Cahors Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Cahors

Valentré bridge

Flag	Coat of arms

Cahors

Location in France

Cahors

Location in Occitanie

Country

Cahors-1
Cahors-2
Cahors-3

Intercommunality

Le Grand Cahors

Area

72.48 km² (27.98 sq mi)

Population

(2014)

19,630

• Density

270.83/km² (701.46/sq mi)

Cadurciens

• Summer (DST)

INSEE/Postal code

46042 /46000

Elevation

105–332 m (344–1,089 ft)
(avg. 122 m or 400 ft)

Website

www.mairie-cahors.fr

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

Cahors (Occitan: Caors) is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Occitanie, it is the prefecture (capital) of the Lot department. It is also the capital of 3 cantons: Cahors-1, Cahors-2 and Cahors-3.

Cahors was the capital of the old province of Quercy and the people of this city are known, in French, as cadurciens (women: cadurciennes); this name comes from the old name of the city, Carduca.

History
Geography
- Climate
Population
Administration
Places of interest
Gallery
Related pages
Images for kids
See also

History

Cahors is an ancient town. The people that inhabited the area at the time of the Roman conquest were called Carduci and so the Romans named the town as Divona or Divona Cadurcorum, "Divona of the Cadurci"; Divona was a source of water, now called "fontaine des Chartreux". The word Cahors comes from Cadurcorum.

Geography

Cahors is located in the southwest of France, in the old province of Quercy, in the valley of the Lot river, and is found in a peninsula (French: presqu'île) formed by an U-shaped meander of that river which gives its name to the department.

It has an area of 72.48 km² (27.98 sq mi) and its average altitude is 219 m (719 ft); at the city hall, the altitude is 122 m (400 ft).

Cahors and its neighboring *communes*

The commune is at 115 km (71 mi) north of Toulouse and is surrounded by the communes Mercuès, Calamane, Pradines, Arcambal, Lamagdelaine, Laroque-des-Arcs, Trespoux-Rassiels, Labastide-Marnhac, Le Montat and Flaujac-Poujols.

Mercuès	Calamane	Laroque-des-Arcs
Pradines		Arcambal and Lamagdelaine
	Cahors

Trespoux-Rassiels	Labastide-Marnhac and Le Montat	Flaujac-Poujols

Climate

The climate of Cahors, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers.

Population

With a population of 19,630, Cahors has a population density of 271 inhabitants/km².

Evolution of the population in Cahors

Cahors forms, together with the commune Pradines, the urban area of Cahors, with a population of 23,090 inhabitants (2013) and an area of 81.2 km² (31.4 sq mi). This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Cahors, formed by 44 communes with a population of 44,255 inhabitants (2013) and an area of 712.9 km² (275.3 sq mi).

Administration

Cahors is the prefecture of the Lot department, the capital of the arrondissement of Cahors and the administrative centre (French: chef-lieu) of the Cahors-1, Cahors-2 and Cahors-3 cantons.

It is part of the intercommunality Le Grand Cahors (French: Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Cahors).

Places of interest

Cahors Cathedral

Some places of interest are:

Pont Valentré (Valentré Bridge, Occitan: Pont de Balandras), a symbol of the town across the Lot river. It was built between 1308 and 1378.
Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Cahors (Cahors Cathedral), a national monument in France.
Arc de Diane (Diane's Arch), remains of Roman baths.
Saint-Barthélémy Church (14th century).
Maison Henri IV or Hôtel de Roaldès (15th century).