Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis in Vaucluse, and Saint-Zacharie is in Var. Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis The Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis () is the "métropole", an intercommunal structure, centred on the cities of Marseille and Aix-en-Provence. It is located in the Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and Vaucluse departments, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, southeastern France. It was created in January 2016, replacing the previous "Communauté urbaine Marseille Provence Métropole" and five communautés d'agglomération. Its population was 1,886,842 in 2014, of which 866,644 in Marseille proper and 145,763 in Aix-en-Provence. The Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis was formed through the merger of the following communities: Of the 92 communes of the métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence, 90 are
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence of Basses-Alpes was renamed Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Here is an unflattering excerpt from an article called "Basse Alpes" from the Atlas Larousse published at the beginning of the 20th century: ""Scattered whitish rocks stand out like bones, a thin topsoil where bushes languish, some mountain flowers and stunted trees ... these mountains form almost everywhere a dreadful desert which will not have more inhabitants: this is the Sahara without the sun of Africa, with the snows of Siberia."" (P. Joanne). ""On these steep slopes deforestation and flooding have resulted in a lack of fertile soil and agriculture has been the most miserable.