Belley

**Belley** is a  commune in the Ain department. It is found in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in  the east of France  and is the capital of the *arrondissement* of Belley.

## History
It was the capital of Bugey (*Pagus Bellicensis*), a historical region in Ain between Lyon and Geneva.

## Geography
Belley has an area of . Its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

The distances from Belley to other cities are:

* Paris, the national capital - ;
* Lyon, the regional capital - ;
* Reims - ;
* Bordeaux - ;
* Toulouse - ;
* Montpellier - ;
* Strasbourg - ;
* Nantes - ;
* Marseille - .

### Climate
The climate of Belley, in the Köppen climate classification, is **Cfb** - Oceanic climate with template summers.

## Population
The inhabitants of Belley are known, in French, as *Belleysans* (women: *Belleysannes*).

Belley has a population, in 2014, of 8,983, and its population density is of  inhabitants/km2.

**Evolution of the population in Belley**

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 bar:1968 from:0 till: 7049
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 bar:2006 from:0 till: 8466
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 bar:1975 at: 7583 fontsize:S text: 7,583 shift:(-18,5)
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 bar:1990 at: 7807 fontsize:S text: 7,807 shift:(-18,5)
 bar:1999 at: 8004 fontsize:S text: 8,004 shift:(-18,5)
 bar:2006 at: 8466 fontsize:S text: 8,466 shift:(-18,5)
 bar:2011 at: 8761 fontsize:S text: 8,761 shift:(-18,5)
 bar:2014 at: 8983 fontsize:S text: 8,983 shift:(-18,5)

## Administration
Belley is a subprefecture of the Ain department and the capital of the arrondissement of Belley in the same department. It is also the capital of the canton of Belley, formed by 34 *communes* (24,216 inhabitants) (2014)

It is part of the intercommunality *Bugey Sud*.

## Economy
The local economy is mostly based around commerce. Cheese production is also important. The commune produces a cheese called the *Tomme de Belley*.

## Sites of interest
The most important monuments in the commune are the Saint-Jean-Baptiste cathedral and the *Palais Episcopal* of Belley, both listed as *monuments historiques*.

## Gallery 

File:Cathedrale Belley Int.JPG|The inside of the Belley cathedral.
File:Belley Grande Rue 4.JPG|Street in Belley.
File:Palais épiscopal de Belley.jpg|*Palais Episcopal*.
File:Maire de Belley.JPG|Town hall of Belley.

## Related pages
* Arrondissement of Belley
* Communes of the Ain department

## References