Ain

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Ain En (Arpitan)
Département
From top down, left to right: prefecture building and theatre in Bourg-en-Bresse, Fort l'Écluse, street in Pérouges, Lac Genin
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Ain in France
Coordinates: 46°5′N 5°20′E / 46.083°N 5.333°E / 46.083; 5.333
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Prefecture	Bourg-en-Bresse
Subprefectures	Belley Gex Nantua
Government
• President of the Departemental Council	Jean Deguerry[1] (LR)
• Prefect	Cécile Bigot-Dekeyzer
Area 1
• Total	5,762 km2 (2,225 sq mi)
Elevation	433 m (1,421 ft)
Highest elevation	1,720 m (5,640 ft)
Lowest elevation	170 m (560 ft)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Total	663,202
• Rank	39th
• Density	120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number	01
Arrondissements	4
Cantons	23
Communes	392
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Ain (/æ̃/,^[3] French: [ɛ̃] ^ⓘ; Arpitan: En) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it neighbours the cantons of Geneva and Vaud. In 2019, it had a population of 652,432.^[4]

Ain is composed of four geographically different areas (Bresse, Dombes, Bugey and Pays de Gex), each of which contribute to the diverse and dynamic economic development of the department. In Bresse, agriculture and agro-industry are dominated by the cultivation of cereals, cattle breeding, milk and cheese production as well as poultry farming. In Dombes, pisciculture assumes greater importance, as does winemaking in Bugey.

Ain's prefecture is Bourg-en-Bresse. It is bordered by Jura to the north; Saône-et-Loire to the northwest; Rhône and the Lyon Metropolis to the southwest; Isère to the south; Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Switzerland to the east.

In the alphabetical ordering of French departments, used for postal and demographic purposes amongst others, Ain comes first and is thus assigned the number 01 as its department number.