Châlons-en-Champagne

Châlons-en-Champagne is a "commune" in the Marne department in the Grand Est region in northeastern France. It is the "préfecture" (capital) of the department.
Even if Châlons-en-Champagne is the capital of the department, it is only the second largest city in population after Reims. It should not be confused with Chalon-sur-Saône, a city in the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
History.
Formerly called Châlons-sur-Marne, the name of the city was changed to Châlons-en-Champagne in 1995 but it was rejected in 1997. But, finally, this change was accepted in 1998.
Geography.
Châlons-en-Champagne is in the centre of the Marne department. The Marne river flows through the western part of the city.
It has an area of . Its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .
The distances from Châlons-en-Champagne to other cities are:
The "commune" of Châlons-en-Champagne is surrounded by the "communes" L'Épine, Saint-Memmie, Sarry, Compertrix, Fagnières and Saint-Martin-sur-le-Pré.
Climate.
The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Châlons-en-Champagne is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Maritime Temperate climate) and of the subtype "Cfb".
The average temperature for the year in Châlons-en-Champagne is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month, on average is January, with an average temperature of .
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Châlons-en-Champagne is . The month with the most precipitation on average is July with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of .
Population.
The inhabitants of Châlons-en-Champagne are known, in French, as "Châlonnais" (women: "Châlonnaises ").
With a population of 45,002, Châlons-en-Champagne has a population density of inhabitants/km2.
Evolution of the population in Châlons-en-Champagne
Châlons-en-Champagne forms, with other 4 "communes", the urban area of Châlons-en-Champagne with a population of 57,571 inhabitants (2014) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Châlons-en-Champagne, formed by 66 "communes", with a population of 81,486 inhabitants (2014) and an area of .
Administration.
Châlons-en-Champagne is a prefecture of the Marne department since 1800. It is also the capital of the "arrondissement" of Châlons-en-Champagne and the administrative centre () of three cantons:
It is part of the intercommunality "Châlons Agglo" ().
Twinned and partner towns.
Châlons-en-Champagne is twinned with:
Places of interest.
Some interesting places in Mâcon are: