Alsace has an area of 8,283 km2, making it the smallest région of metropolitan France. It is almost four times longer than it is wide, corresponding to a plain between the Rhine in the east and the Vosges mountains in the west. It includes the départements of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin (known previously as Sundgau and Nordgau). It borders Germany on the north and the east, Switzerland and Franche-Comté on the south and Lorraine on the west. Several valleys are also found in the région. Its highest point is the Grand Ballon in Haut-Rhin, which reaches a height of 1426 m. It contains many forests, primarily in the Vosges and in Bas-Rhin (Haguenau Forest). The ried lies along the Rhine. Geology Alsace is the part of the plain of the Rhine located at the west of the Rhine, on its left bank. It is a rift or graben, from the Oligocene epoch, associated with its horsts: the Vosges and the Black Forest. The Jura Mountains, formed by slip (induced by the alpine uplift) of the Mesozoic cover on the Triassic formations, goes through the area of Belfort. Climate Alsace has a semi-continental climate at low altitude and a continental climate at high altitude. There is fairly low precipitation because the Vosges protect it from the west. The city of Colmar has a sunny microclimate; it is the second driest city in France, with an annual precipitation of 600 mm, making it ideal for vin d'Alsace (Alsatian wine). Governance Since 2021, Alsace is a territorial collectivity called the European Collectivity of Alsace (collectivité européenne d'Alsace). Administrative divisions The European Collectivity of Alsace is divided into 2 departmental constituencies (circonscriptions départementales), 9 departmental arrondissements, 40 cantons, and 880 communes. Bas-Rhin Arrondissement of Haguenau-Wissembourg Arrondissement of Molsheim Arrondissement of Saverne Arrondissement of Sélestat-Erstein Arrondissement of Strasbourg Haut-Rhin Arrondissement of Altkirch Arrondissement of Colmar-Ribeauvillé Arrondissement of Guebwiller Arrondissement of Mulhouse Arrondissement of Thann-Guebwiller Society Demographics Alsace's population increased to 1,921,014 in 2023. It has regularly increased over time, except in wartime and shortly after the German annexation of 1871 (when many Alsatians who had opted to keep their French citizenship emigrated to France), by both natural growth and immigration. High population growth during the post-WW2 economic boom of the Trente Glorieuses ended after the 1973 oil crisis. Demographic growth picked up again in the 1990s and 2000s, but by the 2010s Alsace entered a new