Vercors Regional Natural Park
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Vercors Regional Natural Park
| Vercors Regional Natural Park (Parc naturel régional du Vercors) | |
| Protected Area | |
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| Country | France |
|---|---|
| State | Drôme Isère |
| Region | Rhône-Alpes |
| Coordinates | 44°55′41″N 5°29′24″E / 44.928°N 5.49°E |
| Established | 1970 |
| Management | Fédération des parcs naturels régionaux de France |
| Website: http://www.parc-du-vercors.fr/ | |
Vercors Regional Natural Park (French: Parc naturel régional du Vercors) is a protected area of forested mountains in the Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France.
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Contents
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Geography
Set upon a limestone plateau south of Grenoble, the park extends into the French Western Alps.[citation needed] It spans two departments, Drôme and Isère, and covers a total area of 135,000 hectares (330,000 acres).[1] The plateau's main elevation reaches 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) while the eastern Alpine mountain ridge tops 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) with Le Grand Veymont (2341m).[citation needed]
The Vercors area is peppered with caves. During World War II, it served as a safe and defensible position for the French Resistance: Forteresse de la Résistance.[2] The area now contains around three hundred monuments to the Resistance, including a memorial center and the preserved remains of a destroyed village.[3]
In modern times, Vercors has become a popular tourist destination frequented for skiing, hiking and spelunking.[2] Several small communes dot the landscape, supported principally by forestry, shepherding and tourism.[citation needed] The area was officially designated a regional natural park in 1970.[1]
Member communes
The Vercors parklands include the following communes:[4][5]
See also
References
- ^ a b IUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas (November 1990). 1990 United Nations list of national parks and protected areas. IUCN. p. 89. ISBN 978-2-8317-0032-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=0uhtNruyLzkC&pg=PA88. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ a b Nicola Williams; Oliver Berry; Steve Fallon (2009). France. Lonely Planet. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-74104-915-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=N-QEGxA6r1YC&pg=PA25. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ Charles Edwin Closmann (2009). War and the environment: military destruction in the modern age. Texas A&M University Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-60344-169-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=Zjs0teljUjQC&pg=PA150. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "Liste des communes du parc naturel régional du Vercors" (in French). Annuaire-mairie.fr. 2011. http://www.annuaire-mairie.fr/liste-des-communes-du-parc-naturel-regional-du-vercors.html. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Maison du Parc (2011). "Un Parc, 85 communes" (in French). Parc naturel régional du Vercors. http://parc-du-vercors.fr/fr_FR/agir-et-innover-1109/le-parc-mode-d-emploi-1580/ses-communes-2118.html. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
External links
- Official park website (French)
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