View source for Vaucluse

{{short description|Department in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Vaucluse
| native_name             = {{native name|oc|Vauclusa}}
| native_name_lang        = fr<!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| type                    = [[Departments of France|Department]]
| image_skyline           = {{Photomontage|position=center
   | photo1a = Avignon - Préfecture.jpg
   | photo1b = Avignone palazzo papi panorama.jpg
   | photo4a = Fontaine de Vaucluse 1.jpg
   | photo4b = Plan d'eau de Monnieux 2 by JM Rosier.JPG
   | photo2b = Gordes pano2.jpg
   | photo3a = SENANQUE Lavende - panoramio.jpg
   | size = 270
   | spacing = 2
   | color = #FFFFFF
   | border = 0
   | foot_montage = }}
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = From top down, left to right: [[Prefectures in France|prefecture]] building and {{Lang|fr|[[Palais des Papes]]|italic=no}} in [[Avignon]], [[Gordes]] (considered one of the [[Les Plus Beaux Villages de France|most beautiful villages of France]]), [[Sénanque Abbey]], [[Sorgue|Sorgue River]] and [[Nesque|Nesque River]]
| image_flag = Flag_of_the_Department_of_Vaucluse.svg
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Blason département Vaucluse.svg
| shield_alt              = 
| nickname                = 
| motto                   = 
| image_map               = Vaucluse-Position.svg
| map_alt                 = 
| map_caption             = Location of Vaucluse in France
| pushpin_map             = 
| pushpin_map_alt         = 
| pushpin_map_caption     = 
| coordinates             = {{coord|44|00|N|05|10|E|region:FR-84_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint           = 
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = France
| subdivision_type1       = [[Regions of France|Region]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 
| founder                 = 
| seat_type               = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]]
| seat                    = [[Avignon]]
| parts_type              = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefectures]]
| parts_style             = para
| p1                      = [[Apt, Vaucluse|Apt]]<br>[[Carpentras]]
| government_footnotes    = 
| leader_party            = [[The Republicans (France)|LR]]
| leader_title            = [[List of presidents of departmental councils (France)|President of the Departmental Council]]
| leader_name             = Dominique Santoni
| unit_pref               = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes          = {{ref|area|1}}
| area_total_km2          = 3567
| area_note               = 
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m             = 
| elevation_min_m         = 
| elevation_max_m         = 
| population_total        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_as_of        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population_footnotes    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes2}}
| population_rank         = [[List of French departments by population|47th]]
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_demonym      = 
| population_note         = 
| blank_name_sec1         = [[Departments of France|Department number]]
| blank_info_sec1         = 84
| blank_name_sec2         = [[Arrondissements of France|Arrondissements]]
| blank_info_sec2         = [[Arrondissements of the Vaucluse department|3]]
| blank1_name_sec2        = [[Cantons in France|Cantons]]
| blank1_info_sec2        = [[Cantons of the Vaucluse department|17]]
| blank2_name_sec2        = [[Communes in France|Communes]]
| blank2_info_sec2        = [[Communes of the Vaucluse department|151]]
| timezone1               = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1             = +1
| timezone1_DST           = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +2
| postal_code_type        = 
| postal_code             = 
| area_code_type          = 
| area_code               = 
| iso_code                = 
| website                 = 
| footnotes               = {{note|area|1}} French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than {{cvt|1|km2}}
}}

'''Vaucluse''' ({{IPA|fr|voklyz|lang}}; {{langx|oc|Vauclusa|label=[[Provençal dialect|Provençal]]}} {{small|([[Occitan language|Classical norm]])}} or {{lang|oc|Vau-Cluso}} {{small|([[Mistralian norm]])}}) is a [[Departments of France|department]] in the southeastern French [[Regions of France|region]] of [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.<ref name=pop2019>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep84.pdf Populations légales 2019: 84 Vaucluse], INSEE</ref> The department's [[Prefectures in France|prefecture]] is [[Avignon]].

It is named after a spring, the [[Fontaine de Vaucluse (spring)|Fontaine de Vaucluse]], one of the largest [[karst spring]]s in the world. The name Vaucluse itself derives from the Latin {{lang|la|Vallis Clausa}} ("closed valley") as the valley ends in a cliff face from which the spring emanates.

==History==
Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of [[Bouches-du-Rhône]], [[Drôme]] and Basses-Alpes, later renamed [[Alpes-de-Haute-Provence]]. The then rural department was, like the nearby city of [[Lyon]], a hotbed of the [[French Resistance]] in [[World War II]].

==Geography==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2021}}

Vaucluse is bordered by the [[Rhône]] to the west and the [[Durance]] to the south. Mountains occupy a significant proportion of the eastern half of the department, with [[Mont Ventoux]] (1,912 m), also known as "the Giant of Provence", dominating the landscape. Other important mountain ranges include the [[Dentelles de Montmirail]], the [[Monts de Vaucluse]] and the [[Luberon]].

The northern part of the department, the [[Canton of Valréas]], forms an enclave within the department [[Drôme]].

Fruit and vegetables are cultivated in great quantities in the lower-lying parts of the department, on one of the most fertile plains in [[Southern France]]. The Vaucluse department has a rather large [[exclave]] within the [[Drôme]] department, the [[Canton in France|canton]] of [[Valréas]] ([[Canton of Valréas|Enclave des Papes]]).

Vaucluse is also known for its [[karst]], including the [[karst spring]] Fontaine de Vaucluse after which "Vauclusian Risings" are named.

[[File:Fontaine de Vaucluse en crue.jpg|thumb|center|The [[Fontaine de Vaucluse (spring)|Fontaine de Vaucluse]] is the source of the [[Sorgue]]. It is characterised by an upward movement of water from the depth of over {{convert|315|m}}.]]

===Principal towns===
The most populous commune is [[Avignon]], the prefecture. As of 2019, there are six communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:<ref name=pop2019/>

{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2019)
|-
| [[Avignon]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 91,143
|-
| [[Carpentras]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 29,236
|-
| [[Orange, Vaucluse|Orange]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 28,772
|-
| [[Cavaillon]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 26,236
|-
| [[Pertuis]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 20,557
|-
| [[L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 20,042
|}

== Demographics ==
Population development since 1801:{{historical populations
|cols=2
|align=none
|percentages=pagr
|graph-pos=bottom
|13=1801|14=191,421
|15=1806|16=205,833
|17=1821|18=224,431
|19=1831|20=239,113
|21=1841|22=251,080
|23=1851|24=264,618
|25=1861|26=268,255
|27=1872|28=263,451
|29=1881|30=244,149
|31=1891|32=235,411
|33=1901|34=236,949
|35=1911|36=238,656
|37=1921|38=219,602
|39=1931|40=241,689
|41=1936|42=245,508
|43=1946|44=249,838
|45=1954|46=268,318
|47=1962|48=303,536
|49=1968|50=353,966
|51=1975|52=390,446
|53=1982|54=427,343
|55=1990|56=467,075
|57=1999|58=499,685
|59=2006|60=534,291
|61=2011|62=546,630
|63=2016|64=559,014
|65=2019|66=561,469
|67=2020|68=561,941
|footnote=Sources:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://splaf.free.fr/84his.html|title=Historique de Vaucluse|website=Le SPLAF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4176909?geo=DEP-84|title=Évolution et structure de la population en 2016|publisher=INSEE}}</ref>}}

==Politics==
===Departmental Council===
{{Main|Departmental Council of Vaucluse}}
{{multiple image
| perrow = 2
| total_width = 280
| footer = Composition since the 2021 election
| header = [[Departmental Council of Vaucluse]]
| caption_align = center
| footer_align = center
| align = right
| image1 = Vaucluse Conseil départemental 2021.svg
}}

Following the [[2021 French departmental elections|2021 departmental election]], Dominique Santoni of [[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]] was elected [[List of presidents of departmental councils (France)|President of the Departmental Council]]. She succeeded Maurice Chabert, who had held the office since 2015.

The Departmental Council of Vaucluse has 34 seats. The [[Left Front (France)|Left Front]] (FG) currently has 2 seats, the [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]] (PS) has 7, [[Europe Ecology – The Greens]] (EELV) has 3, the [[miscellaneous right]] (DVD) has 2, [[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]] (LR) have 10, the [[National Rally (France)|National Rally]] has 6 and a local party, the [[Ligue du Sud]] (LS), has 4.{{update|part=the composition of the departmental council|date=July 2022}}

===Members of the National Assembly===
====2022 legislative election====
In the [[2022 French legislative election|2022 legislative election]], Vaucluse elected the following representatives to the National Assembly:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member!!Party
|-
|{{party color cell|National Rally}}
| [[Vaucluse's 1st constituency]]
| [[Joris Hébrard]]
| [[National Rally]]
|-
|{{party color cell|National Rally}}
| [[Vaucluse's 2nd constituency]]
| [[Bénédicte Auzanot]]
| [[National Rally]]
|-
|{{party color cell|National Rally}}
| [[Vaucluse's 3rd constituency]]
| [[Hervé de Lépinau]]
| [[National Rally]]
|-
|{{party color cell|Ligue du Sud}}
| [[Vaucluse's 4th constituency]]
| [[Marie-France Lorho]]
| [[League of the South (France)|Ligue du Sud]]
|-
|{{party color cell|Renaissance (French political party)}}
| [[Vaucluse's 5th constituency]]
| [[Jean-François Lovisolo]]
| [[Renaissance (French political party)|Renaissance]]
|}

====2017 legislative election====
During the [[2017 French legislative election|2017 legislative election]], Vaucluse elected the following [[Member of Parliament (France)|representatives]] to the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]]:<ref>[https://www.nosdeputes.fr/circonscription/departement/Vaucluse List of members for Vaucluse] (in French), on www.nosdeputes.fr.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member!!Party
|-
|{{party color cell|La République En Marche!}}
| [[Vaucluse's 1st constituency]]
| [[Jean-François Cesarini]]
| [[La République En Marche!]]
|-
|{{party color cell|The Republicans (France)}}
| [[Vaucluse's 2nd constituency]]
| [[Jean-Claude Bouchet]]
| [[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]]
|-
|{{party color cell|La République En Marche!}}
| [[Vaucluse's 3rd constituency]]
| [[Brune Poirson]]
| [[La République En Marche!]]
|-
|{{party color cell|Independent}}
| [[Vaucluse's 4th constituency]]
| [[Jacques Bompard]]
| [[League of the South (France)|League of the South]]
|-
|{{party color cell|The Republicans (France)}}
| [[Vaucluse's 5th constituency]]
| [[Julien Aubert]]
| [[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]]
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki>On 21 July 2017, [[Brune Poirson]] resigned from office to join the [[Second Philippe government]] as [[Secretary of State (France)|Secretary of State]] to the [[Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy|Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition]]. She was replaced in the National Assembly by [[Adrien Morenas]].

<nowiki>**</nowiki>[[Jacques Bompard]] resigned in August 2017 to become [[Mayor (France)|Mayor]] of [[Orange, Vaucluse|Orange]]. He was replaced by [[Marie-France Lorho]].

==Transport==
===Air===
[[Avignon–Provence Airport]] is the only airport in Vaucluse. However, there are no scheduled flights to and from the airport. Other nearby airports such as [[Marseille Provence Airport]], [[Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport]] and [[Nice Côte d'Azur Airport]] are also used by air travellers from the department.

==Tourism==
<gallery widths=200 heights=160>
File:Saint-benezet in southeastern France.jpg|[[Pont Saint-Bénezet]] in [[Avignon]]
File:Brantes Vue d'ensemble 5.JPG|[[Brantes]]
File:TrBogen Orange.jpg|[[Triumphal Arch of Orange]]
File:DentelleMontmirail.jpg|[[Dentelles de Montmirail]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Arrondissements of the Vaucluse department]]
* [[Cantons of the Vaucluse department]]
* [[Communes of the Vaucluse department]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.vaucluse.fr/accueil/ Website of the Departmental Council] {{in lang|fr}} ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906195621/http://www.vaucluse.fr/accueil/ |date=2018-09-06 }})
* [http://www.vaucluse.pref.gouv.fr/ Prefecture website] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Departments of France}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Vaucluse| ]]
[[Category:1793 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Departments of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1793]]