Hautes-Pyrénées

Coordinates: 43°14′0″N 0°4′5″E / 43.23333°N 0.06806°E / 43.23333; 0.06806
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Hautes-Pyrénées
Hauts Pirenèus (Occitan)
Altos Pirineos (Spanish)
Alts Pirineus (Catalan)
Department of France
Prefecture building in Tarbes
Prefecture building in Tarbes
Communes
469
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Hautes-Pyrénées (French pronunciation:

Gascon/Occitan: Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus ['awts piɾeˈnɛʊs]; Spanish: Altos Pirineos; Catalan: Alts Pirineus ['alts piɾiˈneʊs]; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. The department is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to the west, Gers to the north, Haute-Garonne to the east, as well by the Spanish province of Huesca in the autonomous community of Aragon to the south. In 2019, its population was 229,567;[3] its prefecture is Tarbes. It is named after the Pyrenees
mountain range.

History

Historically the area broadly covered by the département known as

Huguenot domain of the monarchs of Navarre, brought to France by Henri IV. For its early history, see Bigorre and Gascony
.

The département of Hautes-Pyrénées was created at the time of the French Revolution, on 4 March 1790, through the influence of French politician Bertrand Barère, a member of the Convention.

Geography

Map of the Hautes-Pyrénées

Hautes-Pyrénées consists of several distinct geographical areas. The southern portion, along the border with Spain, consists of mountains such as the

exclaves—a remnant from the Middle Ages—located within the neighboring département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
.

Principal towns

The greater Tarbes area is the economic and administrative focus of the département, while Lourdes, the second-biggest city in Hautes-Pyrénées, is dedicated almost exclusively to the religious pilgrimage industry. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:[3]

Commune Population (2019)
Tarbes 42,758
Lourdes 13,132
Aureilhan 7,864
Bagnères-de-Bigorre 7,085
Lannemezan 5,816
Bordères-sur-l'Échez 5,357
Séméac 5,085

Demographics

Population development since 1801:

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1801174,721—    
1806198,763+2.61%
1821212,077+0.43%
1831233,031+0.95%
1841244,196+0.47%
1851251,285+0.29%
1861240,179−0.45%
1872235,156−0.19%
1881236,472+0.06%
1891225,861−0.46%
1901215,546−0.47%
1911206,105−0.45%
1921185,760−1.03%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1931189,993+0.23%
1936188,604−0.15%
1946201,954+0.69%
1954203,544+0.10%
1962211,433+0.48%
1968225,730+1.10%
1975227,222+0.09%
1982227,922+0.04%
1990224,759−0.17%
1999222,368−0.12%
2006227,736+0.34%
2011229,228+0.13%
2016227,829−0.12%
Sources:[4][5]

Politics

The president of the Departmental Council is Michel Pélieu, first elected in 2011.

Current National Assembly Representatives

Constituency Member[6] Party
Hautes-Pyrénées's 1st constituency Jean-Bernard Sempastous
La République En Marche!
Hautes-Pyrénées's 2nd constituency Jeanine Dubié Radical Party of the Left

Tourism

The Western Pyrenees National Park covers a significant area, and includes well-known attractions such as the Cirque de Gavarnie and the Pont d'Espagne. The entire area is a favorite destination of hikers and mountain enthusiasts.

The area has been known perhaps since Antiquity for its hot springs, and several towns were built around these, most notably Cauterets, Luz-Saint-Sauveur and Bagnères-de-Bigorre.

A notable lake in the area is Lac Bleu d'Ilhéou, southwest of Cauterets.

There are a number of popular ski resorts in Hautes-Pyrénées such as

Luz-Ardiden, Cauterets, Hautacam, Piau-Engaly and Saint-Lary-Soulan
.

The area is a nearly-permanent fixture on the Tour de France's itinerary, with significantly difficult passes such as the Tourmalet, the Aubisque and the Soulor.

The region's premier avant-garde jazz festival is held each year in Luz-Saint-Sauveur: Jazz a Luz. Tarbes hosts an annual horse festival, Equestria, and a Tango festival, Tarbes en Tango.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Populations légales 2019: 65 Hautes-Pyrénées Archived 2022-01-05 at the Wayback Machine, INSEE
  4. ^ "Historique des Hautes-Pyrénées". Le SPLAF. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  5. ^ "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE. Archived from the original on 2022-07-11. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  6. ^ Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale. Archived from the original on 2022-05-14. Retrieved 2022-05-14.

External links

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