Rochefourchat

Rochefourchat
Rochefourchat
Location within Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region  Rochefourchat
Coordinates: 44°35′58″N 5°14′53″E / 44.5994°N 5.2481°E / 44.5994; 5.2481Coordinates: 44°35′58″N 5°14′53″E / 44.5994°N 5.2481°E / 44.5994; 5.2481
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Drôme
Arrondissement	Die
Canton	La Motte-Chalancon
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Martigny
Area1	12.74 km2 (4.92 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	1
• Density	0.078/km2 (0.20/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	26274 / 26340
Elevation	600–1,513 m (1,969–4,964 ft) (avg. 963 m or 3,159 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Rochefourchat is a commune in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. In the commune there is a single house, a converted barn, and the ruins of an old castle. The nearest communes to Rochefourchat are Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert, Les Tonils, Pradelle, and Brette.

In 1178, the castle of Rocha Forcha was built by the bishops of the arrondissement of Die as a stronghold against the Holy Roman Emperors. It belonged to French lords until the year 1766 when the last one, Lord Rey de Noinville, died. In 1796, a French trader, Pierre Jossaud bought the land surrounding the castle and renamed it Rochefourchat. The commune has been passed down through Jossaud's family.

There is only one permanent inhabitant, making it the least populous French commune.