Marne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marne
Department
Prefecture building of the Marne department, in Châlons-en-Champagne
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Marne in France
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Département	4 March 1790
Prefecture	Châlons-en-Champagne
Subprefectures	Épernay, Reims, Sainte-Menehould, Vitry-le-François
Area
• Total	8,161.6 km2 (3,151.2 sq mi)
Population  (2013)
• Total	569,999
• Density	69.8391/km2 (180.8825/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	FR-51
Arrondissements	5
Cantons	23
Communes	617

Marne is a department in northeastern France named after the river Marne which flows through the department. The prefecture (capital) of Marne is Châlons-en-Champagne (formerly known as Châlons-sur-Marne).

The Champagne vineyards producing the world-famous sparkling wine are located within Marne.

History

Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790 with Châlons-sur-Marne as is capital. It was formed with part of the former province of Champagne.

It was divided in six districts: Châlons-sur-Marne, Reims, Épernay, Sézanne, Sainte-Menehould and Vitry-le-François.

In 1800, with the creation of the arrondissements in France, the six districts were changed into five arrondissements: Châlons-sur-Marne, Épernay, Reims, Sainte-Menehould and Vitry-le-François.

After the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815), the department was occupied by the Austrian army from June 1815 to November 1818.

On 10 September 1926, the arrondissement of Sainte-Menehould was eliminated but in 1940 Sainte-Menehould was made again an arrondissement.

In 1995, the name of Châlons-sur-Marne was changed to Châlons-en-Champagne but it was rejected in 1997. But, finally, this change was accepted in 1998.

Geography

The Marne department is in the Grand Est region after being part of the Champagne-Ardenne region till 2016. It is bordered by 3 regions and 6 departments:

• Grand Est region
  • Ardennes department (north)
  • Meuse department (east)
  • Haute-Marne department (southeast)
  • Aube department (south)
• Île-de-France region
  • Seine-et-Marne department (southwest)
• Hauts-de-France region
  • Aisne department (west)

		Ardennes
	Aisne		Meuse
		Marne
	Seine-et-Marne	Aube	Haute-Marne

Marne has an area of 8,161.6 km² (3,151 sq mi), the 7th largest department of the Metropolitan France. The department is 116 km (72 mi) long from Villeneuve-la-Lionne to Trois-Fontaines-l'Abbaye, and 97 km (60 mi) wide from Cormicy to Clesles.

Vineyard in Cramant.

There are three geographic regions in the department:

1. The Champagne crayeuse in the centre of the department; it is a plain where cereals are grown.
2. A region with low hills in the eastern part of the department.
3. Champagne vineyards, in the western part of the deparment. Here is the Montagne de Reims ("Mountain of Reims") where are the highest points of the department in the forests of the Verzey commune; several hills are 286 m (938 ft) high (49°8′19″N 04°9′12″E / 49.13861°N 4.15333°E / 49.13861; 4.15333 (Foret Domaniale de Verzey))..

The Marne river flows through the department from the southeast to the west.

Climate

This area is characterized by climates with few extremes of temperature. The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Châlons-en-Champagne is a "Marine West Coast Climate" and of the subtype "Cfb".

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Châlons-en-Champagne is 627.4 mm (24.7 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is July with 61 mm (2.4 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of 40.6 mm (1.6 in).

The average temperature for the year in Châlons-en-Champagne is 10 °C (50 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 20 °C (68 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 0 °C (32 °F)

Administration

Marne is managed by the General Council of Marne in Châlons-en-Champagne. The department is part of the Grand Est region.

Administrative divisions

There are 5 arrondissements (districts), 23 cantons and 617 communes (municipalities) in Marne.

The following is a list of the 23 cantons of the Marne department, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:

Gallery

• 

  The Porte Mars in Reims.

• 

  Cathedral of Reims

• 

  Vineyards near Epernay

• 

  Notre-Dame-en-Vaux church in Châlons-en-Champagne

• 

  Valmy Battlefield

Related pages

• Arrondissements of the Marne department
• Communes of the Marne department

See also

In Spanish: Marne (desambiguación) para niños