Bouches-du-Rhône

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Bouches-du-Rhône (Occitan: Bocas de Ròse, lit. "Mouths of the Rhône River") is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River.

History

History of the department

Bouches-du-Rhône is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Provence and the principalities of Orange, Martigues, and Lambesc. It lost part of its territory in 1793, including Orange and Apt, when the Vaucluse department was created.

History of the area

The history of the area is closely linked to that of Provence. Marseille has been an important harbor since before Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul. The Roman presence has left numerous monuments across the department.

Geography

The department is part of the current region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It is surrounded by the departments of Gard on the west, Vaucluse on the north, and Var on the east, and by the Mediterranean Sea on the south.

Marseille contains an important harbor.

Other cities include:

Rivers include:

Rhône, which forms the border with the Gard department
Rhône delta (the Camargue), in the southwestern part of the department
Durance
Arc
Huveaune

Lakes include:

Étang de Berre
Étang de Vaccarès, in Camargue

Mountains include:

Alpilles mountain range
Calanques between Marseille and La Ciotat
Corniche des Crêtes
Garlaban
Mont Puget
Montagnette hills
Sainte-Victoire mountain
Sainte-Baume massif

Culture

The department is well represented in French art. Paul Cézanne painted numerous representations of the Mont Sainte-Victoire. Vincent van Gogh spent much of his life in Arles, painting many scenes in the area.

Tourism

Cities of Marseille and Aix-en-Provence
Roman and Romanesque monuments of Arles
The Camargue and the town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Alphonse Daudet's windmill in Fontvieille
Les Baux de Provence, medieval village
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and the ruins of the Roman city of Glanum
Tarascon, medieval castle and church
Salon, city of Nostradamus and one of the biggest citadels of Provence: Château de l'Empéri

External links

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Last updated on Saturday March 08, 2008 at 13:17:19 PST (GMT -0800)
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