Jura (department)

Jura (/ˈ(d)ʒʊərə/ JOOR-ə, ZHOOR-ə, French: [ʒyʁa] ⓘ) is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the Jura Mountains, its prefecture is Lons-le-Saunier. Its subprefectures are Dole and Saint-Claude. In 2019, Jura had a population of 259,199.[3] Its INSEE code is 39. It has a short portion of the border of Switzerland.

For other places with the same name, see Jura (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with the Swiss Republic and Canton of Jura.
Jura
Department of France
JuraFlag.svg
Flag
Coat of arms of Jura
Coat of arms
Location of Jura in France
Location of Jura in France
Coordinates: 46°40′31″N 5°33′16″E
CountryFrance
RegionBourgogne-Franche-Comté
PrefectureLons-le-Saunier
SubprefecturesDole
Saint-Claude
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilClément Pernot[1] (DVD)
Area
1
 • Total4,999 km2 (1,930 sq mi)
Highest elevation
1,200 m (3,900 ft)
Lowest elevation
200 m (700 ft)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
 • Total258,798
 • Rank83rd
 • Density52/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number39
Arrondissements3
Cantons17
Communes494
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

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 the capital was moved to Besançon. Dole is now a sous-préfecture, or sub-prefecture, of Jura.

As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the southern two-thirds of Jura spoke a dialect of Arpitan language. It continued to be spoken in rural areas into the 20th century.

Jura is one of the original 83 départements of France, it being created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was established from part of the former province of Franche-Comté. The prefecture is Lons-le-Saunier.

Demographics

Population development since 1801:

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1801288,151—    
1806300,050+0.81%
1821301,768+0.04%
1831312,504+0.35%
1841316,884+0.14%
1851313,299−0.11%
1861298,053−0.50%
1872287,634−0.32%
1881285,263−0.09%
1891273,028−0.44%
1901261,288−0.44%
1911252,713−0.33%
1921229,062−0.98%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1931229,109+0.00%
1936220,797−0.74%
1946216,386−0.20%
1954220,202+0.22%
1962225,682+0.31%
1968233,547+0.57%
1975238,856+0.32%
1982242,925+0.24%
1990248,759+0.30%
1999250,857+0.09%
2006257,399+0.37%
2011261,294+0.30%
2016260,517−0.06%
Sources:[4][5]

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Dole; the prefecture Lons-le-Saunier is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:[3]

Commune Population (2019)
Dole 23,711
Lons-le-Saunier 17,189
Saint-Claude 8,985
Champagnole 8,014
Hauts de Bienne 5,275

Geography

Jura is one of eight départements of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region 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.

Many lakes can be found throughout the Jura, the largest natural lake being Lac de Chalain, measuring 3 km long and 1 km wide. Lac de Vouglans was formed after the building of a hydro-electric dam. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in France.

Politics

Departmental politics

The President of the Departmental Council has been Clément Pernot (miscellaneous right) since 2015.

PartySeats
• Union for a Popular Movement15
Socialist Party8
Miscellaneous left6
French Communist Party3
• Miscellaneous right2

Members of the National Assembly

In the 2017 legislative election, Jura elected the following representatives to the National Assembly:

ConstituencyMember[6]Party
Jura's 1st constituency Danielle Brulebois La République En Marche!
Jura's 2nd constituency Marie-Christine Dalloz The Republicans
Jura's 3rd constituency Jean-Marie Sermier The Republicans

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.

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.

The département contains no industrial cities: the few towns function as administrative and commercial centres serving Jura's rural economy. In the absence of large-scale industrial enterprises, small artisanal businesses play an important role. The Jura CFA (Centre for apprenticeship and training) recently recorded 752 current apprenticeships in trades such as building, baking, butchery, hair dressing, car repairing, sales and other non-factory based occupations.

Tourism

The Jura mountains provide ample opportunities for hiking, skiing, as well as other winter sports.

See also

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
  2. "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. Populations légales 2019: 39 Jura, INSEE
  4. "Historique du Jura". Le SPLAF.
  5. "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
  6. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale (in French). Retrieved 2021-03-09.
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