Jura (department) explained

Jura
Native Name Lang:fr
Type:Department of France
Flag Alt:JuraFlag.svg
Coordinates:46.6753°N 5.5544°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:France
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Seat Type:Prefecture
Seat:Lons-le-Saunier
Parts Type:Subprefectures
Parts Style:para
P1:Dole
Saint-Claude
Leader Party:LR
Leader Title:President of the Departmental Council
Leader Name:Gérôme Fassenet[1]
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:4999
Elevation Min M:200
Elevation Max M:1200
Population Rank:83rd
Population Density Km2:auto
Blank Name Sec1:Department number
Blank Info Sec1:39
Blank Name Sec2:Arrondissements
Blank Info Sec2:3
Blank1 Name Sec2:Cantons
Blank1 Info Sec2:17
Blank2 Name Sec2:Communes
Blank2 Info Sec2:494
Timezone1:CET
Utc Offset1:+1
Timezone1 Dst:CEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+2
Footnotes: French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Jura (in French ʒyʁa/) is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the Jura Mountains, its prefecture is Lons-le-Saunier. Its subprefectures are Dole and Saint-Claude. In 2019, Jura had a population of 259,199.[2] Its INSEE code is 39. It has a short portion of the border of Switzerland.

History

Historically, Jura belonged to the Free County of Burgundy, known in French as the Franche-Comté. Dole was the capital until the region was conquered by Louis XIV and the capital was moved to Besançon. Dole is now a sous-préfecture, or sub-prefecture, of Jura.

As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the southern two-thirds of Jura spoke a dialect of Arpitan language. It continued to be spoken in rural areas into the 20th century.

Jura is one of the original 83 départements of France, it being created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was established from part of the former province of Franche-Comté. The prefecture is Lons-le-Saunier.

Demographics

Population development since 1801:

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Dole; the prefecture Lons-le-Saunier is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:[2]

CommunePopulation (2019)
Dole23,711
Lons-le-Saunier17,189
Saint-Claude8,985
Champagnole8,014
Hauts de Bienne5,275

Geography

Jura is one of eight départements of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region and is surrounded by the French départements of Doubs, Haute-Saône, Côte-d'Or, Saône-et-Loire, and Ain, as well as the Swiss canton of Vaud on the east.

The Jura mountains are wooded and rolling, not craggy and rocky like the Alps.

Many lakes can be found throughout the Jura, the largest natural lake being Lac de Chalain, measuring 3 km long and 1 km wide. Lac de Vouglans was formed after the building of a hydro-electric dam. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in France.

Politics

Departmental politics

The President of the Departmental Council has been Clément Pernot (miscellaneous right) since 2015.

Party Seats
15
8
6
3
2

Members of the National Assembly

In the 2017 legislative election, Jura elected the following representatives to the National Assembly:

ConstituencyMember[3] Party
Jura's 1st constituencyDanielle BruleboisLa République En Marche!
Jura's 2nd constituencyMarie-Christine DallozThe Republicans
Jura's 3rd constituencyJean-Marie SermierThe Republicans

Climate

The climate of the Jura varies greatly by elevation. The lower valleys are temperate and pleasant, but the high mountain valleys have bitterly cold winters.

Economy

Jura is a wine-growing region. The Jura wines are very distinctive and unusual wines, such as vin jaune, which is made by a similar process to sherry, developing under a flor of yeast. This is made from the local Savagnin grape variety. Other grape varieties include Poulsard, Trousseau, and Chardonnay.

The département contains no industrial cities: the few towns function as administrative and commercial centres serving Jura's rural economy. In the absence of large-scale industrial enterprises, small artisanal businesses play an important role. The Jura CFA (Centre for apprenticeship and training) recently recorded 752 current apprenticeships in trades such as building, baking, butchery, hair dressing, car repairing, sales and other non-factory based occupations.

Tourism

The Jura mountains provide ample opportunities for hiking, skiing, as well as other winter sports.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux. data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022. fr.
  2. https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep39.pdf Populations légales 2019: 39 Jura
  3. Web site: Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français. 2021-03-09. Assemblée nationale. fr-FR.