Var (department)

Var
Department
Coat of arms
Location of Var in France
Coordinates: 43°30′N 06°20′E / 43.500°N 6.333°E / 43.500; 6.333Coordinates: 43°30′N 06°20′E / 43.500°N 6.333°E / 43.500; 6.333
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Prefecture	Toulon
Subprefectures	Brignoles Draguignan
Government
• President of the General Council	Horace Lanfranchi
Area
• Total	5,973 km2 (2,306 sq mi)
Population (2013)
• Total	1,028,583
• Rank	22nd
• Density	170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Department number	83
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	43
Communes	153
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

The Var (French pronunciation: ​[vaʁ]) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Provence in southeastern France. It takes its name from the river Var, which used to flow along its eastern boundary, but the boundary was moved in 1860. The Var is bordered on the east by the department of Alpes-Maritimes; to the west by Bouches-du-Rhône to the north of the Verdon River by the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and to the south by the Mediterranean Sea.

Toulon is the largest city and administrative capital of the Var. Other important towns in the Var include Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël, Draguignan, Brignoles, Hyères and La Seyne-sur-Mer.

The Var is known for the harbour of Toulon, the main port of the French Navy; for its seaside resorts, the most famous of which is Saint-Tropez; for some fine examples of Romanesque and medieval architecture, such as Le Thoronet Abbey and Fréjus Cathedral; and for its wines, particularly the wines of Bandol.

The Department of the Var was created at the time of the French Revolution, on March 4, 1790, from a portion of the former Royal province of Provence. Its capital was originally Toulon, but this was moved to Grasse in 1793 to punish the Toulonnais for having handed the town to the British in 1793. Subsequently the capital was moved to Brignoles in 1795, then to Draguignan in 1797. It was not returned to Toulon until 1974.

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