| Haute-Savoie | |
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| Coat of arms of the Haute-Savoie department | |
| Location | |
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| Administration | |
| Department number: | 74 |
| Region: | Rhône-Alpes |
| Prefecture: | Annecy |
| Subprefectures: | Bonneville Saint-Julien-en-Genevois Thonon-les-Bains |
| Arrondissements: | 4 |
| Cantons: | 34 |
| Communes: | 294 |
| President of the General Council: | Ernest Nycollin UMP |
| Statistics | |
| Population | Ranked 33rd |
| -1999 | 631,679 |
| Population density: | 144/km² |
| Land area¹: | 4388 km² |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km². | |
Haute-Savoie (Arpitan : Savouè d’Amont / Hiôta-Savouè) is a French department, named for its location in the Alps mountain range.
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History
Haute-Savoie (English: "Upper Savoy") is one of two departments of the region of Savoy that was annexed by France on 24 March 1860, the other being Savoie. For its history prior to 1860, and details of the annexation and reasons for the current separatist movement in the two departments, see Savoy.
Geography
To the north, Haute-Savoie borders on Switzerland, with Geneva as the closest major town, and Lake Geneva. To the east, Haute-Savoie borders Italy, and to the west the department of Ain. To the south it borders Savoie.
Mont Blanc and Lake Annecy are located in Haute-Savoie, as well as the town of Évian-les-Bains, the most famous town on the French shore of Lake Geneva, and well-known around the world for its mineral water, Evian.
Some of the world's most well-known ski resorts are located in Haute-Savoie. For instance, Chamonix — a city where skiing and mountaineering are at the heart of the economic activity, thanks to the Mont-Blanc, Europe's highest mountain (4808 meters high).
Lakes in Haute-Savoie:
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Miscellaneous topics
- The area is famous for the entrance to the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Italy and is also home to Chamonix and other notable ski resorts.
- The first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix from 25 January to 5 February 1924.
See 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
Places
- Communes of the Haute-Savoie department
- Arrondissements of the Haute-Savoie department
- Cantons of the Haute-Savoie department
- Annecy - Capital
- Lake Annecy - The second largest lake in France.
- Lake Geneva - Lake divided between France and Switzerland.
- Mont Blanc - Tallest mountain in Europe
- Mont Blanc Tunnel - The tunnel through the French Alps.
Wine
- French wine - Haute-Savoie AOC Wines
- Savoy wine or Wine of Savoie Allobrogie
External links
- (French) General Council website
- (French) Prefecture website
- (English) Upper Savoy Tourism Guide
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