Besançon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Besançon
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Motto(s):
Plût A Dieu ("If God wills") or Utinam
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Country | France | ||
Region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | ||
Department | Doubs | ||
Area
1
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65.05 km2 (25.12 sq mi) | ||
• Urban
(1999)
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122 km2 (47 sq mi) | ||
• Metro
(1999)
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1,652 km2 (638 sq mi) | ||
Population
(2008)
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117,599 | ||
• Rank | 29th in France | ||
• Density | 1,807.82/km2 (4,682.2/sq mi) | ||
• Urban
(1999)
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134,376 | ||
• Urban density | 1,101/km2 (2,853/sq mi) | ||
• Metro
(1999)
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222,381 | ||
• Metro density | 134.61/km2 (348.65/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) | ||
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) | ||
INSEE/Postal code |
25056 /
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Website | http://www.besancon.fr/ | ||
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Besançon is a city in France. It was the capital of the former Free County (Franche-Comté) region. It is the prefecture of the Doubs department. Its population is around 117,600 (2008).
History
Besançon is an old city. It is discovered in 58 BC and Julius Caesar writes about it in his book Commentarii de Bello Gallico where it is called Vesontio. The etymology (origin of the word) is not certain. It could have a Celtic origin. The Celtic word wes means mountain. In the 4th century, the letter B became V. The city name changed to Besontio or Bisontion. It became Besançon in 1243.
The city has a Renaissance citadel. It was later used by the Nazis during World War II.
Climate
Besançon has an oceanic climate and a continental climate. The average temperature is 10.2 °C (50 °F). The warmest month of the year is July (18.9 °C or 66 °F) and the coldest month is January (1.6 °C or 35 °F). Besançon receives about 1108 mm (44 inches) of precipitation per year. The wettest month is May (111.4 mm or 4.4 in); the driest is July (80.5 mm or 3.2 in). The highest temperature ever, recorded on 31 July 1983, was 38.8 °C (101.8 °F), and the lowest was a −20.7 °C (−5.3 °F) reached on 1 January 1985.
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
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Avg temperature °C (°F) | 1.6 (35) | 3.3 (38) | 6.1 (43) | 9.4 (49) | 13.3 (56) | 16.5 (62) | 18.9 (66) | 18.3 (65) | 15.7 (60) | 11.3 (52) | 5.6 (42) | 2.1 (36) | 10.2 (50) |
Avg rainfall mm (in) | 91.1 (3.6) | 81.8 (3.2) | 83.5 (3.3) | 91.6 (3.6) | 111.4 (4.4) | 100.1 (3.9) | 80.5 (3.2) | 86.9 (3.4) | 93.2 (3.7) | 85.8 (3.4) | 103.7 (4.1) | 99.0 (3.9) | 1108 (43.6) |
Source: Météo France |
Monuments
- Besançon Cathedral
- Synagogue of Besançon
- Jewish cemetery of Besançon
Éducation
Sister cities
Besançon is twinned with:
- Tver, Russia
- Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Kuopio, Finland
- Huddersfield – Kirklees, United Kingdom
- Bielsko-Biała, Poland
- Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Bistriţa, Romania
- Pavia, Italy
- Hadera, Israel
- Douroula, Burkina Faso
- Man, Côte d'Ivoire
- Charlottesville – Virginia, United States
Images for kids
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Reconstruction of the Gallic (pre-Roman) oppidum of Vesontio
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Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor inherited the city and made it part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1032.
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The birthplace of Victor Hugo in Besançon
See also
In Spanish: Besanzón para niños