Hautes-Alpes
The department of Hautes -Alpes [ otzalp ] is a French department of order number 05 It is in the southeast of the country in the region Provence- Alpes -Cote d' Azur on the Italian border and was so named because here - you can see from the peaks of the Mont Blanc Massif in Haute- Savoie from - the highest mountains in France are.
Geography
The department borders the departments of Alpes- de -Haute -Provence, Drôme, Isère and Savoie, as well as to Italy.
The department is located in the southern part of the western Alps. With the 4,102 m high Barre des Ecrins, the summit of the southernmost four-thousand of the Alps is in the area of the department. The highest mountains are in addition to the Barre des Ecrins Meije ( 3,983 m), L' Ailefroide ( 3,953 m), Mont Pelvoux ( 3,946 m), the Pic Gaspard ( 3,883 m), the Pic de Neige Cordier - ( 3,613 m ). At passports, the Col du Galibier find ( 2,645 m), the Col d' Izoard ( 2,361 m), the Col de Vars ( 2,111 m ) and the Col du Lautaret ( 2,058 m).
A large part of the department is drained by the flowing southward Durance and its tributaries Buëch, Clarée, Guil and Guisane. Only the rivers Drac and Romanche flow north. The largest lake is the almost 30 sq km artificial lake Lac de Serre- Ponçon.
For the Hautes - Alpes includes the landscapes Briançonnais, Bochaine, Champsaur Dévoluy, Embrunais, Gapençais, Guillestrois, Laragnais, Queyras, Veynois, and the Pays des Ecrins Valgaudemar.
The Ecrins National Park and the Regional Natural Park of Queyras, the two major nature reserves in the area of the department of Hautes -Alpes dar.
Coat of arms
Description: The coat of arms is split and shows the front of a golden red Tolosanerkreuz and rear in gold a red beflossten blue dolphin. In the blue shield main three rows are sown golden lilies.
History
By a law of December 22, 1789 was born on March 4, 1790 Hautes-Alpes department as one of 83 departments. It was formed out of the southeastern part of the province of Dauphiné and the northern part of the province of Provence and divided into four arrondissements Briançon, Embrun, Gap and Serres with 39 cantons. Capital was the municipality Chorges, but changed the management in the same year to Gap. On February 17, 1800 was a new division of the cantons on the arrondissement, while the Arrondissement Serres was abolished. After the reform of September 10, 1926, the arrondissement Embrun was dissolved.
The Department used in the 60s and 70s, a friendship with the circle in Ilmenau GDR Suhl district.
Cities
One of the greatest places of the department include not only Gap ( 38,584 pop. ) And Briançon ( 11,645 inhabitants). Embrun ( 6267 Ew. ) Laragne- Montéglin ( 3532 Ew. ) And Veynes ( 3168 Ew. ). The population figures relate to the date of 1 January 2008. With Saint- Véran at an altitude of 2,042 m is also the highest municipality of France in the department of Hautes -Alpes.