Champagne-Ardenne

Champagne-Ardenne
—  Region of France  —
Flag Logo
Country	France
Capital	Châlons-en-Champagne
Government
- President	Jean-Paul Bachy (PS)
Area
- Total	25,606 km2 (9,886.5 sq mi)
Population (2008-01-01)
- Total	1,334,000
- Density	52.1/km2 (134.9/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
NUTS Region	FR2
Website	cr-champagne-ardenne.fr

Champagne-Ardenne is one of the 26 regions of France. It is located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium, and consists of four departments: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. The region is famous for its sparkling white wine (champagne). 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 Dijon 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 3650 m long, yet it is often unused. The airport is in a sparsely populated area just 150 km from Paris. Some people say it is a good candidate for transformation into a third Parisian airport. Les verts (the French green party) supported such a move because the resulting noise pollution would affect fewer people than an airport closer to Paris.

See also: Ardennes

Economy

• 61.4% of its land is dedicated to agriculture
• 1^st in France for the production of barley and alfalfa
• 2^nd in France for the production of beets, onions, and peas
• 3^rd 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
• 3^rd metallurgic region in France

Businesses

• Verreries Mécaniques de Champagne
• Produits Métallurgiques à Reims
• Vallourec

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.

Tourism

Champagne-Ardenne has the following:

• 291 approved tourist hotels offering 8,000 rooms

Moulin de Valmy dans les champs

• 152 bed and breakfasts
• 18 museums
• 92 screens in local movie theatres
• 16 theatres
• 10 golf courses
• 650 km of waterways
• 8 lakes reserved for tourists, including the Lake Der-Chantecoq, the largest man-made lake in Europe

Visitors often go to Champagne because of its history and its world-famous wine. However, their itineraries diverge when they discover the region's cultural heritage and its cuisine: some visit Troyes and its ancient houses, others visit Langres and its walls, Châlons-en-Champagne and it Cloister, still others visit Épernay, Reims, or Colombey-les-deux-Églises.

The region contains some magnificent forests and lakes where one can enjoy hiking and water sports.

Major communities

• Châlons-en-Champagne
• Charleville-Mézières
• Chaumont
• Épernay
• Reims
• Saint-Dizier
• Sedan
• Troyes

See also

• Ardennes
• Champagne Riots
• French wine

External links

• (French) Government of Champagne-Ardenne region
• (English) Champagne-Ardenne at the Open Directory Project
• Champagne-Ardenne travel guide from Wikitravel

Coordinates: 49°00′N 4°30′E / 49°N 4.5°E / 49; 4.5