Bouches-du-Rhône

Department

Prefecture building of the Bouches-du-Rhône department, in Marseille

Flag

Coat of arms

Location of Bouches-du-Rhône in France

Coordinates: 43°30′N 5°5′E / 43.500°N 5.083°ECoordinates: 43°30′N 5°5′E / 43.500°N 5.083°E

Country

France

Region

Provence-Alpes-
Côte d'Azur

Prefecture

Marseille

Subprefectures

Aix-en-Provence
Arles
Istres

Government

• President of the General Council

Martine Vassal (LR)

Area

• Total

5,087 km² (1,964 sq mi)

Population (2013)

• Total

1,993,177

• Rank

3rd

• Density

390/km² (1,000/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km²

Bouches-du-Rhône (French pronunciation: [buʃ.dy.ʁon]; Occitan: Bocas de Ròse, lit. "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.

Bouches-du-Rhône is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the western part of the former province of Provence and the principalities of Orange, Martigues, and Lambesc. It lost part of its territory in 1793, including Orange and Apt, when the Vaucluse department was created.

Following its creation, the department was immediately strongly and actively supportive of the French Revolution, containing 90 by 1794. It was also noteworthy that more than 50% of the priests in the department accepted the Civil Constitution of the Clergy which in effect subordinated the church to the government. During the ascendancy of the Communist Party in the twentieth century election results indicated that support for left-wing politics remained relatively strong in the department, and especially in the northern suburbs of Marseille.

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