Champagne-Ardenne

Champagne-Ardenne is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium, and consists of four departments: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. The region is famous for its sparkling white wine (champagne). Its rivers, most of which flow west, include the Seine, the Marne, and the Aisne. The Meuse flows north.

Highways

 * A4 connecting Paris and Strasbourg and serving the Reims metropolitan area
 * A5 connecting Paris and Dijon and serving Troyes and Chaumont
 * A26 connecting Calais and Dijon and serving Reims and Châlons-en-Champagne
 * A34 connecting Reims and the Belgian border and serving Charleville-Mézières

Rail
The rail network includes the Paris–Strasbourg line, which follows the Marne Valley and serves Épernay, Châlons-en-Champagne, and Vitry-le-François. The LGV Est TGV line also connecting Paris and Strasbourg opened in 2007 and serves Reims with a train station in the commune of Bezannes.

Water
The region's canals include the Canal latéral à la Marne and Marne-Rhine Canal, the latter connecting to the Marne at Vitry-le-François. These are petit gabarit canals.

Air
The Vatry International Airport, primarily dedicated to air freight, has a runway 3650 m long. The airport is in a sparsely populated area just 150 km from Paris.

See also: Ardennes

Economy

 * 61.4% of its land is dedicated to agriculture
 * 1st in France for the production of barley and alfalfa
 * 2nd in France for the production of beets, onions, and peas
 * 3rd in France for the production of tender wheat and rapeseed.
 * 282.37 km² of vineyards
 * Champagne sales in 2001: 263 million bottles (4% increase from 2000) of which 37.6% were exported.
 * 25% of French hosiery production
 * 3rd metallurgic region in France

Businesses

 * Verreries Mécaniques de Champagne
 * Produits Métallurgiques à Reims
 * Vallou

Food processing

 * Champagne-Céréales
 * France-Luzerne
 * Béghin-Say

Demographics
The population of Champagne-Ardenne has been in steady decrease since 1982 due to a rural exodus. With 1.3 million people and a density of 52/km², it is one of France's least populated regions. After a brief period of stabilization in the 1990s, the region's population is now among the fastest "dying" in Europe, with several municipalities losing people at a faster rate than a lot of Eastern European areas, especially in the Haute-Marne department. The region is among the oldest in France, has a weak fertility rate, and its immigrant population, while growing, is still minimal compared to the national average.

Tourism
Champagne-Ardenne has the following:
 * 291 approved tourist hotels offering 8,000 rooms
 * 152 bed and breakfasts
 * 18 museums
 * 92 screens in local cinemas
 * 16 theatres
 * 10 golf courses
 * 650 km of waterways
 * 8 lakes reserved for tourists, including the Lake Der-Chantecoq, the largest man-made lake in Europe

Visitors often go to Champagne because of its history and its world-famous wine. However, their itineraries diverge when they discover the region's cultural heritage and its cuisine: some visit Troyes and its ancient houses, others visit Langres and its walls, Châlons-en-Champagne and it Cloister, still others visit Épernay, Reims, or Colombey-les-deux-Églises.

Major communities

 * Châlons-en-Champagne
 * Charleville-Mézières
 * Chaumont
 * Épernay
 * Reims
 * Saint-Dizier
 * Sedan
 * Troyes