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Dordogne
Prefecture building of the Dordogne department, in Périgueux
Prefecture building of the Dordogne department, in Périgueux
Flag of Dordogne
Flag
Coat of arms
Coat of arms
Location of Dordogne in France
Location of Dordogne in France
Country France
Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Département 4 March 1790
Prefecture Périgueux
Subprefectures Bergerac, Nontron, Sarlat-la-Canéda
Area
 • Total 9,060 km2 (3,500 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)
 • Total 416,350
 • Density 45.955/km2 (119.02/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Dordognots, Périgordins
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code FR-24
Arrondissements 4
Cantons 25
Communes 545
Website www.dordogne.fr

Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha) is a department in the southwest of France. It is named after the Dordogne river that runs through the department.

The department is in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is between the valley of the Loire river and the Pyrenees. Its prefecture (capital) is Périgueux.

History

Dordogne was formed during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790 with parts of the old province of Périgord. It was divided into nine districts: Belvès, Bergerac, Excideuil, Montignac, Montpon, Nontron, Périgueux, Ribérac and Sarlat.

Bergerac, Périgueux and Sarlat-la-Canéda were alternatively the capital of the department but later it was decided that only Périgueux would be the capital.

Geography

Dordogne is part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is the third largest department of Metropolitan France, after Gironde and Landes. It has an area of 9,060 km2 (3,498 sq mi).

The department is bordered by seven departments in two regions:

The main river in the department is the Dordogne that gives its name to the department. It runs from east to west through the department. Other rivers are the Isle and the Vézère, both tributaries of the Dordogne.

The highest point in the department is the southwestern summit of the Forêt de Vieillecour (45°34′41″N 1°1′55″E / 45.57806°N 1.03194°E / 45.57806; 1.03194 (Forêt de Vieillecour - Sommet Sud-ouest)), in northwestern Massif Central near the border with the Haute-Vienne department, with an altitude of 475 m (1,558 ft). The lowest point is in the valley of the Dordogne river and is 16 m (52 ft) high.

Administration

Dordogne is part of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is managed by the Departamental Council of Dordogne in Périgueux.

Administrative divisions

There are 4 arrondissements (districts), 25 cantons and 520 communes (municipalities) in Dordogne.

INSEE
code
Arrondissement Capital Population
(2014)
Area
(km²)
Density
(Inh./km²)
Communes
241 Bergerac Bergerac 111,875 2,182.0 51.3 133
242 Nontron Nontron 40,508 1,621.0 25.0 100
243 Périgueux Périgueux 189,301 3,336.5 56.7 146
244 Sarlat-la-Canéda Sarlat-la-Canéda 74,666 1,920.6 38.9 141

The following is a list of the 25 cantons of the Dordogne department (with their INSEE codes), following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:

  1. Bergerac-1 (2401)
  2. Bergerac-2 (2402)
  3. Brantôme (2403)
  4. Coulounieix-Chamiers (2404)
  5. Le Haut-Périgord Noir (2405)
  6. Isle-Loue-Auvézère (2406)
  7. Isle-Manoire (2407)
  8. Lalinde (2408)
  9. Montpon-Ménestérol (2409)
  10. Pays de la Force (2410)
  11. Pays de Montaigne et Gurson (2411)
  12. Périgord Central (2412)
  13. Périgord Vert Nontronnais (2413)
  14. Périgueux-1 (2414)
  15. Périgueux-2 (2415)
  16. Ribérac (2416)
  17. Saint-Astier (2417)
  18. Sarlat-la-Canéda (2418)
  19. Sud-Bergeracois (2419)
  20. Terrasson-Lavilledieu (2420)
  21. Thiviers (2421)
  22. Trélissac (2422)
  23. Vallée Dordogne (2423)
  24. Vallée de l'Isle (2424)
  25. Vallée de l'Homme (2425)

Demographics

The inhabitants of Dordogne are known, in French, as Dordognais (women: Dordognaises). They are also known as Périgordins or Périgoudins.

in 2014, the department of Dordogne had a population of 416,350, for a population density of 46.0 inhabitants/km2. The arrondissement of Périgueux, with 189,301 inhabitants, is by far the largest. The other three, Bergerac, Nontron and Sarlat-la-Canéda, have respectively 111,875, 40,508 and 74,666 inhabitants.

Evolution of the population in Dordogne

The cities in the department with more of 5,000 inhabitants are:

City Population
(2014)
Arrondissement
Périgueux 30,069 Périgueux
Bergerac 27,764 Bergerac
Boulazac Isle Manoire 9,823 Périgueux
Sarlat-la-Canéda 9,127 Sarlat-la-Canéda
Coulounieix-Chamiers 8,089 Périgueux
Trélissac 6,732 Périgueux
Terrasson-Lavilledieu 6,186 Sarlat-la-Canéda
Saint-Astier 5,521 Périgueux
Montpon-Ménestérol 5,480 Périgueux

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Dordoña (departamento) para niños

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