Doubs
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| Doubs | |
|---|---|
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| The Doubs coat of arms | |
| Location | |
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| Administration | |
| Département number: | 25 |
| Région: | Franche-Comté |
| Préfecture: | Besançon |
| Sub-Préfectures: | Montbéliard Pontarlier |
| Arrondissements: | 3 |
| Cantons: | 35 |
| Communes: | 594 |
| Conseiller Général: | Claude Jeannerot |
| Statistics | |
| Population | Ranked 51st |
| -1999 | 499,062 |
| Population density: | 95/km² |
| Land area¹: | 5234 km² |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km². | |
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- This article refers to the French department; for other meanings see Doubs (disambiguation).
Doubs is a département in eastern France named after the Doubs River. Its pronunciation is /du/ (the last two letters are silent).
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[edit] History
As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the northern two-thirds of Doubs spoke the Franc-Comtois language, a dialect of Langue d'Oïl. Residents of the southern third of Doubs spoke a dialect of the Franco-Provençal language. Both languages co-existed with French, the official language of law and commerce, and continued to be spoken in rural areas into the 20th century.
Doubs was important as a portal to Switzerland through the pass at Joux. Many famous people, including Mirabeau, Toussaint Louverture and Heinrich von Kleist, were imprisoned in the Château de Joux.
Doubs 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 préfecture (capital) is Besançon.
In 1793, the republic of Mandeure was added to the département, and in 1816 the principality of Montbéliard.
Victor Hugo and Auguste and Louis Lumière are among the famous people born in Doubs.
[edit] Geography
Doubs is part of the current region of Franche-Comté and is surrounded by the French départements of Jura, Haute-Saône, and Territoire de Belfort, and the Swiss cantons of Vaud, Neuchâtel, and Jura.
The département is dominated by the Jura mountains, which rise east of Besançon.
[edit] Demographics
The inhabitants of the département are called Doubistes.
[edit] Tourism
The castles at Joux and Besançon are important tourist destinations.
[edit] See also
- Cantons of the Doubs département
- Communes of the Doubs département
- Arrondissements of the Doubs département
[edit] External links
- List of the communes of Doubs département on the website
- http://www.chateaudejoux.com/
- http://www.besancon.fr/
Doubs is also a commune of the Doubs département.
