Vaucluse
Vaucluse
Vauclusa (Occitan) | ||
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Communes 151 | | |
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2 |
Vaucluse (French: [voklyz]; Provençal: Vauclusa (Classical norm) or Vau-Cluso (Mistralian norm)) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.[2] The department's prefecture is Avignon.
It is named after a spring, the Fontaine de Vaucluse, one of the largest karst springs in the world. The name Vaucluse itself derives from the Latin Vallis Clausa ("closed valley") as the valley ends in a cliff face from which the spring emanates.
History
Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme and Basses-Alpes, later renamed Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. The then rural department was, like the nearby city of Lyon, a hotbed of the French Resistance in World War II.
Geography
Vaucluse is bordered by the
Fruit and vegetables are cultivated in great quantities in the lower-lying parts of the department, on one of the most fertile plains in
Vaucluse is also known for its karst, including the karst spring Fontaine de Vaucluse after which "Vauclusian Risings" are named.
Principal towns
The most populous commune is Avignon, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 6 communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:[2]
Commune | Population (2019) |
---|---|
Avignon | 91,143 |
Carpentras | 29,236 |
Orange | 28,772 |
Cavaillon | 26,236 |
Pertuis | 20,557 |
L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue | 20,042 |
Demographics
Population development since 1801:
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Sources:[3][4] |
Politics
Departmental Council
Following the 2021 departmental election, Dominique Santoni of The Republicans was elected President of the Departmental Council. She succeeded Maurice Chabert, who had held the office since 2015.
The Departmental Council of Vaucluse has 34 seats. The
Parts of this article (those related to the composition of the departmental council) need to be updated.(July 2022) |
Members of the National Assembly
2022 legislative election
In the 2022 legislative election, Vaucluse elected the following representatives to the National Assembly:
2017 legislative election
During the
Constituency | Member | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Vaucluse's 1st constituency | Jean-François Cesarini | La République En Marche!
| |
Vaucluse's 2nd constituency | Jean-Claude Bouchet | The Republicans | |
Vaucluse's 3rd constituency | Brune Poirson | La République En Marche!
| |
Vaucluse's 4th constituency | Jacques Bompard | League of the South | |
Vaucluse's 5th constituency | Julien Aubert | The Republicans |
*On 21 July 2017,
**Jacques Bompard resigned in August 2017 to become Mayor of Orange. He was replaced by Marie-France Lorho.
Tourism
-
Pont Saint-Bénezet in Avignon
See also
- Arrondissements of the Vaucluse department
- Communes of the Vaucluse department
- Cantons of the Vaucluse department
References
- ^ "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b Populations légales 2019: 84 Vaucluse, INSEE
- ^ "Historique de Vaucluse". Le SPLAF.
- ^ "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
- ^ List of members for Vaucluse (in French), on www.nosdeputes.fr.
External links
- Vaucluse at Curlie
- (in French) Website of the Departmental Council Archived 2018-09-06 at the Wayback Machine
- (in French) Prefecture website