Aisne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aisne
Department
Town hall of Laon, Aisne
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Aisne in France
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Département	4 March 1790
Prefecture	Laon
Subprefectures	Château-Thierry, Saint-Quentin, Soissons, Vervins
Area
• Total	7,369.1 km2 (2,845.2 sq mi)
Population  (2014)
• Total	539,783
• Density	73.2495/km2 (189.7154/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Axonais
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	FR-02
Arrondissements	5
Cantons	21
Communes	804
Website	http://www.aisne.com

Aisne is a special area in the north of France. It's called a "department." It's part of the Hauts-de-France region. The department gets its name from the Aisne River, which flows into another river called the Oise. The main city and government center of Aisne is Laon.

History of Aisne

Aisne is one of the first 83 departments ever created in France. This happened during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Laon was chosen as its capital city.

The department was formed from parts of older French regions. These included Île-de-France, Picardy, and Champagne.

At first, Aisne was divided into six smaller areas called "districts." Later, in 1800, these districts were changed into five "arrondissements." An arrondissement is like a large administrative area.

One of these arrondissements, Château-Thierry, was removed in 1926. But it was brought back again in 1942.

Geography of Aisne

Aisne is located in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It covers an area of about 7,369 square kilometers (2,845 square miles).

The department shares its borders with Belgium and six other departments in France. These departments are in three different regions:

• Hauts-de-France region:
  • Nord (to the north)
  • Somme (to the northwest)
  • Oise (to the west)
• Grand Est region:
  • Ardennes (to the east)
  • Marne (to the southeast)
• Île-de-France region:
  • Seine-et-Marne (to the south)

	Somme	Nord	Belgium
	Oise		Ardennes
		Aisne
		Seine-et-Marne	Marne

The land in Aisne is mostly made up of low, flat areas called plateaus and small hills. The highest point in the department is a place called Le Chêne Nain. It is about 295 to 300 meters (968 to 984 feet) high. This spot is in the Ardennes forest, close to the border with the Ardennes department and Belgium.

The southern part of Aisne is known as la Brie poilleuse. This dry plateau is famous for its dairy products and Brie cheese.

Many rivers flow through Aisne. The most important ones include the Scheldt/Escaut, the Aisne, the Marne, the Ourcq, the Vesle, the Somme, the Oise, and the Serre.

Climate in Aisne

The climate in Laon, the main city, is an "Oceanic climate." This means it has mild temperatures and rain throughout the year.

On average, Laon gets about 571.5 millimeters (22.5 inches) of rain each year. July is usually the wettest month, with about 61 millimeters (2.4 inches) of rain. March is the driest month, with only about 30.5 millimeters (1.2 inches) of rain.

Laon also gets some snow, averaging about 17.8 centimeters (7 inches) per year. February is the snowiest month, with about 6.9 centimeters (2.7 inches) of snow.

The average temperature in Laon for the whole year is 9.4°C (48.9°F). July is the warmest month, with an average temperature of 17.2°C (63°F). January is the coolest month, with an average temperature of 1.7°C (35.1°F).

Administration of Aisne

Aisne is governed by the Departmental Council of Aisne. This council is based in Laon. The department is part of the Hauts-de-France region.

Administrative Divisions

Aisne is divided into several administrative parts. There are 5 main areas called arrondissements. Within these, there are 21 smaller areas called cantons. The smallest divisions are the 804 communes, which are like local towns or villages.

Here is a list of the 21 cantons in the Aisne department. These were reorganized in March 2015:

Demographics of Aisne

The people who live in Aisne are called Axonais in French. This name comes from the old Celtic name for the Aisne river, which was Axona.

In 2014, Aisne had a population of 539,783 people. This means there were about 73.3 people living in each square kilometer (189.9 people per square mile). The arrondissement of Laon had the most people, with 165,489 residents.

Evolution of the population in Aisne

Here are the 10 communes (towns or villages) in Aisne with the most people:

Gallery

Related pages

• Arrondissements of the Aisne department
• Communes of the Aisne department

Images for kids

• 

  The Aisne department at Laon, 2018

• 

  The main cities of the department

• 

  The Aisne river at Soissons, 2008

• 

  Laon and its cathedral, 2019

• 

  Laon Cathedral

• 

  The keep of the castle of Septmonts

• 

  Fortified church of Parfondeval

• 

  Ruins of the Abbey of St. Jean des Vignes in Soissons

See also

In Spanish: Aisne para niños