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Haute-Garonne
Prefecture building of the Haute-Garonne department, in Toulouse
Prefecture building of the Haute-Garonne department, in Toulouse
Flag of Haute-Garonne
Flag
Coat of arms
Coat of arms
Location of Haute-Garonne in France
Location of Haute-Garonne in France
Country France
Region Occitanie
Département 4 March 1790
Prefecture Toulouse
Subprefectures Saint-Gaudens, Muret
Area
 • Total 6,309.3 km2 (2,436.0 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)
 • Total 1,317,668
 • Rank 13th
 • Density 208.8454/km2 (540.907/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] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) 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:

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.

Climate

The climate of the department is an oceanic climate with template summers, Cfb in the Köppen climate classification.

Climate data for Toulouse, Haut-Garonne, France
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 8
(46)
11
(52)
13
(55)
16
(61)
20
(68)
25
(77)
27
(81)
27
(81)
24
(75)
18
(64)
12
(54)
9
(48)
18
(64)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4
(39)
6
(43)
8
(46)
11
(52)
14
(57)
18
(64)
21
(70)
21
(70)
18
(64)
13
(55)
8
(46)
5
(41)
12
(54)
Average low °C (°F) 1
(34)
2
(36)
3
(37)
6
(43)
9
(48)
12
(54)
15
(59)
15
(59)
12
(54)
8
(46)
5
(41)
2
(36)
8
(46)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 40
(1.6)
40
(1.6)
50
(2.0)
60
(2.4)
70
(2.8)
60
(2.4)
30
(1.2)
50
(2.0)
50
(2.0)
50
(2.0)
60
(2.4)
50
(2.0)
610
(24.4)
Source: Weatherbase.com [1]

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.

Administrative divisions

There are 3 arrondissements (districts), 27 cantons and 589 communes (municipalities) in the Haute-Garonne.

Arrondissements of the Haute-Garonne department
INSEE
code
Arrondissement Capital Population
(2014)
Area
(km²)
Density
(Inh./km²)
Communes
311 Muret Muret 215,606 1,639.0 131.5 126
312 Saint-Gaudens Saint-Gaudens 77,545 2,139.6 36.2 237
313 Toulouse Toulouse 1,024,517 2,530.7 404.8 226

The following is a list of the 27 cantons of the Haute-Garonne department (with their INSEE codes), in France, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:

  1. Auterive (3101)
  2. Bagnères-de-Luchon (3102)
  3. Blagnac (3103)
  4. Castanet-Tolosan (3104)
  5. Castelginest (3105)
  6. Cazères (3106)
  7. Escalquens (3107)
  8. Léguevin (3108)
  9. Muret (3109)
  10. Pechbonnieu (3110)
  11. Plaisance-du-Touch (3111)
  12. Portet-sur-Garonne (3112)
  13. Revel (3113)
  14. Saint-Gaudens (3114)
  15. Toulouse-1 (3115)
  16. Toulouse-2 (3116)
  17. Toulouse-3 (3117)
  18. Toulouse-4 (3118)
  19. Toulouse-5 (3119)
  20. Toulouse-6 (3120)
  21. Toulouse-7 (3121)
  22. Toulouse-8 (3122)
  23. Toulouse-9 (3123)
  24. Toulouse-10 (3124)
  25. Toulouse-11 (3125)
  26. Tournefeuille (3126)
  27. Villemur-sur-Tarn (3127)

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:

No. City Population
(2014)
Arrondissement
1 Toulouse 466,297 Toulouse
2 Colomiers 38,541 Toulouse
3 Tournefeuille 26,674 Toulouse
4 Muret 24,975 Muret
5 Blagnac 23,416 Toulouse
6 Plaisance-du-Touch 17,278 Toulouse
7 Cugnaux 17,004 Toulouse
8 Balma 15,319 Toulouse
9 Ramonville-Saint-Agne 13,986 Toulouse
10 Castanet-Tolosan 12,640 Toulouse

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