| Alpilles | |
|---|---|
| Chaîne des Alpilles | |
 Alpilles near the town ofMaussane-les-Alpilles | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Tour des Opies, Eyguières |
| Elevation | 498 m (1,634 ft) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 25 km (16 mi) |
| Width | 8 km (5.0 mi) |
| Area | 171 km2 (66 sq mi) |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bouches-du-Rhône |
TheAlpilles (French:chaîne des Alpilles[ʃɛːndez‿alpij],lit. 'Chain of the Little Alps') is a small range of low mountains inProvence,southern France, located about 20 km (12 mi) south ofAvignon.
The range is an extension of the much largerLuberon range. Although it is not high – some 498 m (1,634 ft) at its highest point – the Alpilles range stands out impressively, as it rises abruptly from theRhône valley and from the very flat alluvial plain ofCrau. The range is about 25 km long by about 8 to 10 km wide, running in an east–west direction between the Rhône andDurance rivers. The landscape of the Alpilles is one of aridlimestone peaks separated by dry valleys.
The Chaîne des Alpilles is part of the territory of 15communes:[1]Aureille,Les Baux-de-Provence,Eygalières,Eyguières,Fontvieille,Mas-Blanc-des-Alpilles,Maussane-les-Alpilles,Mouriès,Paradou,Orgon,Saint-Étienne-du-Grès,Saint-Martin-de-Crau,Saint-Rémy-de-Provence,Sénas,Tarascon.
The lower slopes are planted witholive andalmond trees.Kermes oaks andpines also grow there. Much of the range is bare rock or stony ground covered with scrub andmaquis.
The highest parts of the range are a nature reserve inhabited by a number of rare species, includingBonelli's eagle, theEgyptian vulture andeagle owl.Some of these species were introduced in the Alpilles in the 1980s[citation needed].
Someprotohistorical settlements have been found in the Alpilles. In the very old village ofLes Baux de Provence, a cave was used 8000 years ago.
TheParc Naturel Régional des Alpilles was created on January 30, 2007.[2] It covers the territory of 16 communes. The area is also under the protection of theNatura 2000 Environmental Protection Plan of the European Union.[3]
The Alpilles were immortalized in art byVincent van Gogh, who painted many images of the Alpilles' landscapes during his time inSaint-Rémy-de-Provence on the north side of the mountains. One of the paintings was given by van Gogh to his friendEugène Boch.[4]
Alphonse Daudet's 1885 novelTartarin sur les Alpes, which is a sequel to the 1872Tartarin de Tarascon, takes place in the Alpilles.
| National | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
43°45′00″N4°50′00″E / 43.75000°N 4.83333°E /43.75000; 4.83333
