Ain

Ain
En (Arpitan)
From top down, left to right: prefecture building and theatre in Bourg-en-Bresse, Fort l'Écluse, street in Pérouges, Lac Genin
BresseBresse
Coat of arms of Ain
Location of Ain in France
Location of Ain in France
Coordinates: 46°5′N 5°20′E / 46.083°N 5.333°E / 46.083; 5.333
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
PrefectureBourg-en-Bresse
SubprefecturesBelley
Gex
Nantua
Government
 • President of the Departemental CouncilJean Deguerry[1] (LR)
 • PrefectCécile Bigot-Dekeyzer
Area
 • Total5,762 km2 (2,225 sq mi)
Elevation
433 m (1,421 ft)
Highest elevation
1,720 m (5,640 ft)
Lowest elevation
170 m (560 ft)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Total663,202
 • Rank39th
 • Density120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number01
Arrondissements4
Cantons23
Communes392
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Ain (/æ̃/,[3] French: [ɛ̃] ; Arpitan: En) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it neighbours the cantons of Geneva and Vaud. In 2019, it had a population of 652,432.[4]

Ain is composed of four geographically different areas (Bresse, Dombes, Bugey and Pays de Gex), each of which contribute to the diverse and dynamic economic development of the department. In Bresse, agriculture and agro-industry are dominated by the cultivation of cereals, cattle breeding, milk and cheese production as well as poultry farming. In Dombes, pisciculture assumes greater importance, as does winemaking in Bugey.

Ain's prefecture is Bourg-en-Bresse. It is bordered by Jura to the north; Saône-et-Loire to the northwest; Rhône and the Lyon Metropolis to the southwest; Isère to the south; Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Switzerland to the east.

In the alphabetical ordering of French departments, used for postal and demographic purposes amongst others, Ain comes first and is thus assigned the number 01 as its department number.

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Ain". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  4. ^ Populations légales 2019: 01 Ain, INSEE