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Gers
| Gers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Department | |||
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| Coordinates: 43°39′N 0°35′E / 43.65°N 0.583°ECoordinates: 43°39′N 0°35′E / 43.65°N 0.583°E | |||
| Country | France | ||
| Region | Midi-Pyrénées | ||
| Département | 4 March 1790 | ||
| Prefecture | Auch | ||
| Subprefectures |
Condom Mirande | ||
| Government | |||
| • President of the General Council | Jean-Pierre Pujol | ||
| Area[1] | |||
| • Total | 6,257 km2 (2,416 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2011)[2] | |||
| • Total | 188,893 | ||
| • Rank | 89th | ||
| • Density | 30.1891/km2 (78.189/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Gersois | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | FR-32 | ||
| Arrondissements | 3 | ||
| Cantons | 31 | ||
| Communes | 463 | ||
The Gers (Gascon: Gers) is a department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in the southwest of France named after the Gers river.
Contents
History
The Gers is one of the 83 French departments made during the French revolution, on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the old provinces of Guyenne and Gascony.
The new department had six districts: Auch, Lectoure, Condom, Nogaro, L'Isle-Jourdain and Mirande. The capital (now prefecture) was Auch.[3]
in 1808, part of the Gers department was transferred to the new Tarn-et-Garonne department'.[3]
Geography
The Gers is known for its hilly landscape and bastide villages. The Pyrenees are visible to the south.
The Gers is part of the Midi-Pyrénées region, and is the 34th French department in area with 6,257 km2 (2,416 sq mi).[1]
The department is surrounded by the departments:
- Lot-et-Garonne to the north;
- Tarn-et-Garonne to the northeast;
- Haute-Garonne to the west;
- Hautes-Pyrénées to the south;
- Pyrénées-Atlantiques to the southwest; and
- Landes to the west.
The main rivers of the department are the Garonne and the Gers, a left tributary of the Garonne. Other rivers are Save, Gimone, Arrats, Baïse and Osse.
Climate
The climate of the Gers is an oceanic climate with template summers, Cfb (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification.[4]
The annual rainfall in the department varies from over 900 mm (35.4 in) in the southwest of the department, to less than 700 mm (27.6 in) in the northeast (Auch, Condom and Lectoure).
Summers are very hot and dry, the temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F). Winters vary, often with frost, but the climate remains mild and dry.
| Climate data for Auch, Gers, France | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) |
11.8 (53.2) |
15.1 (59.2) |
17.6 (63.7) |
21.5 (70.7) |
25.3 (77.5) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.9 (82.2) |
24.9 (76.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
13.7 (56.7) |
10.4 (50.7) |
18.85 (65.93) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) |
6.8 (44.2) |
9.5 (49.1) |
11.9 (53.4) |
15.8 (60.4) |
19.4 (66.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.4 (70.5) |
18.5 (65.3) |
14.5 (58.1) |
9.3 (48.7) |
6.3 (43.3) |
13.41 (56.14) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) |
1.7 (35.1) |
3.9 (39) |
6.2 (43.2) |
10 (50) |
13.4 (56.1) |
15.2 (59.4) |
14.9 (58.8) |
12 (54) |
9.1 (48.4) |
4.8 (40.6) |
2.1 (35.8) |
7.9 (46.22) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 40.3 (1.587) |
31.6 (1.244) |
37.8 (1.488) |
61.4 (2.417) |
84.6 (3.331) |
68.4 (2.693) |
58.8 (2.315) |
64.3 (2.531) |
75 (2.95) |
72.1 (2.839) |
54.6 (2.15) |
43.1 (1.697) |
692 (27.244) |
| Source: Weatherbase.com [1] | |||||||||||||
Administration
The department is managed by the General Council of the Gers in Auch. The Gers is part of the region of Midi-Pyrénées.
Administrative divisions
There are 3 arrondissements (districts), 31 cantons and 463 communes (municipalities) in the Gers.
| Arrondissement | Subprefecture | Population (2011) |
Area (km²) |
Density (Inh./km²) |
Cantons | Communes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auch | Auch | 85,153 | 2,134 | 39.9 | 12 | 154 |
| Condom | Condom | 65,506 | 2,437 | 26.9 | 11 | 159 |
| Mirande | Mirande | 38,234 | 1,686 | 22.7 | 8 | 150 |
.JPG)
- Cantons of the arrondissement of Auch
- Cantons of the arrondissement of Condom
- Cantons of the arrondissement of Mirande
Demographics
The inhabitants of Gers are known, in French, as Gersois (women: Gersoises).[5]
The Gers has a population, in 2011, of 188,893,[2] for a population density of 30.2 inhabitants/km2. The arrondissement of Auch, with 85,153 inhabitants, is by far the largest. The other two, Condom and Mirande, have respectively 65,506 and 38,234 inhabitants.[6]
The city with more people living in it is the capital, Auch (21,871). The subprefectures of Condom and Mirande have, respectively, 6,925 and 3,667 inhabitants.[6]
The 10 most important cities in the department are:
| City | Population (2011)[6] |
Arrondissement |
|---|---|---|
| Auch | 21,871 | Auch |
| L'Isle-Jourdain | 7,356 | Auch |
| Condom | 6,925 | Condom |
| Fleurance | 6,292 | Condom |
| Éauze | 4,020 | Condom |
| Lectoure | 3,776 | Condom |
| Mirande | 3,667 | Mirande |
| Gimont | 2,817 | Auch |
| Pavie | 2,402 | Auch |
Economy
The economy in the Gers revolves primarily around agriculture and culinary tourism. The department is a producer of maize, wheat, rapeseed, sunflower.
Some well-known products of the region are:
- Armagnac, a brandy
- Côtes de Gascogne, wine
- Floc de Gascogne, an apéritif (an alcoholic drink served before a meal)
- Foie gras
- Wild mushrooms
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Departments of France – Gers". Statoids. http://www.statoids.com/ufr.html. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Populations légales 2011" (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/recensement/populations-legales/france-departements.asp. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Historique du Gers" (in French). Le SPLAF. http://splaf.free.fr/32his.html. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ↑ "Auch, France - Köppen Climate Classification". Weatherbase. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=598817&cityname=Auch%2C+Midi-Pyr%E9n%E9es%2C+France&units=. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ↑ "Gers (32)" (in French). habitants.fr. http://www.habitants.fr/habitants_departement_gers_32.html. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Populations légales en vigueur à compter du 1er janvier 2014: Gers" (in French) (pdf). Populations légales 2011 des départements et des collectivités d'outre-mer. Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/recensement/populations-legales/pages2013/pdf/dep32.pdf. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
Related pages
Arrondissements of the Gers department
Other websites
- (French) General Council website
- (French) Prefecture website
- Comité départemental du tourisme et des loisirs du Gers
- (French) Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie du Gers
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