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Marne

Marne
Department
Prefecture building of the Marne department, in Châlons-en-Champagne
Prefecture building of the Marne department, in Châlons-en-Champagne
Coat of arms of Marne
Coat of arms
Location of Marne in France
Location of Marne in France
Coordinates: 49°00′N 04°15′E / 49.000°N 4.250°E / 49.000; 4.250Coordinates: 49°00′N 04°15′E / 49.000°N 4.250°E / 49.000; 4.250
Country France
Region Grand Est
Prefecture Châlons-en-Champagne
Subprefectures Épernay
Reims
Sainte-Menehould
Vitry-le-François
Government
 • President of the General Council René-Paul Savary
Area
 • Total 8,162 km2 (3,151 sq mi)
Population (2013)
 • Total 569,999
 • Rank 45th
 • Density 70/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Department number 51
Arrondissements 5
Cantons 23
Communes 617
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Marne (French pronunciation: ​[maʁn]) is a department in north-eastern France named after the river Marne (Matrona in Roman times) which flows through the department. The prefecture (capital) of Marne is Châlons-en-Champagne (formerly known as Châlons-sur-Marne). The subprefectures are Épernay, Reims, Sainte-Menehould, and Vitry-le-François.

The Champagne vineyards producing the world-famous sparkling wine are located within Marne.

Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the province of Champagne.

Marne has a long association with the French Army. The training ground of the Camp Militaire de Mailly straddles the border with the département of Aube in the south while that of the Camp de Mourmelon occupies a large area north of Châlons-en-Champagne. The smaller Camp de Moronvilliers lies to the east of Reims and the Camp Militaire de Suippes lies to the east of that. These are all on the chalk of the Champagne plateau, a feature comparable in geology but not size, with the British military training ground on Salisbury Plain.

Marne is part of the region of Grand Est and is surrounded by the departments of Ardennes, Meuse, Haute-Marne, Aube, Seine-et-Marne, and Aisne.


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