^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2
Territorial evolution of the departments in and aroundAlsace–Lorraine, showing the boundary of the 1871–1918German Empire in yellow, separating the Territoire de Belfort (labelled 90) from the rest ofHaut-Rhin (68)
The administrative district of Territoire de Belfort was created under the terms of the 1871Treaty of Frankfurt. TheGerman Empire annexed almost all of Alsace. Still, the French were able to negotiate the retention of the Territoire de Belfort, which was thereby separated from the rest of Alsace (where it had been part of the department ofHaut-Rhin). There were three principal reasons for this exceptional treatment:
The population in and aroundBelfort was French-speaking.
Since Belfort is situated in a relatively flat passage between the Vosges and Jura mountain ranges (known as theBelfort Gap), the Germans agreed to leave the city in France, as Prussian military officers indicated that this strategy would give Germany a more defensible border.[4]
After retaining its unique status as aterritoire for just over half a century, Belfort was officially recognized as France's 90th department in 1922. France had recoveredAlsacethree years earlier, but the decision was made not to reintegrate Belfort intoits former department. There was talk of giving it a new departmental name, with suggestions that included "Savoureuse" (after the main river of the new department) or "Mont-Terrible" (the name of a formerNapoleonic department embracing parts ofSwitzerland). Still, there was no consensus for a name change, and the department continues to be known as the Territoire de Belfort.
Geographers might contend that Belfort lies on the ridge that divides two regions of France, but before1870, it was politically part ofAlsace. However, in terms of the politicalregions established in 1982, the Territoire de Belfort has found itself in theFranche-Comté rather thanAlsace.
The department has an area of only 609 km2 (235 sq. miles), making it the fifth smallest ofMetropolitan France (after Paris and its suburbs,Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, andVal-de-Marne). It is slightly smaller thanSaint Lucia orJakarta, Indonesia.
The median net income per household for the department in 2017 was €21,310. The averaged figure for the Territoire de Belfort masked relatively large disparities, such as that betweenBelfort itself at €17,920 andBermont at €26,600.[5]
In 2019, the department recorded a population of 141,318. Of these, slightly more than 46,000 live in the commune ofBelfort itself, which accounts for over 32% of the department's population.
Four principal phases can be identified in the population trends during the two centuries between 1801 and 2000.
The period from 1800 to 1872 was marked by steady economic development and a relatively high birth rate. However, thecholera epidemic, which in 1851 arose from increasing urbanisation, along with a more general economic slow-down, reduced the rate of increase in the third quarter of the century. Between 1803 and 1872, the recorded population increased from 37,558 to 56,781.
Afterthe loss to Germany of most ofAlsace in1871, the Belfort population was boosted by the arrival of large numbers of refugees from "Germanisation": the years between 1871 and 1914 saw the development of large factories, with the mechanical and textile sectors being prominent growth areas. The population increase and the economic development were at their most intense in the Belfort conglomeration itself. By 1911, the territoire's population figure stood at 101,392.
Between 1914 and 1945, the economic narrative was dominated by two world wars and the period of stagnation that came between them. The population declined, having dropped to 86,648 in 1946.
After1945, the region became a focus for industrial growth, with population levels following a similar rise trend, reaching 131,999 by 1982. Nevertheless, as in many parts of France, from about 1980 it became clear that theeconomic crisis of the 1970s was having a lasting effect, slowing the pace of expansion.
