Jura (département)

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Jura
Image:Blason39.PNG
The Jura coat of arms
Location

Administration
Département number:	39
Région:	Franche-Comté
Préfecture:	Lons-le-Saunier
Sub-Préfectures:	Dole Saint-Claude
Arrondissements:	3
Cantons:	34
Communes:	545
Conseiller Général:	Gérard Bailly
Statistics
Population	Ranked 79th
-1999	250,857
Population density:	50/km²
Land area¹:	4999 km²

¹ French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km².
Image:Flag of France.svg

Jura is a département in the east of France named after the Jura mountains (not be confused with the Swiss canton of Jura).

1 History
2 Geography
3 Climate
4 Economy
5 Tourism
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] History

Historically, Jura belonged to the Free County of Burgundy, known in French as the Franche-Comté. Dole was the capital until the region was conquered by Louis XIV and it was moved to Besançon. It is now a sous-préfecture of Jura.

As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the southern 2/3 of Jura spoke a dialect of the Franco-Provençal language. It continued to be spoken in rural areas into the 20th century.

Jura was one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Franche-Comté. The départements of Jura, Doubs, and Haute-Saône form the modern Franche-Comté région of France. The préfecture (capital) is Lons-le-Saunier.

[edit] Geography

Jura is one of three départements of the Franche-Comté région and is surrounded by the French départements of Doubs, Haute-Saône, Côte-d'Or, Saône-et-Loire, and Ain, as well as the Swiss canton of Vaud on the east.

The Jura mountains are wooded and rolling, not craggy and rocky like the Alps.

[edit] Climate

The climate of the Jura varies greatly by elevation. The lower valleys are temperate and pleasant, but the high mountain valleys have bitterly cold winters.

[edit] Economy

Jura is a wine-growing region. The Jura wines are very distinctive and unusual wines, such as vin jaune, which is made by a similar process to sherry, developing under a flor of yeast. This is made from the local Savagnin grape variety. Other grape varieties include Poulsard, Trousseau, and Chardonnay.