France Attractions Rhone-Alpes

Country Name: French Republic

Capital City: Paris

Population: 60,876,136 (2006)

Population Growth: 0.35% (2006)

Currency: euro (EUR)

Languages: French

Area: 547,030 sq km

Inflation Rate: 1.5% (2006 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 8.7% (December 2006)

Domain extension: .fr

FRANCE ATTRACTIONS BY PROVINCE

Rhone-Alpes -Rh?ne-Alpes Region s is one of the 26 r?gions of France. The r?gion was named after the Rh?ne River and the Alps mountain range. It is a prosperous r?gion, second only to ?le-de-France (home to Paris, the capital). This can be attributed to the diversity of the economics : agriculture in the Ain, hi-tech industry in Lyon and tourism in the Alps (many of France's best-known ski resorts are found in Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Is?re), hi-tech industry in Grenoble. It should be noted, too, that Rh?ne-Alpes is a major European transit hub, linking northern France and countries to the Mediterranean area : the French riviera, Spain and Portugal, and Italy.

Rhone-Alpes Main Attraction province

Lyon is a city in east central France. Together with its suburbs and satellite towns, Lyon forms the second largest metropolitan area in France after Paris, and approximately the 20th to 25th largest metropolitan area of Western Europe. Lyon is the capital of the Rh?ne-Alpes r?gion. Lyon was an early center for printing books, and nurtured a circle of 16th century poets. For several centuries Lyon has been known as the capitals of gastronomy, fine handweaving, and the silk trade. The Lumi?re brothers invented cinema in the town in 1898. December 8 each year is marked by a Lumi?re festival, with the local population putting lamps in their windows. Two of France's best known wine-growing regions are located near Lyon: the Beaujolais to the North, and the C?tes du Rh?ne to the South. (Photo: Author: Aoineko License: GNUFDL)