Savoie is a department in the French Alps in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, its prefecture is Chambéry. It borders the departments of Haute-Savoie, Ain,
Isère and Hautes-Alpes in addition to Aosta Valley and Metropolitan City of Turin in Italy. Together with Haute-Savoie, it is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy; the Duchy of Savoy was annexed by France in 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin. The Savoie department (number 73) is known for its numerous ski resorts and contribution to French cuisine, with culinary specialities such as fondue savoyarde, génépi, and various sorts of saucisson. Numerous wine grapes are also grown in Savoie.
The most famous wines are made of Gamay, Pinot noir and Mondeuse grapes. Fruit production is the third largest component of agriculture in Savoie. Apples and pears are also produced in the region and are well known for their qualities. The department of Savoie is crossed by the Isère river, which has its source in the Iseran pass. Its two main lakes are Lac du Bourget (the largest and deepest lake entirely in France) and Lac d'Aiguebelette, one of the least polluted in France due to a law forbidding any use of motorboats on the lake.
According to the Chambéry chamber of commerce, close to 50% of the department's wealth comes from tourism. Each year, Savoie hosts over 30 million visitor-nights of tourists from all over the world including from Britain,
Germany, America,
Denmark,
Sweden and many other countries who have an history for loving winter sports and acitivities. Tourism, which is quite important to Savoie, began to develop towards the end of the 19th century. The increase in the popularity of skiing in the 20th century made Savoie home to the largest number of ski hills in France, including
Val-d'Isère,
Tignes, Les Arcs, La Plagne,
Courchevel,
Méribel, Les Menuires,
Val Thorens and many more.
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