| Orne | |
| Native Name Lang: | fr |
| Type: | Department |
| Coordinates: | 48.7°N 0°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | France |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Normandy |
| Seat Type: | Prefecture |
| Seat: | Alençon |
| Parts Type: | Subprefectures |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | Argentan Mortagne-au-Perche |
| Leader Title: | President of the Departmental Council |
| Leader Name: | Christophe de Balorre[1] |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 6103 |
| Population Rank: | 78th |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Department number |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 61 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Arrondissements |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 3 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Cantons |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | 21 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Communes |
| Blank2 Info Sec2: | 385 |
| 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 |
Orne (in French pronounced as /ɔʁn/; Ôrne or Orne) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.[2]
Orne is one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution, on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Normandy and Perche. It is the birthplace of Charlotte Corday, Girondist and the assassin of Jean-Paul Marat.
Orne is in the region of Normandy neighbouring Eure, Eure-et-Loir, Sarthe, Manche, Mayenne, and Calvados. It is the only department of Normandy not to border the English Channel.
The largest town by a considerable margin is the prefecture, Alençon, which is an administrative and commercial centre for what is still an overwhelmingly rural department. There are no large industrial centres, and agriculture remains the economic focus.
The inhabitants of the department are called Ornais.
The recorded population level peaked at 443,688 in 1836. Declining farm incomes and the lure of better prospects in the overseas empire led to a sustained reduction in population levels in many rural departments. By the time of the 1936 census, the recorded population stood at just 269,331. Once motor car ownership started to surge in the 1960s, employment opportunities became less restricted and by 1982, the population level had recovered a little to 295,000, after which it slowly decreased.
The most populous commune is Alençon, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:[2]
| Commune | Population (2019) | |
|---|---|---|
| Alençon | 25,870 | |
| Flers | 14,762 | |
| Argentan | 13,395 | |
| L'Aigle | 7,961 | |
| La Ferté Macé | 5,186 |
The president of the Departmental Council is Christophe de Balorre, elected in 2017.
| Election | Winning Candidate | Party | % | 2nd Place Candidate | Party | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022[3] | Emmanuel Macron | LREM | 55.12 | Marine Le Pen | RN | 44.88 | ||
| 2017 | Emmanuel Macron | LREM | 61.64 | Marine Le Pen | FN | 38.36 | ||
| 2012 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | 52.89 | François Hollande | PS | 47.11 | ||
| 2007 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | 57.66 | Ségolène Royal | PS | 42.34 | ||
| 2002[4] | Jacques Chirac | RPR | 81.30 | Jean-Marie Le Pen | FN | 18.70 | ||
| Constituency | Member[5] | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orne's 1st constituency | Joaquim Pueyo | Socialist Party | ||
| Orne's 2nd constituency | Véronique Louwagie | The Republicans | ||
| Orne's 3rd constituency | Jérôme Nury | The Republicans | ||
Alençon is the chief town of the Orne department.
Camembert, the village where Camembert cheese is made, is located in Orne.
The local dialect is known as Augeron.