Location The Aube department is located in the southwest side of the Grand Est region. It borders the departments of
Marne in the north (about 130 km long),
Haute-Marne to the east (about 100 km long),
Côte-d'Or in the southeast (about 45 km long),
Yonne in the southwest (about 175 km long), and
Seine-et-Marne in the west (about 45 km long).
Subregions of Aube Within the department regions of natural or traditional countryside can be identified as follows: • northwest quarter:
Champagne crayeuse (chalky Champagne soil) • northwestern tip: the
Nogentais • southwest of
Troyes: the Othe region • to the south:
le Chaourçois • to the northeast: the
Briennois • to the east: the
Barrois • between Troyes and Barrois: Champagne wetlands
Communes of Aube Aube is divided into 431 communes. The most populous commune is the prefecture
Troyes. As of 2023, there are 8 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants: All of those communes, except Romilly-sur-Seine and Nogent-sur-Seine, are part of the
agglomeration of Troyes.
Topography and geology Hydrography at
Bar-sur-Seine There are 23 rivers throughout the department, the four main rivers being the
Seine, the
Aube (tributary of the Seine), the
Armance (tributary of the
Armançon), and the
Vanne (a tributary of the
Yonne).
Forests and lakes The department has 140,000 hectares of forests. Located in the Community of communes of Forests, lakes, and lands in Champagne, the
Orient Forest Regional Natural Park was one of the first
natural parks created in France. In the same place, there is the Orient Lake and the
Amance and Temple lakes where
fishing, recreational water sports, and bathing are available. Each lake specialises in one or more of these activities.
Climate The climate is moderate without intense cold or excessive heat which represents a climate similar to
continental and
oceanic. Between 1950 and 1985 the average annual temperature recorded in the department was 10.1 °C which is equivalent to the Paris basin and the cities of north-eastern France. The average sunshine hours per year is 1771. Average annual rainfall is quite high (653.4 mm over 115 days of rain The network currently serves eleven communes including two outside the Troyes agglomeration. Other cities, including
Romilly-sur-Seine, have no transport network. Aube also has intercity transport networks. 21 regular bus routes are operated between the major cities of the department. The use of these lines is entrusted to private coaches:
Transdev – The Carriers of Aube has 15 routes,
Keolis Sud Lorraine has 4 routes,
Procars Champagne has 2 routes,
Autocars Bardy has one route.
Rail network Five railway stations are currently in operation. These are: Nogent-sur-Seine, Romilly-sur-Seine, Troyes, Vendeuvre-sur-Barse, Bar-sur-Aube. Aube does not have a strong rail coverage. Only one main non-electrified line passes through Aube – the line that connects
Paris-Est to Mulhouse.
Navigable waterways The department has 34.8 km of navigable waterways. The city of
Nogent-sur-Seine has two river ports for grain. == History ==