Massat

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Massat
Commune
Étang de Lers
Coat of arms
Location of Massat
Massat Location within France Show map of France Massat Location within Occitanie Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 42°53′23″N 1°20′55″E / 42.8897°N 1.3486°E / 42.8897; 1.3486
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Ariège
Arrondissement	Saint-Girons
Canton	Couserans Est
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Michel Loubet dit Gajol
Area 1	44.71 km2 (17.26 sq mi)
Elevation	651 m (2,136 ft)
Highest elevation	1,941 m (6,368 ft)
Lowest elevation	598 m (1,962 ft)
Population  (2023)	749
• Density	16.8/km2 (43.4/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	09182 /09320
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Massat (French pronunciation: [masat]) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. It is situated on the former Route nationale 618, the "Route of the Pyrenees".

History

The area dates back to Paleolithic times, when tribes left some traces in painted caves in the Ker valleys of Massat. The village later became a territory used by the Lords of Lomagne to disperse the population to, overcoming a serious problem of overpopulation. Several charters dating from 1146 specify the reciprocal rights of the inhabitants and the lords.

The valley was directed towards an industrial activity lasting almost seven centuries. This included the manufacture of charcoal and cast iron of iron ores in five forging mills operated by Catalan women. From 1820, with the discovery of the means of melting iron with coal, the industrial prosperity of the valley disappeared. Later in the 19th century, agricultural, primarily pastoral farming became the main source for the Massat economy, particularly the production of butter. With a very strong rural migration, amplified by World War I, the commune depopulated quickly, falling dramatically from 9,322 inhabitants in 1831 to 589 in 1999.

Population

In 1851 the communes Biert and Le Port were created from part of the commune of Massat.

See also

• Communes of the Ariège department
• Col de Port

References

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