Champagne-Ardenne
Former region of France
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Through Regions of France, Territorial collectivity and Metallurgy
History
The administrative region was formed in 1956, consisting of the four departments Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. On 1 January 2016, it merged with the neighboring regions of Alsace and Lorraine to form the new region Grand Est, thereby ceasing to exist as an independent entity.
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Geography
Its rivers, most of which flow west, include the Seine, the Marne, and the Aisne. The Meuse flows north.
Transportation
Highways
- A4 connecting Paris and Strasbourg and serving the Reims metropolitan area
- A5 connecting Paris and Dijon and serving Troyes and Chaumont
- A26 connecting Calais and Troyes and serving Reims and Châlons-en-Champagne
- A34 connecting Reims and the Belgian border and serving Charleville-Mézières
Rail
The rail network includes the Paris–Strasbourg line, which follows the Marne Valley and serves Épernay, Châlons-en-Champagne, and Vitry-le-François. The LGV Est TGV line also connecting Paris and Strasbourg opened in 2007 and serves Reims with a train station in the commune of Bezannes.
Water
The region's canals include the Canal latéral à la Marne and Marne-Rhine Canal, the latter connecting to the Marne at Vitry-le-François. These are petit gabarit canals.
Air
The Vatry International Airport, primarily dedicated to air freight, has a runway 3,650 m (11,980 ft) long. The airport is in a sparsely populated area just 150 km (93 mi) from Paris.
Economy
- 61.4% of its land is dedicated to agriculture
- 1st in France for the production of barley and alfalfa
- 2nd in France for the production of beets, onions, and peas
- 3rd in France for the production of tender wheat and rapeseed.
- 282.37 km2 of vineyards
- Champagne sales in 2001: 263 million bottles (4% increase from 2000) of which 37.6% were exported.
- 25% of French hosiery production
- 3rd metallurgic region in France
Businesses
- Verreries Mécaniques de Champagne
- Produits Métallurgiques à Reims
- Vallou
Food processing
- Champagne-Céréales
- France-Luzerne
- Béghin-Say
Demographics
The population of Champagne-Ardenne has been in steady decrease since 1982 due to a rural exodus. With 1.3 million people and a density of 52/km2, it is one of France's least populated regions. After a brief period of stabilization in the 1990s, the region's population is now among the fastest "dying" in Europe, with several municipalities losing people at a faster rate than many Eastern European areas, especially in the department of Haute-Marne. The region is among the oldest in France, has a weak fertility rate, and its immigrant population is minimal compared to the national average.
Major communities
- Châlons-en-Champagne
- Charleville-Mézières
- Chaumont
- Épernay
- Reims
- Saint-Dizier
- Sedan
- Troyes