page_title: Rhône-Alpes
section_title: Population
hierarchical_section_title: Rhône-Alpes / Population
context_page_description: Rhône-Alpes was an administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris. Rhône-Alpes has the sixth-largest economy of any European region.
context_section_description: Rhône-Alpes contains 3 major cities in France. It forms the triangle Lyon - Grenoble - Saint-Étienne. This triangle is the economic core of the region. These three urban areas are very complementary, and have smaller cities around, like satellites.
  Lyon area : 2,188,759 inhabitants (2011)
  Grenoble area : 675,122 inhabitants (2011)
  Saint-Étienne area : 508,548 inhabitants (2011)
  Valence area : 175,095 inhabitants (2011)
caption: Castle and rooftops in the old section of Chambéry
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