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39-790: The park lies entirely within the Province of Cuneo , in the territory of five municipalities, and encompasses the upper Valle Gesso , the Valle Vermenagna and part of the Valle Stura di Demonte , covering the two most prominent massifs of the Maritime Alps, the Argentera and the Gélas . The lowest point of the park is 750 meters above sea level, whereas the highest is the peak of the Argentera, 3,297 meters above sea level. Nearly half of its territory (47 %)

78-421: A lack of fertile soil and agriculture has been the most miserable. There is a small harvest of wheat , wine in small quantities (but good), and truffles in large numbers. In the southern part, which has the climate of Provence, there are olive trees , mulberry trees , and orange trees . Aromatic plants abound, and there are 250,000 beehives. Manosque because its location is by far the second largest city of

117-450: A new commune created by mergers (e.g. La Mure-Argens ) and others are nothing more than a pile of stones (like Levens in the commune of Majastres ). They are sometimes listed on maps (e.g. Bédejun in the commune of Chaudon-Norante ). At its formation, the department had 270 communes (262 after changing the limits of the department) but it is now 198. Apart from eight communes which were attached either to Hautes-Alpes (the three communes of

156-456: A partly cloudy night sky and untouched by light pollution. Many amateur observatories have been built and the Observatoire de Haute-Provence is one of the largest observatories in continental Europe. It is an active astronomy research centre. The population was once fairly evenly distributed in the territory, including in the mountainous areas where mountain agriculture was well developed. From

195-635: Is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France , bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the west, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes to the north. Formerly part of the province of Provence , it had a population of 164,308 in 2019, which makes it the 8th least populated department and the 94th most populated French department . Alpes-de-Haute-Provence's main cities are Digne-les-Bains ( prefecture ), Manosque , Sisteron , Barcelonnette , Castellane and Forcalquier . Inhabitants are called

234-601: Is also the land of important wines, mostly produced in the Langhe and Roero hills, such as Barbaresco , Barolo , Nebbiolo , Barbera and many others. 44°23′N 7°33′E  /  44.383°N 7.550°E  / 44.383; 7.550 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP , formerly until 1970 known as Bas-Alpes ( French pronunciation: [alp də ot pʁɔvɑ̃s] ; Occitan : Aups d'Auta Provença ; lit.   ' Alps of Upper Provence ' ),

273-764: Is composed of rocky terrain, whereas 22 % is covered by woods , 11 % by shrubs , 17 % by grasslands , and 1 % by glaciers . The Gélas glaciers are the southernmost glaciers in the Alps; about eighty lakes are located in the territory of the park. The park's fauna also includes chamoises (4,500 specimens), roe deer , red deer , alpine ibexes (500 specimens), European mouflons , Italian wolves , wild boars , red foxes , European pine martens , European badgers , beech martens , marmots , least weasels , stoats , red squirrels , European fat dormouses , voles , garden dormouses , European hedgehogs , European moles , shrews , and 75 species of birds, including

312-573: Is concentrated mainly in the valleys of the Durance, the Bléone (up to Digne) and the nearby flat lands. The rest of the department is sparsely populated (less than 10 inhabitants per km over most of the territory). 83 (42%) of the communes have less than 200 inhabitants, 9 communes have less than 50 and many villages have been abandoned. The towns are small: only Digne-les-Bains and Manosque approach or exceed 20,000 people. The arrondissement of Barcelonnette

351-509: Is often in autumn. The Durance, Verdon, Bléone and Buëch have had the construction of several dams and the diversion of parts of the river for irrigation and power generation in the 20th century. The climate of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department is a Mediterranean climate degrading by altitude and latitude. In fact, while in the lower valleys and flat lands of Haute-Provence an inland Mediterranean climate prevails, by contrast in

390-401: Is subdivided into 4 arrondissements , 15 cantons and 198 communes . The rural exodus of the 19th and 20th centuries has had a significant impact on the population of towns: some were completely or almost completely abandoned by their inhabitants which led to the disappearance of fifty communes since the creation of the department. Some villages still exist and sometimes gave their name to

429-553: Is the Durance which runs in the west of the department. It is in the Durance valley that the most important traffic routes are found: the A51 autoroute and the railway main line. Almost all of the department is in the watershed of the Durance except for the extreme south-east (the cantons of Annot and Entrevaux ) which are drained by the Var . The main tributaries of the Durance in the department are

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468-400: Is the city of Cuneo . Of the 250 comuni in the province, the largest by population are: Companies active in the province include: Many important industrial groups have branches in the province: Michelin (Cuneo and Fossano), Saint-Gobain ( Savigliano ), Valeo ( Mondovì ), Asahi Glass Co. (Cuneo), ITT ( Barge ), Diageo ( Santa Vittoria d'Alba ) and Nestlé ( Moretta ). Cuneo

507-449: Is the least populated arrondissement in France and the only one in France with less than 10,000 inhabitants. The city of Castellane is the smallest sub-prefecture in France. Among the 15 cantons in the department, 5 have a resident population of less than 10,000 inhabitants: Barcelonnette , Castellane , Riez , Seyne , and Valensole . The ten most populous communes are: In contrast,

546-406: The 2nd lost by LREM's Christophe Castaner to Léo Walter of La France insoumise . The department has, by its own characteristics (mountainous and low population), a character marked by a relatively weak industrial base and a move towards the creation of jobs in the areas of trades and services. Thus, according to the survey on labour needs by ASSEDIC, most of the jobs available are now from

585-454: The Bas-Alpins (masculine) or Bas-Alpines (feminine) in reference to the department's former name, Basses-Alpes, which was in use until 1970. Although the prefecture is Digne-les-Bains, the largest city is Manosque. Alpes-de-Haute-Provence's INSEE and postal code is 04. The departmental can be divided into three zones depending on the terrain, climate, population and economy: The relief of

624-672: The PCF or, especially, the socialist movement – the SFIO or the PS , or by the radical left. A landmark of the Resistance during the Second World War , at Liberation the department deeply changed is roots to the left, a change that has not really been challenged since. A change, which may be temporary however, was recorded in 2007 when, for the first time in local political history, a right-wing deputy elected in

663-807: The Ubaye , the Bléone , the Asse , the Verdon on the left bank, the Buëch , the Jabron, and the Largue on the right bank. The Durance and its tributaries have a torrential character, with a transition between the snow regime of the high valleys and the Mediterranean rainfall regime in the lower mountains and below. The summer low water levels are severe and violent floods occur when heavy rains fall which

702-514: The golden eagle (seven pairs of which nest in the park), the short-toed snake-eagle , the Eurasian goshawk , the Eurasian sparrowhawk , the European honey buzzard , the common buzzard , the peregrine falcon , the rock ptarmigan , the black grouse , the rock partridge , the Eurasian eagle-owl , the black woodpecker , the tree pipit , the water pipit , the alpine chough , the red-billed chough ,

741-422: The white-winged snowfinch , and the recently reintroduced bearded vulture . The flora includes 2,600 species of plants, including European spruces , European larches , silver firs , mountain pines , European beechs , common laburnums , common hazels , sycamores , pteridophytes , alpenroses . Ten mountain huts , ten mountain shelters and over 400 kilometres of hiking paths allow visitors to explore

780-562: The Atlas Larousse published at the beginning of the 20th century: "Scattered whitish rocks stand out like bones, a thin topsoil where bushes languish, some mountain flowers and stunted trees ... these mountains form almost everywhere a dreadful desert which will not have more inhabitants: this is the Sahara without the sun of Africa , with the snows of Siberia ." (P. Joanne). "On these steep slopes deforestation and flooding have resulted in

819-522: The Barcillonnette canton, or to Vaucluse (the canton of Sault ) many communes have disappeared. In 1854, the state of communes in the department was as follows: in total 256 towns and 30 townships. Also some other noteworthy atypical cases: There are still some cases of communal associations since 1973 (some have also gone more or less quickly in favour of a "simple aggregation"). For example, La Mure-Argens with Argens enjoying this status (with

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858-569: The Mayor delegated specifically for Argens, a city hall annex and an electoral district). In the 2021 departmental election , the Departmental Council of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence was elected as follows: The department has an electoral tradition markedly old left. There are strong republican traditions such as the number of Political clubs during the French Revolution and the resistance to

897-420: The canton of Sault to Vaucluse at this point. Seventeen years later, in 1810, the canton of Barcillonnette was transferred over to Hautes-Alpes . The department of Basses-Alpes was occupied by fascist Italy from November 1942 to September 1943. On 13 April 1970, the department of Basses-Alpes was renamed to Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Here is an unflattering excerpt from an article called "Basse Alpes" from

936-408: The coup of Napoleon III in 1851. The tradition of the left is also manifested in rural areas since all cantons devoted to agriculture very early showed an inclination to vote for Republican candidates. The installation of the large chemical plant at Saint-Auban also had a favorable effect on the vote for the left (see below) and has been a breeding ground for the political organization of the left in

975-443: The department (with 5,500 inhabitants). Near Manosque are the lignite and gypsum mines. Despite a fairly active trade in olive oil, wine and raw silk, this department is also one of the least populated." (Larousse Illustrated Atlas, Printing Larousse, Paris, 1900). Azure, a fleur de lys of Or surmounted by a Label of three points gules all over a terrace in base argent indented of three points. Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

1014-413: The department by the trade union movement. The power station at Sainte-Tulle also supplied many activists to leftist organizations. Exceptions in the department: the alpine areas of Barcelonnette and the upper valley of the Verdon , both territories of emigration but also with a garrison of Chasseurs Alpins in the first. These areas, deeply Catholic, have long opted for elected conservatives – one of

1053-474: The department had 150 years earlier, the distribution and activity of the population are very different. The population is now concentrated in the valley of the Durance and the South West of the department, and agriculture employs less than ever before. Services, mainly tourism and local services, is now the main industry. In 2016 it had 162,565 inhabitants and a density of 23.5 inhabitants/km². The population of

1092-707: The department has voted "No" during the consultation on the Maastricht Treaty at 51.6% (majority of 2238 votes) and "No" during the consultation on the European Constitutional Treaty at 60.3% (majority 16,575 votes). Both of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence's seats in the National Assembly changed hands in the 2022 legislative election with the 1st constituency lost by the New Democrats' Delphine Bagarry to Christian Girard of National Rally and

1131-442: The department is sightly similar to Guam . The department has never really developed: in 1870 there were 27 small mines (one lead , four oil shale and 22 lignite ). According to the general census of the population, 32.8% of available housing in the department are second homes. The department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is one of the least densely populated of France with barely more than 20 inhabitants per km . The population

1170-527: The hills it is more mixed with the valley of the Ubaye characteristic of the inner Alps, with a marked continentality: winters are very harsh with stormy summers. In between, the two influences mingle in the area of the Lower Alps. The characteristics of both climate trends are found throughout the department to a greater or lesser extent: Haute-Provence is therefore very interesting for European astronomers looking for

1209-625: The land compartmentalises the region: the enclosed valleys are difficult to access, so dividing the country into as many local areas which communicate very little with the outside. In 1877, 55 communes only had access to trails or mule paths. The seismic hazard is moderate (zone 3) to medium (zone 4) with different faults such as the Durance located in the department. The main cities are Manosque , Digne-les-Bains , Sisteron , Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban , Oraison , Forcalquier , Les Mées , Pierrevert , Villeneuve , Sainte-Tulle , Gréoux-les-Bains , Barcelonnette and Castellane . The main river

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1248-410: The last two cases it was 53% of the vote. In 1995, Jacques Chirac was leading the second round of the presidential election with just over 52% but less than the national score. In 2002 it was Jean Marie Le Pen who topped the first round. Finally, in 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy , who reached the top in the first round, with nearly 30% of the votes, gained 53.2% in the second round. In European referendums,

1287-467: The middle of the 19th century, however, it began to decline due to a strong rural exodus . There were more than 150,000 inhabitants in 1850 but it fell to less than 100,000 after the First World War . It was not until 1960 that the trend changed upwards quite strongly from less than 90,000 in 1954 to nearly 140,000 in 1999 and 162,565 in 2016. However, if this figure is close to the number of inhabitants

1326-575: The most famous being the former Minister of the Third Republic , Paul Reynaud . A definition of the political choices of the county population is often translated as: the higher the altitude rises, the more the popular vote looks to the right. Since the end of the First World War the department has been most often depicted, both by the Senate and the National Assembly, as an electoral issue of either

1365-689: The north the Metropolitan City of Turin , to the east the province of Asti and to the south the Ligurian provinces of Savona and Imperia . It is also known as la Provincia Granda (Piedmontese for 'The Big Province'), because it is the largest province in Piedmont and the fourth-largest in Italy (following Sassari , South Tyrol and Foggia ). Briga Marittima and Tenda were part of this province before their cession to France in 1947. Its capital

1404-547: The park. [REDACTED] Media related to Parco naturale delle Alpi Marittime at Wikimedia Commons Province of Cuneo The province of Cuneo ( Italian : provincia di Cuneo ; Piedmontese : provincia ëd Coni ) is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy . To the west, it borders the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ( departments of Alpes-Maritimes , Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes ), to

1443-490: The previous election (in 2002) was re-elected to the National Assembly. The other seat is occupied by the President of the Departmental Council, Jean-Louis Bianco , a former minister with François Mitterrand . In the Senate, the department is represented by Claude Domeizel , a former Socialist Mayor of Volx . François Mitterrand won the majority of votes of the inhabitants of the department in 1974, 1981, and 1988 although in

1482-454: The professions of sociocultural and sports activities (1031 offers listed out of 4752 total in the department), hotel (968 offers), cleaning (438 offers), catering (345 offers). Of all these offers at least three-quarters were for seasonal jobs. However, significant changes in the sociological situation of the department are to be expected from the implementation of the ITER project at the mouth of

1521-500: The three communes with less than 20 inhabitants in 2019 were Archail (14 inhabitants), Saint-Martin-lès-Seyne (13 inh.) and Majastres (4 inh.). Basses-Alpes was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790 under the Act of 22 December 1789. On 12 August 1793, the department of Vaucluse was created from parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône , Drôme, and Basses-Alpes. Basses-Alpes lost

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