Historically, Jura belonged to theFree County of Burgundy, known in French as theFranche-Comté.[6]Dole was the capital until the region was conquered byLouis XIV and the capital was moved toBesançon. Dole is now asous-préfecture, or sub-prefecture, of Jura.
As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the southern two-thirds of Jura spoke a dialect ofArpitan language. It continued to be spoken in rural areas into the 20th century.
The most populous commune isDole; the prefectureLons-le-Saunier is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are five communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:[5]
The Jura mountains are wooded and rolling, not craggy and rocky like theAlps.[9]
Many lakes can be found throughout the Jura, the largest natural lake beingLac de Chalain, measuring 3 km long and 1 km wide.Lac de Vouglans was formed after the building of ahydro-electric dam. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in France.
The climate of the Jura varies greatly by elevation. The lowervalleys are temperate and pleasant, but the high mountain valleys have bitterly cold winters.
The département contains no industrial cities: the few towns function as administrative and commercial centres serving Jura'srural 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.
_(05).jpg)
.svg)
.JPG)
