Location: Région

Annecy is located in Haute-Savoie, in the région of the Rhône-Alpes. 

The large shaded in red is the Rhône-Alpes. It is called the Rhône-Alpes because it includes the Rhône river and the Alps mountain range. The capital of the region is Lyon, which has the second highest population total after Paris. The area was first populated by the Gauls, who were the original settlers in France, and the are has hosted the Winter Olympics 3 times, once in 1924 at Chamonix, 1968 at Grenoble and 1992 and Albertville.

There are 8 départements in the Rhône-Alpes: Ain (01), Ardèche (07), Drôme (26), Isère (26), Loire (42), Rhône (69), Savoie (73) and Haute-Savoie (74). 

• The capital of Ain (01) is Bourg-en-Bresse.
• The capital of Ardèche (07) is Privas.
• The capital of Drôme (26) is Valence.
• The capital of Isère (38) is Grenoble.
• The capital of Loire (42) is Saint-Etienne.
• The capital of Rhône (69) is Lyon.
• The capital of Savoie (74) is Chambéry.
• The capital of Haute-Savoie (75) is Annecy.

The region borders both Italy and Switzerland. As you can see from the image above, the area has quite a wide range of relief, with the valleys formed by the rivers and the mountain ranges which include Mont Blanc. There are also many different types of landscapes in the region, including mountains, vineyards, lavender fields and olive groves, plus the deepest gorge in Europe, the Gorges de l'Ardèche.