Haute-Garonne | |
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![]() Location of Haute-Garonne in France | |
Coordinates: 43°25′N1°30′E / 43.417°N 1.500°E Coordinates: 43°25′N1°30′E / 43.417°N 1.500°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Occitanie |
Prefecture | Toulouse |
Subprefectures | Saint-Gaudens Muret |
Government | |
• President of the Departmental Council | Georges Méric [1] (PS) |
Area | |
• Total | 6,309 km2 (2,436 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Total | 1,400,039 |
• Rank | 13th |
• Density | 222/km2 (570/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Department number | 31 |
Arrondissements | 3 |
Cantons | 27 |
Communes | 586 |
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2 |
Haute-Garonne (French pronunciation: [ot ɡaʁɔn] ; Occitan : Nauta Garona, pronounced [ˈnawto ɡaˈɾuno] ; English: Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's fourth-largest. In 2019, it had a population of 1,400,039. [3]
Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former provinces of Languedoc and Guyenne/Gascony.
The department was originally larger. The reduction in its area resulted from an imperial decree dated 21 November 1808 and which established the neighbouring department of Tarn-et-Garonne, to the north. The new department, created in response to the pleadings of various locally powerful politicians, took territory from five surrounding departments including Haute-Garonne. The districts lost to Tarn-et-Garonne in 1808 were those of Montech and Castelsarrasin.
Haute-Garonne is part of the current region of Occitanie and is surrounded by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées, Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne, Tarn, Aude, and Ariège. It also borders Spain in the south (province of Lleida and province of Huesca). According to the Köppen climate classification, the Haute-Garonne department has Oceanic climate, Subarctic climate and Polar climate.
The department is crossed by the upper course of the Garonne river (hence the name) for nearly 200 kilometers (120 mi). The borders of the department follow the river. The Garonne enters France from Spain at the town of Fos, and goes through Toulouse and leaves the department. The extreme south of the department lies in the Pyrenees mountain range and is very mountainous. The highest elevation is the Peak of Perdiguère, at 3,222 meters (10,571 feet) above sea level.
The inhabitants of the department are called Haut-Garonnais. The greatest population concentration is around Toulouse. The south of the department is quite sparsely populated. Overall the department had a population of 1.4 million as of the 2019 census. Young people are well represented with 55% of the population under the age of 40 and of those, 16% are between the ages of 20 and 29. This is in part because Toulouse is an important university town. The department has also received significant migration from other parts of the country.
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Sources: [4] [5] |
The most populous commune is Toulouse, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 8 communes with more than 15,000 inhabitants: [3]
Commune | Population (2019) |
---|---|
Toulouse | 493,465 |
Colomiers | 39,968 |
Tournefeuille | 28,117 |
Blagnac | 25,525 |
Muret | 24,797 |
Plaisance-du-Touch | 19,402 |
Cugnaux | 19,344 |
Balma | 16,625 |
![]() | This section needs to be updated.(June 2022) |
This department was the political base of former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.
The Departmental Council of Haute-Garonne comprises 54 seats. In the 2015 departmental elections, the Socialist Party (PS) won 48 seats. The Republicans secured the remaining 6 seats. The President of the Departmental Council has been Georges Méric (PS) since 2015.
Party | Seats | |
---|---|---|
• | Socialist Party | 48 |
The Republicans | 6 | |
Haute-Garonne elected the following members of the National Assembly during the 2017 legislative election:
Haute-Garonne's main sights include:
The department has four ski resorts:
Montauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, and the sixth most populated of Occitanie behind Toulouse, Montpellier, Nîmes, Perpignan and Béziers. In 2019, there were 61,372 inhabitants, called Montalbanais. The town has been classified Ville d’art et d’histoire since 2015.
Lozère is a landlocked department in the region of Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the east by Ardèche, to the south by Gard, to the west by Aveyron, and the northwest by Cantal. It is named after Mont Lozère. With 76,604 inhabitants as of 2019, Lozère is the least populous French department.
Tarn is a department in the Occitania region in Southern France. Named after the river Tarn, it had a population of 389,844 as of 2019. Its prefecture and largest city is Albi; it has a single subprefecture, Castres. In French, the inhabitants of Tarn are known as Tarnais (masculine) and Tarnaises (feminine). Its INSEE and postcode number is 81.
Lot is a department in the Occitanie region of France. Named after the Lot River, it lies in the southwestern part of the country and had a population of 174,094 in 2019. Its prefecture is Cahors; its subprefectures are Figeac and Gourdon.
Hautes-Pyrénées is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. In 2019, its population was 229,567; its prefecture is Tarbes. It is named after the Pyrenees mountain range.
Tarn-et-Garonne is a department in the Occitania region in Southern France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name. The area was originally part of the former provinces of Quercy and Languedoc. The department was created in 1808 under Napoleon, with territory taken from the neighbouring Lot, Haute-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne, Gers and Aveyron departments.
Ariège is a department in southwestern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It is named after the river Ariège and its capital is Foix. Ariège is known for its rural landscape, with a population of 153,287 as of 2019. Its INSEE and postal code is 09, hence the department's informal name of le zéro neuf. The inhabitants of the department are known as Ariègeois or Ariègeoises.
Gers is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the Gersois and Gersoises in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.
Lot-et-Garonne is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019. Its prefecture and largest city is Agen.
Moissac is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. The town is situated at the confluence of the rivers Garonne and Tarn at the Canal de Garonne. Route nationale N113 was constructed through the town and between Valence-d'Agen and Castelsarrasin. It is served by Moissac station on the Bordeaux-Toulouse line.
Castelsarrasin is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in Occitanie region of France. The inhabitants are called Castelsarrasinois. It is the second most populous commune in Tarn-et-Garonne after Montauban. It is served by Castelsarrasin station on the Bordeaux-Toulouse line.
The 3 arrondissements of the Haute-Garonne department are:
Beaumont-de-Lomagne is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France.
Barbazan is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in the Occitanie region of south-western France.
Brax is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in the Occitanie region.
Lamagistère is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Inhabitants of the district are known as les Magistériens.
Laguépie is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France.
Occitania is the southernmost administrative region of metropolitan France excluding Corsica, created on 1 January 2016 from the former regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées. The Council of State approved Occitania as the new name of the region on 28 September 2016, coming into effect on 30 September 2016.
A by-election was held in Haute-Garonne's 8th constituency on 11 March 2018, with a second round on 18 March as no candidate secured a majority of votes in the first round. The by-election was prompted after the Constitutional Council invalidated the election of Joël Aviragnet, candidate of the Socialist Party (PS), in the June 2017 legislative elections on 18 December 2017.
The French Great South-West is a geographical, sociological, economic and cultural entity bringing together the administrative regions of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie, resulting from the merger on January 1, 2016, of five previous regions; in these two regions combined, it covers 156,000 km2, or 29% of the territory of metropolitan France. It is a grouping devoid of its own political or administrative structures, set up, with the objective of an interregional reflection on spatial planning at the level of new European issues, at the initiative of the Interministerial Delegation at territory planning and regional attractiveness.