| 95th | Top wine-producing regions |
| Savoie | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
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| Administration | |
| Department number: | 73 |
| Region: | Rhône-Alpes |
| Prefecture: | Chambéry |
| Subprefectures: | Albertville Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne |
| Arrondissements: | 3 |
| Cantons: | 37 |
| Communes: | 305 |
| President of the General Council: | Jean-Pierre Vial UMP |
| Statistics | |
| Population | Ranked 61st |
| -1999 | 373,258 |
| Population density: | 62/km2 |
| Land area¹: | 6028 km2 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2. | |
Savoie (Arpitan : Savouè d’Avâl) is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes (Rôno-Arpes) region in the French Alps.
It is one of the two departments of the region of Savoy that was annexed by France on March 24, 1860 after the Treaty of Turin, the other being Haute-Savoie. For history before 1860, details of the annexation and reasons for the current separatist movement in the departments, see Savoy.
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It is widely accepted that Savoie takes its name from the Latin Sapaudia or Sabaudia, meaning land covered in fir trees.
Savoie was long part of the states of Savoy, though it was occupied many times by France starting in the 16th century. It was integrated into the Mont-Blanc department from 1792 to 1815 (and partially into the Léman department from 1798 to 1814), later being annexed by France in 1860. The former Duchy of Savoy became the two departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie.
Moûtiers, capital of the former province of Tarentaise Valley (French: Vallée de la Tarentaise) ceased to be the county seat after a law passed on September 10, 1926.
Savoie, along with Albertville, hosted the 1992 Winter Olympics, with ski events at Tarentaise and Beaufortain.
Savoie is part of the Rhône-Alpes région. It borders the departments of Haute-Savoie, Ain, Isère and Hautes-Alpes in addition to Italy.
Much of Savoie is covered by mountains:
The department is crossed by the Isère river, which has its source in the Iseran pass. Its two main lakes are Lake Bourget (the largest and deepest lake entirely in France) and Lake Aiguebelette, one of the least polluted in France due to a 1976 law forbidding any use of motorboats on the lake.
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.
Savoie is famous for its cows, which produce numerous cheeses, some of them are:
Numerous wines are also grown in Savoie. The most famous are made of Gamay, Pinot Noir and Mondeuse grapes. Fruit production is the third largest component of agriculture in Savoie.
Residents of Savoie are known as Savoyards though they can also be called Savoisiens (the historical name) or Savoyens.
Main cities:
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.
The Catholic Church in Savoie is divided into three dioceses: Chambéry, Maurienne et Tarentaise. Together, they form an archdiocese, in which the bishop of Chambéry is the archbishop.
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:
Hydrotherapy, practised in the region since antiquity, is also quite developed. There are four locations that are still active:
Coordinates: 45°35′N 6°20′E / 45.583°N 6.333°E
Savoie is in the Rhône-Alpes of France.
Chambéry Airport offers a multi-lingual travel service for tourists. Private taxis with drivers fluent in English, German and Spanish are available. For more information visit Taxis-Savoie.fr.
Savoie is best known as one of the best places in France for downhill skiing in the winter time. There are numerous resorts within short driving distance from Chambery Airport.
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SAVOIE, a frontier department of France, formed in 1860 of the old provinces of Haute Savoie, Savoie, the Tarentaise and the Maurienne, which constituted the southern portion of the duchy of Savoy. It is bounded N. by the department of Haute Savoie, E. and S.E. by Italy, S.W. by the department of the Hautes Alpes, and W. by those of the Isere and the Ain. Pop. (1901) 254,781; area 2224 sq. m. It is mainly made up of the basin of the Isere. The upper course of that river flows through the Tarentaise, receiving (right) the Arly and later (left) the Arc, which flows through the Maurienne, which is to a large extent traversed by the Mont Cenis railway: Probably the Isere formerly communicated with the Rhone past Chambery and the Lac du Bourget. The sources of the Isere and of the Arc are separated by the ridge of the Col du Mont Iseran (9085 ft.). The loftiest points in the department are the Grande Casse (12,668 ft.), the culminating summit of the Vanoise group, the Mont Pourri (12,428 ft.), the Pointe de Charbonel (12,336 ft.), the Aiguille de la Grande Sassiere (12,323 ft.), the Dent Parrachee (12,179 ft.), the Levanna (11,943 ft.) and the Aiguilles d'Arves. (11,529 ft.). A small portion of the department (including both shores of the Lac du Bourget) is in the part of the duchy of Savoy neutralized in 1815. It is divided into 4 arrondissements. (Chambery, the chief town, Albertville, Moutiers-Tarentaise, and St Jean de Maurienne), 29 cantons and 329 communes. It forms the dioceses of Chambery (an archbishopric), Moutiers and St Jean de Maurienne. The best place known to foreigners. is Aix les Bains, while other sulphur springs rise at Marlioz. and at Challes, those of Salins being saline, and those of Brides (the best known after Aix) alkaline.
See J. J. Vernier, Dictionnaire topographique du dep. de la Savoie (Chambery, 1897). (W. A. B. C.)
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   | General Council website - Conseil général de la Savoie - CG73 - Conseil Général de Savoie |
| | Gallery Photos and pictures of Savoie - Savoy (savoie) in the French Alps - France - Pictures & photos |
| | Prefecture website - l'Etat au service des savoyards |
| | Regional Tourism Agency - information french ski resort alps skiing holiday excursion france resort haute savoie ski |
| | French Wine Producers - French Wine Producers and Consumers |
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