Haute-Garonne

Haute-Garonne
Department
Prefecture building of the Haute-Garonne department, in Toulouse
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Haute-Garonne in France
Coordinates: 43°25′N 1°30′E / 43.417°N 1.500°E / 43.417; 1.500
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Département	4 March 1790
Prefecture	Toulouse
Subprefectures	Saint-Gaudens, Muret
Government
• President	Georges Méric
Area
• Total	6,309.3 km2 (2,436.0 sq mi)
Population  (2014)
• Total	1,317,668
• Rank	13th
• Density	210/km2 (540/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Haut-Garonnais, Haut-Garonnaise
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	FR-31
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	27
Communes	589
Website	http://www.haute-garonne.fr/

Haute-Garonne ("Upper Garonne"; Occitan: Nauta Garona) is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city and prefecture of the department is Toulouse.

History

Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.

The department was originally larger than now because it included the district of Castelsarrasin which was transferred to the department of Tarn-et-Garonne when it was created in 1808.

Geography

Haute-Garonne has an area of 6,309.3 km² (2,436 sq mi). It is part of the Occitanie region. The department is not a historical region of France; this is an administrative division made from various pieces of Languedoc and Gascogne.

The department is surrounded by the departments:

• Ariège to the southeast
• Aude to the east
• Tarn to the northeast
• Tarn-et-Garonne to the north
• Gers to the west
• Hautes-Pyrénées to the southwest

and by Spain (provinces of Lleida and Huesca) to the south.

The department is crossed by the upper course of the Garonne river (hence the name) for nearly 200 km (120 mi). The borders of the department follow the river. The Garonne enters France from Spain at the town of Fos, goes through Toulouse and leaves the department. Two big canals cross the department from east to west: the Canal du Midi and the Canal de Garonne.

There are three distinct geographical areas in the department:

1. The extreme south of the department lies in the Pyrenees mountain range and there are many mountains. The highest mountain is Peak of Perdiguère (42°41′31″N 00°31′07″E / 42.69194°N 0.51861°E / 42.69194; 0.51861 (Peak of Perdiguère)) that is 3,221 m (10,568 ft) above sea level.
2. A first plain, to the north of the Pyrenees, that extends from Montréjeau to Saint-Martory
3. A second plain, the vast plain of Toulouse, that extends from Saint-Martory to the northern border of the department.

Administration

The department is managed by the Departamental Council of the Haute-Garonne in Toulouse. The Haute-Garonne is part of the region of Occitanie.

Population

The inhabitants of Haute-Garonne are known, in French, as Haut-Garonnais (women: Haut-Garonnaises).

Haute-Garonne has a population, in 2014, of 1,317,668, for a population density of 208.8 inhabitants/km². The arrondissement of Toulouse, with 1,024,517 inhabitants, is by far the largest. The other two, Muret and Saint-Gaudens, have respectively 215,606 and 77,545 inhabitants.

Evolution of the population in Haute-Garonne

The 10 cities with more people living in them in 2014 in the department are:

Gallery

• 
  Capitole de Toulouse at night
• 
  Château de Laréole
• 
  Pyrenees seen from Bagnères-de-Luchon
• 
  Lac d'Oô

Related pages

• Arrondissements of the Haute-Garonne department
• Communes of the Haute-Garonne department

References

Other websites

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haute-Garonne.

• Departamental Council website Archived 2015-07-22 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
• Prefecture website Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
• Tourism website Archived 2010-01-23 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
• Photography Panoramics 360° website Archived 2013-09-18 at the Wayback Machine (in French)