ALSACE - Geography and history
Situated in the southern part of the Rhine valley, which divides the Vosges massif (mountain region) from the Black Forest in Germany, it is bordered to the east by the Rhine, which forms the border with Baden-Wirttemberg.
To the west, the eastern slopes of the Vosges, the highest point of which is the Ballon de Guebwilier (1 424 m) are cleft by deep valleys. Passes are almost as high as the ridges and not readily accessible. The mountains are bordered by hills, with limestone slopes which are good for wine-growing. In the plain, the marshy, wooded Ried alternates with fertile terraces covered with silt. In the north, the region extends to the Lorraine plateau, an area of grass and cereals, and to the south towards Switzerland and the Belfort Gap.
Alsace has a continental-type climate, with the Vosges sheltering it from the damp west winds, and the Rhine valley frequently bathed in sunshine.
Criss-crossed by trade routes, Alsace has kept its own identity, a feature of which is its German dialect which is still widely spoken.
A European region
Throughout its history, Alsace has been influenced by its position as a border region. Historically and economically part of the Rhineland area, Alsace has a naturally-acquired European culture on which to base its future. The presence in Strasbourg of prestigious institutions such as the Council of Europe and the European Parliament lends weight to the international standing of Alsace.
The advantages of mixed development
Alsace presents to the world a finely balanced, harmonious landscape whose overall unity disguises different types of development in different areas.
Strasbourg (427 245 inhabitants in 1999) has important industries (mechanical engineering and agrifood), but is mainly known for its services activities (distributive trades and public services) and as the seat of European institutions. Mulhouse, on the other hand, has always been an industrial centre, with a varying economic fabric woven by successive waves of industrialization.
Alongside these major centres, a number of medium-sized towns has grown up, some of them around industries which have been brought to the area and others as dormitory towns.
With the population tending to concentrate in these urban centres, outlying rural areas are becoming disadvantaged. A further result is an army of commuters, whose daily journeys to and from work are made easier by a well-developed internal communications network.
Only a small part of the territory is directly affected by cross-border movements, but these have a substantial effect on the labour market as a whole: Basle to the south and Karlsruhe to the north are poles of attraction for workers from Alsace.
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