
* [http://www.welcomeannecy.com Tourist regional guide / Photos / Hotels / Sport Activities]
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