Bas-Rhin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bas-Rhin
Department
Prefecture building of the Bas-Rhin department, in Strasbourg
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Bas-Rhin in France
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Département	4 March 1790
Prefecture	Strasbourg
Subprefectures	Haguenau, Molsheim, Saverne, Sélestat
Area
• Total	4,755 km2 (1,836 sq mi)
Population  (2014)
• Total	1,112,815
• Density	234.030/km2 (606.14/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	FR-67
Arrondissements	5
Cantons	23
Communes	517

Bas-Rhin is a special area in France called a department. It's part of the Grand Est region. Its name comes from the Rhine river, which flows along its eastern edge. The main city and capital of Bas-Rhin is Strasbourg.

The name "Bas-Rhin" means "Lower Rhine." But if you look at a map, it's actually in the Upper Rhine area. This department is the last one in France to still use the word Bas (meaning "Lower") in its name. Other departments that used to have "Bas" in their names decided to change them.

History of Bas-Rhin

Bas-Rhin was one of the first 83 departments created in France during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was first divided into four smaller areas called districts: Haguenau, Benfeld, Strasbourg, and Wissembourg. Strasbourg was chosen as its capital. Later, a new district called Sarre-Union was added, and Benfeld's district name was changed to Sélestat.

In 1800, France created new administrative areas called arrondissements. The five districts in Bas-Rhin became four arrondissements: Strasbourg, Barr, Saverne, and Wissembourg. In 1806, the main office of Barr was moved to Sélestat.

Bas-Rhin stopped being a French department in 1871 when its land became part of Germany.

In 1919, Bas-Rhin became a French department again after World War I. At that time, it had several arrondissements: Strasbourg-Ville, Strasbourg-Campagne, Erstein, Haguenau, Molsheim, Saverne, Sélestat, and Wissembourg.

In 1974, the arrondissements of Sélestat and Erstein were combined to form Sélestat-Erstein.

More recently, in 2015, some changes happened again. The Strasbourg-Campagne and Wissembourg arrondissements were removed. Their areas were added to the remaining arrondissements. Now, Bas-Rhin has 5 arrondissements: Haguenau-Wissembourg, Molsheim, Saverne, Sélestat-Erstein, and Strasbourg.

Geography of Bas-Rhin

The Bas-Rhin department is located in the Grand Est region of France. It shares borders with five other French departments, all within the Grand Est region. To the south, it borders Haut-Rhin. To the southwest, it's next to Vosges. To the west, you'll find Meurthe-et-Moselle, and to the northwest, Moselle. On its northern and eastern sides, Bas-Rhin borders Germany along the Rhine river.

	Moselle	Germany
	Meurth-et-Moselle		Germany
		Bas-Rhin
	Vosges	Haut-Rhin

Bas-Rhin covers an area of about 4,755 square kilometers (1,836 square miles). The highest point in the department is a place called Champ de Feu. It's located in the southwestern part of Bas-Rhin and is 1,099 meters (3,606 feet) high.

The most important river in the department is the Rhine river. It forms the eastern border of Bas-Rhin and also the border between France and Germany.

Climate

The area around Strasbourg, which is about 153 meters (502 feet) above sea level, has a climate where temperatures don't get too extreme. This type of climate is known as a "Marine West Coast Climate," often called "Cfb."

On average, Strasbourg gets about 629.9 millimeters (24.8 inches) of rain each year. The month with the most rain is usually July, with about 76.2 millimeters (3 inches). February is typically the driest month, with an average of 33 millimeters (1.3 inches) of rain.

The average temperature in Strasbourg for the whole year is 10.6°C (51.1°F). July is usually the warmest month, with an average temperature of 19.4°C (66.9°F). January is the coolest month, with an average temperature of 1.7°C (35.1°F).

How Bas-Rhin is Governed

Bas-Rhin is managed by a group called the Departmental Council of Bas-Rhin, which is located in Strasbourg. The department is part of the larger Grand Est region.

Administrative Divisions

Bas-Rhin is divided into smaller areas to help with its management. There are 5 main arrondissements (which are like large districts). Within these, there are 23 cantons (smaller administrative areas). Finally, there are 517 communes (which are like towns or municipalities).

Here is a list of the 23 cantons in the Bas-Rhin department. These were reorganized in March 2015:

Population of Bas-Rhin

The people who live in the Bas-Rhin department are called Bas-Rhinois (for men) or Bas-Rhinoises (for women) in French.

In 2014, Bas-Rhin had a population of 1,112,815 people. This means there were about 234 inhabitants per square kilometer (606 inhabitants per square mile). The arrondissement of Strasbourg is the most populated area, with 484,157 people living there.

Related pages

• Arrondissements of the Bas-Rhin department
• Communes of the Bas-Rhin department

Images for kids

• 

  Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg is a famous castle in the Vosges mountains.

• 

  The beautiful Strasbourg Cathedral is a major landmark.

• 

  These are the historic Covered Bridges in Strasbourg.

• 

  The Schoenenbourg Fortification was part of the Maginot Line.

• 

  A charming church in Niederhaslach.

• 

  The Clock Tower in Sélestat.

See also

In Spanish: Bajo Rin para niños