Hérault facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hérault
Department
Prefecture building of the Hérault department, in Montpellier
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Hérault in France
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Prefecture	Montpellier
Subprefectures	Béziers Lodève
Area
• Total	6,101 km2 (2,356 sq mi)
Population  (2014)
• Total	1,107,398
• Rank	21st
• Density	181.511/km2 (470.11/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Héraultais
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	FR-34
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	25
Communes	343
Website	http://www.herault.fr/

Hérault (pronounced "Eh-roh") is a department in southern France. It is part of the Occitanie region. The department gets its name from the Hérault River.

People who live in Hérault are called Héraultais (for boys and men) or Héraultaises (for girls and women).

History of Hérault

Hérault was created in 1790 during the French Revolution. At that time, France was divided into departments. This replaced the older system of provinces. Hérault was formed from a part of the old province called Languedoc.

The department was first divided into four smaller areas called districts. These were Montpellier, Béziers, Lodève, and Saint-Pons. Montpellier was chosen as the main city, or capital.

In 1800, these districts were changed into arrondissements. Later, in 1926, the arrondissements of Lodève and Saint-Pons were removed. But Lodève became an arrondissement again in 1942.

Geography of Hérault

Hérault covers an area of about 6,101 square kilometers (2,356 square miles). It is surrounded by other departments: Aude to the southwest, Aveyron to the northwest, Tarn to the west, and Gard to the northeast. To the east and southeast, Hérault has a coastline along the Gulf of Lion, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea.

	Aveyron (Occitanie)		Gard (Occitanie)
	Tarn (Occitanie)		Mediterranean Sea
		Hérault
	Aude (Occitanie)		Mediterranean Sea

The two most important rivers in the department are the Orb and the Hérault. The Hérault River is where the department gets its name.

Climate in Hérault

The climate in Montpellier, which is in the northeast near the Mediterranean coast, is a Mediterranean climate. This means it has hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. This type of climate is known as "Csa" in the Köppen climate classification.

Montpellier gets about 629.9 millimeters (24.8 inches) of rain each year. The rainiest month is usually October, with about 96.5 millimeters (3.8 inches) of rain. July is the driest month, with only about 15.2 millimeters (0.6 inches) of rain. On average, there are about 73 rainy days per year. December has the most rainy days (around 9.2), while July has the fewest (around 2.3).

The average temperature in Montpellier for the whole year is 15.1°C (59.2°F). July is the warmest month, with an average temperature of 24.1°C (75.4°F). January is the coolest month, with an average temperature of 7.2°C (45.0°F).

Administration of Hérault

The department is managed by the Departmental Council of Hérault. This council is based in Montpellier. Hérault is also part of the larger Occitanie region in France.

Divisions of Hérault

Hérault is divided into several administrative areas:

• There are 3 main arrondissements (like large districts).
• These arrondissements are further divided into 25 cantons.
• Within these cantons, there are 343 communes (which are like local towns or municipalities).

Here is a list of the 25 cantons in Hérault. These were reorganized in March 2015:

Population of Hérault

In 2014, the Hérault department had a population of 1,107,398 people. This means there were about 181.5 people living per square kilometer. The arrondissement of Montpellier is the largest, with 700,241 people. The other two arrondissements, Béziers and Lodève, had 312,443 and 94,714 people respectively.

How the population of Hérault has changed over time

Here are the communes (towns or cities) in Hérault with more than 10,000 people:

Gallery

• 

  The Hérault river at Agde

• 

  Porte du Peyrou in Montpellier

• 

  Béziers cathedral

• 

  Roquebrun and Orb river

Related pages

• Arrondissements of the Hérault department
• Communes of the Hérault department

Images for kids

• 

  Oppidum d'Ensérune

• 

  View of the Orb River in Roquebrun

• 

  Foal of Pézenas

• 

  Montpellier's FISE in 2013

• 

  Vineyard in Adissan

• 

  BLMA's team in 2015

• 

  Montpellier Handball's team in 2016

• 

  Altrad Stadium, the home stadium of Montpellier Hérault Rugby

• 

  Match between Montpellier Water-Polo and VK Jug in 2012

• 

  Tamburello's match in Notre-Dame-de-Londres

• 

  Gambetta square in Pézenas

• 

  Houseboat on the Canal du Midi

• 

  Promenade du Peyrou in Montpellier

• 

  View of Avène

• 

  The "Lac du Salagou"

• 

  Kayaking on the Orb

• 

  Crique de l'Anau in Sète

See also

In Spanish: Hérault para niños