Haute-Garonne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Haute-Garonne
Department
Prefecture building of the Haute-Garonne department, in Toulouse
Flag Coat of arms
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 is a special area in the southwest of France. It's called "Upper Garonne" because it's named after the Garonne river that flows through it. The biggest city and main office for the department is Toulouse.

A Look at Haute-Garonne's Past

Haute-Garonne was one of the first 83 departments created in France. This happened during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was formed from a part of an older region called Languedoc.

The department used to be bigger. A district called Castelsarrasin was moved to a new department, Tarn-et-Garonne, in 1808.

Exploring Haute-Garonne's Geography

Haute-Garonne covers about 6,309 square kilometers (2,436 square miles). It is part of the Occitanie region in France. This department is not an old historical region. Instead, it's an administrative area made from parts of Languedoc and Gascogne.

Neighboring Regions and Countries

Haute-Garonne is surrounded by several other departments:

• Ariège to the southeast
• Aude to the east
• Tarn to the northeast
• Tarn-et-Garonne to the north
• Gers to the west
• Hautes-Pyrénées to the southwest

To the south, it shares a border with Spain. Specifically, it borders the Spanish provinces of Lleida and Huesca.

		Tarn-et-Garonne	Tarn
	Gers		Aude
		Haut-Garonne
	Hautes-Pyrénées	Spain	Ariège

The Garonne River and Its Plains

The Garonne river flows through Haute-Garonne for almost 200 kilometers (124 miles). The department's borders often follow the river's path. The Garonne enters France from Spain near the town of Fos. It then passes through Toulouse before leaving the department.

Two large canals also cross the department from east to west:

• The Canal du Midi
• The Canal de Garonne

Haute-Garonne has three main types of land:

• The far south is in the Pyrenees mountain range. This area has many tall mountains. The highest peak is Peak of Perdiguère, which is 3,221 meters (10,568 feet) above sea level.
• A first plain area is located north of the Pyrenees. It stretches from Montréjeau to Saint-Martory.
• A second, much larger plain is the Toulouse plain. This area extends from Saint-Martory to the northern edge of the department.

Haute-Garonne's Climate

The climate in Haute-Garonne is an oceanic climate, which means it has mild summers. This type of climate is known as Cfb in the Köppen climate classification system.

How Haute-Garonne is Managed

The department is run by the Departmental Council of the Haute-Garonne. This council is based in Toulouse. Haute-Garonne is also part of the larger Occitanie region.

Administrative Divisions of Haute-Garonne

Haute-Garonne is divided into smaller areas to help with its management. There are:

• 3 arrondissements (districts)
• 27 cantons (smaller administrative areas)
• 589 communes (municipalities or towns/villages)

Arrondissements of Haute-Garonne

Here are the arrondissements in the Haute-Garonne department:

Cantons of Haute-Garonne

This is a list of the 27 cantons in Haute-Garonne. These were reorganized in March 2015:

Population of Haute-Garonne

People who live in Haute-Garonne are called Haut-Garonnais (for men) or Haut-Garonnaises (for women) in French.

In 2014, Haute-Garonne had 1,317,668 people living there. This means there were about 208.9 people per square kilometer (541.1 people per square mile). The arrondissement of Toulouse is the largest, with 1,024,517 people. The other two, Muret and Saint-Gaudens, have 215,606 and 77,545 people, respectively.

Population Growth Over Time

Evolution of the population in Haute-Garonne

Top 10 Cities by Population

Here are the 10 cities with the most people living in them in Haute-Garonne, based on 2014 data:

The Garonne river in Toulouse.

Gallery

• 

  Capitole de Toulouse at night

• 

  Château de Laréole

• 

  Pyrenees seen from Bagnères-de-Luchon

• 

  Lac d'Oô

Related pages

• Arrondissements of the Haute-Garonne department
• Communes of the Haute-Garonne department

Images for kids

• 

  Map of Haute-Garonne with its main cities and towns

• 

  Cité de l'espace

See also

In Spanish: Alto Garona para niños