Var: Naval Toulon and the Provencal Coast
Var covers the eastern portion of Provence's Mediterranean coast, including Toulon (the prefecture and France's principal naval base), Saint-Raphael, and Hyeres. The population exceeds 1.1 million, swollen by retirees and seasonal residents. Toulon's harbour has sheltered the French Mediterranean fleet since the seventeenth century, and the naval base remains the largest employer in the city.
The Massif des Maures, a low mountain range covered in cork oak and chestnut, separates the coast from the interior. Draguignan, the former prefecture, sits inland among vineyards that produce Cotes de Provence rose, a wine that has become globally fashionable. The Gorges du Verdon, sometimes called Europe's Grand Canyon, lies at the department's northern edge. Brignoles, in the central Var, is a market town that has attracted new residents priced out of the coast.
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Var covers the eastern portion of Provence's Mediterranean coast, including Toulon (the prefecture and France's principal naval base), Saint-Raphael, and Hyeres. The population exceeds 1.1 million, swollen by retirees and seasonal residents. Toulon's harbour has sheltered the French Mediterranean fleet since the seventeenth century, and the naval base remains the largest employer in the city.
The Massif des Maures, a low mountain range covered in cork oak and chestnut, separates the coast from the interior. Draguignan, the former prefecture, sits inland among vineyards that produce Cotes de Provence rose, a wine that has become globally fashionable. The Gorges du Verdon, sometimes called Europe's Grand Canyon, lies at the department's northern edge. Brignoles, in the central Var, is a market town that has attracted new residents priced out of the coast.
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