Drôme is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 508,006 as of 2016. Drôme's prefecture is Valence.

Saint-Vallier in Drôme was the birthplace of one of France's most famous courtesans, the noble-born Diane de Poitiers (1499-1566), long-term mistress of King Henri II (1519-1559).

The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution. The territory formed part of the former French province of Dauphiné. The original Drôme department contained the exclave of Orange, which was also part of the former province of Dauphiné. In 1792, following the annexation of Comtat Venaissin, Drôme acquired the newly created district of Carpentras while Orange was ceded to Bouches du Rhône. In 1793, the district of Carpentras was ceded to the newly formed department of Vaucluse, giving the Drôme its modern-day borders.

The Drôme benefits from an excellent image in the view of tourists. Attendance has grown steadily, faster than the neighbouring departments of Ardèche and the Vaucluse.

The Tourism Committee of the Drôme department's website http://www.ladrometourisme.com received over 44000 visits in 2007, along with a new TV station http://www.ladrometourisme.tv

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