The Var department takes its name from the riverVar, which flowed along its eastern boundary, until the boundary was moved in 1860 and the department is no longer associated with the river. It is part of theFrench Riviera, a major touristic area of the country.
The department of Var was one of the 83 original departments created at the time of theFrench Revolution, on 4 March 1790, from a portion of the former royalprovince ofProvence.
Toulon, the historical capital city of Var, was returned that title in 1974.Napoleon arriving in Fréjus, 1799
Its capital was originallyToulon, but this was moved toGrasse in 1793 to punish the Toulonnais for yielding the town to the British in 1793. Subsequently, the capital was moved toBrignoles in 1795, then toDraguignan in 1797. It was not returned toToulon until 1974.
In 1815, following the defeat ofNapoleon atWaterloo the department was occupied by Austrian troops until November 1818. In 1854 the first railroad reached Toulon.
With the creation of the new department ofAlpes-Maritimes in 1860 and following the annexation by France of Nice, the eastern part of the department, corresponding to thearrondissement of Grasse, was moved to the new department. This move also shifted the river Var, which had given the department its name, to the new department.
TheFirst World War (1914–1918) stimulated growth in shipyards and military industries in the region, but weakened the agricultural and food industries. In 1942 the German Army moved fromOccupied France into thezone libre, which included the Var department. The French Fleet was sabotaged in Toulon Harbour to keep it from falling into German hands. TheMaquis Vallier, a group ofmaquisresistance fighters, was active. On 15 August 1944 American andFree French forces land atSaint-Tropez,Sainte-Maxime andSaint-Raphaël. The Free French fleet arrived at Toulon on 13 September.
The Var department has a surface area of 6,032 km2. It has 420 km of coastline, including the offshore islands. 56% of its surface area is covered with forest. Its geological formations are divided into two regions: one composed oflimestone to the northwest of a line between Toulon and Draguignan and of crystalline rock (quartz) to the southeast.
The department is in the foothills of theFrench Alps and largely mountainous. Major mountains include:
TheSainte-Baume mountain ridge (1,147 m), in the west.
Mountain of Lachens (1,715 m), in the northwest of the department, and the highest point in the Var.
The plateau ofCanjuers (French:Plan de Canjuers) in the northeast of Var gradually rises from 500 to 1,000 metres. In the south and west there are several plateaus, such as the plateau of Siou Blanc to the north of Toulon, which rise from 400 to 700 metres in altitude.
TheCanyon du Verdon, the gorges of the Verdon River, is a popular place for hikers, kayakers, and nature lovers.
The department of Var has aMediterranean climate, slightly warmer, drier and sunnier than Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes, but is also less sheltered from the wind. Toulon has an average of 2899.3 hours of sunshine each year.[4] The average maximum daily temperature in August is 29.1 °C, and the average daily minimum temperature in January is 5.8 °C.[4] The average annual rainfall is 665 mm.[4] Winds exceeding 16 m/s (57.6 km/h) blow an average of 116 days per year in Toulon,[4] compared with 77 days per year atFréjus further east.[5]
In 2019, the population of Var was 1,076,711, of whom 51% live in the agglomeration (urban unit) ofToulon, the prefecture and most populous commune.[8] As of 2019, there are nine communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:[3]
Since 2022,La Garde MayorJean-Louis Masson (LR) has been President of the Departmental Council of Var. His governing majority comprises all councillors except the two elected under the National Rally banner, who form the opposition.
The principal industry of Var is tourism, thanks largely to the big summer influx of tourists to the South of France and the Mediterranean coast in particular, but also inland to theVerdon River Canyon and hilltop villages and vineyards.
The construction industry employs 28,000 workers in the Var of which 4,000 work alone and 4,500 companies employ the remaining 24,000 salaried workers. Industry generates an annual turnover of €2.5 billion. Of this, €500 million is derived from public works.[9]
800 km2 or 13% of the total area is dedicated to agriculture, on which 40,000 people (14% of the Var working population) depend for their livelihoods. The department also has 10 km2 of horticultural land (of which 4 km2 are covered). Var is France's largest grower ofcut flowers, producing some 500 million stems a year. Livestock farming is mainly sheep (50,000) and goats (4,200). Vines and viticultural related activities account for 345 km2 of farmland. The 450domaines orcoopératives and the 4 AOCs (appellation d'origine contrôlée) produce 150 million litres of wine a year. Var leads the world in the production of rosé wine.
Other important agricultural products include olives (cultivated on 42 km2 of land—a quarter of all French olive groves—and processed in 40 mills), figs (the Var produces 80% of France's figs), and honey (800 tonnes per year). There are also 9 km2 of market gardens.
Agricultural turnover in Var is€610 million per year, of which 45% is sales of wines and 42% of horticultural products.[10]
In 2008 the Var department received approximately €15 million in farm subsidies under the EU Common Agriculture Policy, an average of about €6,000 per recipient farm. This compares with an average across France as a whole of over €18,000 per farm.[11]
AOC Coteaux varois en Provence is a recentappellation d'origine contrôlée in Provence. The name Coteaux Varois was first used in 1945, and became an AOC in 1993. the name was changed to Couteaux Varois en Provence in 2005. The red wines principally use thegrenache,cinsaut,mourvèdre andsyrah grapes. White wines use theclairette,grenache blanc, rolle blanc, Sémillon Blanc, and Ugni Blanc. There are 22 km2 in this AOL. It produces 80% rosés, 17% red wines, and 3% white wines.
.jpg)
