Champagne-Ardenne

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Champagne-Ardenne is in the northeast of France, bordering Belgium. It consists of four departments: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. its rivers, all of which flow west, include the Seine, the Marne, and the Aisne.

The baptism of Clovis in Reims, a key event in the history of Champagne-Ardenne, launched a long-lasting tradition of anointing the kings of France in the city. Reims was made famous by its cathedral, included on the Unesco World Heritage list – as are the Palais de Tau and the Saint-Rémi basilica and museum, monuments that stand with a large number of Norman buildings and the region's imposing fortified constructions. This wealth of architectural heritage is enhanced by natural surroundings that are just perfect for active leisure pursuits. What's more, Champagne-Ardenne has a real gift for fine food: Ardennes ham, boudin blanc, Haute-Marne truffles and Langres and Chaource cheeses are just some of the items on the mouth-watering list of local produce: try them in one of the region's 350 restaurants!

The region abounds in deep forests, reflected in the clear brilliant water of lakes and streams running through lime-stone rocks, whose smooth undulating contours characterize the Champagne plain. Within this limestone strata, hundreds of miles of rock have been excavated to provide underground galleries for the housing and maturing of the wine. Along 650 kilometers of waterways and lakes, you may relax in comfort and peace on board a house boat, bateaux-mouches or on a panoramic boat-drifting through a variety of scenes, observing migratory birds and animals who have made their habitat along the banks.

Champagne-Ardenne can also be discovered from the air by plane, helicopter or balloon. By car or in a coach, you can easily find, off the beaten tracks, numerous splendors: the basilica of l'Epine, the Reims cathedral, where the kings of France used to be crowned, the Sedan castle, the fortified city of Langres, the 16th century old houses at Troyes, the many wooden facade churches in the Champagne bocage, the Meuse Valley, the Triangle Sacré du Champagne, the great lakes, the country of spring water and so on. Sport is also catered for, including golf, horse riding, sail board, etc.

* 61.4% of its land is dedicated to agriculture
* 1st in France for the production of barley and alfalfa 2nd in France for the production of beets, onions, and peas
*3rd in France for the production of tender wheat and rapeseed.
* 282.37 km² of vineyards
* Champagne sales in 2001: 263 million bottles (4% increase from 2000) of which 37.6% were exported.
* 25% of French hosiery production

Much of the Ardennes is covered in dense forests, with hills averaging around 350-500 m (1148-1640 ft) in height but rising to over 650 m (2132 ft) in the boggy moors of the Hautes Fagnes region of north-eastern Belgium. The region is typified by steep-sided valleys carved by fast-flowing rivers, the most prominent of which is the Meuse. Its principal cities, Liège and Namur, are both in the Meuse valley. The Ardennes is otherwise relatively sparsely populated.