Privas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Privas

A view of Privas.

Coat of arms

Privas

Location in France

Privas

Location in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Country

Privas

Privas Centre Ardèche

Area

12.14 km² (4.69 sq mi)

Population

(2014)

8,313

• Density

684.8/km² (1,773.5/sq mi)

Privadois

• Summer (DST)

INSEE/Postal code

07186 /07000

Elevation

200–750 m (660–2,460 ft)
(avg. 475 m or 1,558 ft)

Website

www.mairie-privas.fr

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Privas is a small town in southeastern France. It is the main town, or capital, of the Ardèche department. This department is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Privas is special because it is the smallest capital city of any department in France.

Today, Privas is famous for its delicious sweets made from chestnuts. One popular treat is the marron glacé, which is a candied chestnut.

History of Privas
Geography of Privas
- Climate in Privas
Population of Privas
How Privas is Governed
- Sister Cities of Privas
Images for kids
Related Articles
See also

History of Privas

When the Ardèche department was first created on March 4, 1790, Privas shared the role of capital with a few other towns. These towns were Annonay, Aubenas, Le Bourg, and Tournon. However, by September of that same year, Privas became the only capital of the department.

Geography of Privas

The town of Privas is located in the central eastern part of the Ardèche department. It sits in the valley of the Ouvèze river. This river is a smaller stream that flows into the larger Rhône river. Privas is also in the middle of a special area called the "Bassin Privadois."

The town covers an area of about 12.1 km² (4.7 sq mi). Its average height above sea level is 475 m (1,558 ft). Right at the town hall, the height is 298 m (978 ft).

Here are the distances from Privas to some other major cities:

Paris, the capital of France - 602 km (374 mi)
Lyon, the capital of the region - 142 km (88 mi)
Marseille - 209 km (130 mi)
Strasbourg - 633 km (393 mi)
Reims - 626 km (389 mi)
Bordeaux - 672 km (418 mi)
Toulouse - 434 km (270 mi)
Montpellier - 195 km (121 mi)
Nice - 365 km (227 mi)

Privas is surrounded by several other towns, or communes:

Veyras	Lyas	Coux
Saint-Priest		Coux
	Privas

Freyssenet	Alissas	Alissas

Climate in Privas

Privas has a climate that is often called an "Oceanic climate". This means it has mild temperatures and rainfall throughout the year, similar to places near the ocean.

Population of Privas

The people who live in Privas are called Privadois in French. If you are talking about women from Privas, you would say Privadoises.

Privas has a population of 8,313 people. This means there are about 685 people living in each square kilometer. It is the smallest capital city of a department in France in terms of population.

How the population of Privas has changed over time

How Privas is Governed

Privas has been the main administrative center, or prefecture, of the Ardèche department since the year 1800. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Privas. An arrondissement is like a district within a department.

Privas is also the main town of the Privas canton. A canton is a smaller administrative area. This canton includes Privas and 14 other towns, with a total of 20,402 people living there in 2014.

The town is part of a group of towns called Privas Centre Ardèche. This group works together on different projects for the area.

Sister Cities of Privas

Privas has special friendships with towns in other countries. These are called "sister cities" or "twinned towns." They often share cultural exchanges and visits. Privas is twinned with: