Bellac Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Bellac

Subprefecture and commune

Town hall of Bellac

Coat of arms

Bellac

Location in France

Bellac

Location in Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Country

Bellac

Haut Limousin

Area

24.42 km² (9.43 sq mi)

Population

(2014)

4,117

• Density

168.59/km² (436.65/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Bellachons or Bellacquais

Time zone

UTC+01:00 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+02:00 (CEST)

INSEE/Postal code

87011 /87300

Elevation

175–301 m (574–988 ft)
(avg. 245 m or 804 ft)

Website

www.bellac.fr

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Bellac (Occitan: Belac) is a small town, also called a commune, located in western France. It's part of the Haute-Vienne area, which is a bit like a county, within the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Bellac is special because it's a subprefecture, meaning it's an important administrative center for its part of the department. It's also the main town, or capital, of its own arrondissement (a smaller administrative district).

Exploring Bellac's Location
- Bellac's Weather
Who Lives in Bellac?
How Bellac is Governed
- Towns Bellac is Friends With
Gallery
More About Bellac
See also

Exploring Bellac's Location

Bellac is found near the Monts de Blond, which are some hills that are part of a larger mountain range called the Massif Central. This area is in the northwest of the Haute-Vienne department. A river called the Vincou flows right through the town. The Vincou is a tributary, which means it's a smaller river that flows into a bigger one, in this case, the Gartempe river.

Bellac is about 45 kilometers (28 miles) from Limoges, a larger city. It's also about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Poitiers and 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Angoulême. If you were to travel to bigger cities, it's about 230 kilometers (143 miles) from Bordeaux and 380 kilometers (236 miles) from Paris.

The town covers an area of about 24.4 square kilometers (9.4 square miles). Its average height above sea level is 238 meters (781 feet). Right at the town hall, the height is about 250 meters (820 feet).

Map of the commune of Bellac

Bellac is surrounded by several other towns, or communes:

	Peyrat-de-Bellac
Mézières-sur-Issoire		Blanzac
	Bellac

Blond	Berneuil	Saint-Junien-les-Combes

Bellac's Weather

The weather in Bellac is known as an Oceanic climate. This means it has mild summers and cool, but not usually freezing, winters. It often gets rain throughout the year.

Who Lives in Bellac?

People who live in Bellac are called Bellachons (for boys and men) or Bellachonnes (for girls and women) in French. Sometimes, they are also called Bellacquais (for boys and men) or Bellacquaises (for girls and women).

In 2014, Bellac had a population of 4,117 people. This means that for every square kilometer, there were about 169 people living there. This is called the population density.

How Bellac's Population Has Changed

Bellac and a nearby town, Peyrat-de-Bellac, together form what is called an urban area. This means they are close enough to be considered one connected town area. In 2013, this urban area had about 5,281 people and covered 55.6 square kilometers (21.5 square miles). This urban area is also the center of a metropolitan area, which includes Bellac and Peyrat-de-Bellac, with the same population and area.

How Bellac is Governed

Bellac is an important administrative center. It's a subprefecture of the Haute-Vienne department. This means it's where some of the government offices for that part of the department are located. It's also the main town of the arrondissement of Bellac and the administrative centre (or chef-lieu in French) of the canton of Bellac. A canton is a smaller administrative division, and the Bellac canton had 18,178 people in 2014.

Bellac is part of a group of towns that work together, called an intercommunality. This group is named Le Haut-Limousin en Marche (which means The Upper Limousin on the Move).