Châlons-en-Champagne

Châlons-en-Champagne is a commune in the Marne department in the Grand Est region in northeastern France. It is the préfecture (capital) of the department.

Even if Châlons-en-Champagne is the capital of the department, it is only the second largest city in population after Reims. It should not be confused with Chalon-sur-Saône, a city in the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.

History
Formerly called Châlons-sur-Marne, the name of the city was changed to Châlons-en-Champagne in 1995 but it was rejected in 1997. But, finally, this change was accepted in 1998.

Geography
Châlons-en-Champagne is in the centre of the Marne department. The Marne river flows through the western part of the city.

It has an area of . Its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

The distances from Châlons-en-Champagne to other cities are:
 Paris, the national capital - ;
 Strasbourg - ;
 Reims - ;
 Bordeaux - ;
 Toulouse - ;
 Montpellier - ;
 Lyon - ;
 Nantes - ;
 Marseille - .

+ Châlons-en-Champagne and its neighboring communes 350px|Map of the commune of Châlons-en-Champagne

The commune of Châlons-en-Champagne is surrounded by the communes L'Épine, Saint-Memmie, Sarry, Compertrix, Fagnières and Saint-Martin-sur-le-Pré.

Climate
The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Châlons-en-Champagne is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Maritime Temperate climate) and of the subtype "Cfb".

The average temperature for the year in Châlons-en-Champagne is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month, on average is January, with an average temperature of .

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Châlons-en-Champagne is . The month with the most precipitation on average is July with  of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of .

Population
The inhabitants of Châlons-en-Champagne are known, in French, as Châlonnais (women: Châlonnaises ).

With a population of 45,002, Châlons-en-Champagne has a population density of  inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Châlons-en-Champagne

Châlons-en-Champagne forms, with other 4 communes, the urban area of Châlons-en-Champagne with a population of 57,571 inhabitants (2014) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Châlons-en-Champagne, formed by 66 communes, with a population of 81,486 inhabitants (2014) and an area of .

Administration
Châlons-en-Champagne is a prefecture of the Marne department since 1800. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Châlons-en-Champagne and the administrative centre () of three cantons:
 Châlons-en-Champagne-1 formed by 3 communes and part of Châlons-en-Champagne, with 26,915 inhabitants (2014).
 Châlons-en-Champagne-2 formed by 18 communes and part of Châlons-en-Champagne, with 25,837 inhabitants (2014).
 Châlons-en-Champagne-3 formed by 41 communes and part of Châlons-en-Champagne, with 25,430 inhabitants (2014).

It is part of the intercommunality Châlons Agglo ().

Twinned and partner towns
Châlons-en-Champagne is twinned with:

 Ilkeston, United Kingdom, since 1957
 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, since 1970
 Neuss, Germany, since 1972

 Wittenberge, Germany, since 1978
 Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, since 2000
 Razgrad, Bulgaria, since 2005

Related pages
 Arrondissement of Châlons-en-Champagne
 Communes of the Marne department

References

Other websites

 Ville de Châlons-en-Champagne - official website  
 Tourism office website 
 Châlons Agglo website 

Category:Communes in Marne
Category:Departmental capitals in France