Rhône, Administrative department in east-central France.
Rhône is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of east-central France, bordered by the departments of Ain, Isère, Loire, and Saône-et-Loire. The territory covers roughly 2,715 square kilometers (1,048 square miles) and includes 208 communes today.
The department was created in 1793 when Rhône-et-Loire was split into two administrative areas after the French Revolution. The original boundaries changed several times later through reorganizations of communal structures.
The name comes from the Rhône River, which flows through the southern parts and has shaped the geography for centuries. Today you see the wine slopes of Beaujolais in the north and smaller towns that serve as market and administrative centers.
The department is organized into 13 cantons and includes many communes of different sizes and functions. Villefranche-sur-Saône is an important center for trade and services in the region.
In 2015, Lyon and its surroundings were separated as an independent metropolitan area, which fundamentally changed the administrative structure. Since then, the department has focused more on the rural and wine-growing areas north of the former boundaries.
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