Martigny

Geschichte

Martigny is the capital of the French-speaking district of Martigny in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies at an elevation of 471m, and its population is approximately 15000 inhabitants (Martignerains or "Octoduriens"). It is a junction of roads joining Italy, France and Switzerland. One road links it over the Great St. Bernard Pass to Aosta (Italy), and the other over the col de la Forclaz to Chamonix (France). In winter, Martigny is appreciated for its numerous nearby Alp ski resorts such as Verbier.GeographyMartigny lies at an elevation of 471m, about 33km south-southeast of Montreux. It is on the left foothills of the steep hillsdies of the Rhône Valley, at the foot of the Swiss Alps, and is located at the point where the southwestern-flowing Rhone turns ninety degrees northward and heads toward Lake Leman (Lake Geneva). The river La Drance flows from the southern Valais Alps through Martigny and joins the Rhône from the left just after Rhône's distinctive, almost rectangular change in direction.Martigny has an area, of 24.97km2. Of this area, 31.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 39.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 23.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and 5.3% is unproductive land.