Marne (Department, France)

Last modified: 2012-10-15 by ivan sache
Keywords: marne | champagne-ardenne |
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• Administrative data
• Flag of the General Council
• Municipal flags
  • Vitry-le-François
• Rowing clubs

See also:

• France
• France: Metropolitan departments
• Clickable map of France (departments)

Administrative data

Code: 51
Region: Champagne-Ardenne
Traditional province: Champagne
Bordering departments: Aisne, Ardennes, Aube, Haute-Marne, Meuse, Seine-et-Marne

Area: 8,162 km²
Population (2006): 565,841 inhabitants

Préfecture: Châlons-en-Champagne (named Châlons-sur-Marne until December 1997)
Sous-préfectures: Epernay, Reims, Sainte-Menehould, Vitry-le-François
Subdivisions: 5 arrondissements, 44 cantons, 619 communes.

The department is named after river Marne (525km), tributary of the Seine.
On 1 January 1975, the municipality of Sainte-Livière (Marne) was merged with the municipality of Éclaron-Braucourt (Haute-Marne) to form the municipality of Sainte-Livière-Éclaron-Braucourt (Haute-Marne).

Ivan Sache, 15 November 2009

Flag of the General Council

Flag of the General Council of Marne, earlier versions - Images by Ivan Sache, 15 November 2009
Left, as seen in January 2006;
Right, as seen in April 1998.

The flag of the General Council of Marne is white with the logo of the General Council in the middle.

The logo of the General Council is made of a square diamond from which emerge yellow disks representing the bubbles characteristic of the Champagne wines. The 2005 version of the logo has replaced the diamond-shaped coat of arms by a blue diamond split in the middle by a white curve. The writing has also been changed, from "CONSEIL GÉNÉRAL / DE LA / MARNE" to "LA MARNE / GÉNÉRAL". The 2006 flag must be obsolete now, since the General Council has "modernized" its logo once again.

The logo is based on the coat of arms of the department, adopted by the General Council in 1982 as D'azur à une fasce d'argent accompagnée de deux burelles potencées et contre-potencées d'or ("Azure a fess argent double cotised potent counter potent or"). These arms are based on the arms of the traditional Province of Champagne, D'azur à la bande d'argent côtoyée de deux doubles cotices potencées et contre-potencées d'or ("Azure a bend argent double cotised potent counter potent or"); on the department's arms, the bend is replaced by a fess representing river Marne.

Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 15 November 2009