Isère (Department, France)

Last modified: 2024-12-28 by olivier touzeau
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• Administrative data
• Official use of the flag of Dauphiné
  • Former flag of Isère
• Municipalities
  • Grenoble
  • La Côte-Saint-André
  • Échirolles
  • Oz
  • Saint-Martin-d'Hères
  • Villard-de-Lans
• Intermunicipal Authorities
• Vercors maquis (Second World War)

See also:

• France
• France: Metropolitan departments
  • Clickable map of France (departments)

Administrative data

Code: 38
Region: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Rhône-Alpes until 2014)
Traditional province: Dauphiné
Bordering departments: Ain, Hautes-Alpes, Drôme, Grand Lyon, Rhône, Savoie

Area: 7,431 km²
Population (2007): 1,252,912 inhabitants

Préfecture: Grenoble
Sous-préfectures: La Tour-du-Pin, Vienne
Subdivisions: 3 arrondissements, 29 cantons, 521 municipalities.

The department is named after river Isère (290 km), a tributary to the Rhône.
The urbanization of the surroundings of Lyon caused the transfer of several municipalities from the department of Isère to the department of Rhône, causing a territorial loss of 421 km² for Isère.
Decree of 2 March 1852 transferred the municipalities of Bron, Vaulx-en-Velin, Vénissieux (from which the municipality of Saint-Fons seceded in 1888) and Villeurbanne.
Law of 29 December 1967, published in the French official gazette on 30 December 1967, with effect on 31 December 1967, transferred the municipalities of Chaponnay, Chassieu, Communay, Corbas, Décines-Charpieu, Feyzin, Genas, Jonage, Jons, Marennes, Meyzieu, Mions, Pusignan, Saint-Bonnet-de-Mure, Saint-Laurent-de-Mure, Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu, Saint-Priest, Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon, Sérézin-du-Rhône, Simandres, Solaize, Ternay and Toussieu.
Decree of 5 March 1971, published in the French official gazette on 14 March 1971, with effect on 1 April 1971, transferred the municipality of Colombier-Saugnieu.

Ivan Sache, 11 November 2009

Official use of the flag of Dauphiné

Flag of Dauphiné - Image by Pierre Gay, 6 July 2000

Since a least 2012, the general council and after 2015 the departmental council of Isère flies, in front of its seat, and in its assembly, the flag of Dauphiné traditional province: photo (2012), photo (2015), photo (2015), photo (2017)

Olivier Touzeau, 25 March 2019

Former flag of Isère

Banner of arms of Isère - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 25 March 2019

The flags representing the departments of the former Region Rhône-Alpes were hoisted, together with the Region's flag, in front of the seat of the former Regional Council at Charbonnières-les-Bains, near Lyon (photo, 12 February 2006).
The department of Isère was represented by a yellow flag with a vertical blue band at the fly, and in the canton a yellow tower edged with black, surmounted by a blue crown, superimposed by a dolphin also blue. The dolphin comes from the coat of arms of the traditional province of Dauphiné.

This flag is not in use anymore.

Olivier Touzeau, 25 March 2019