Landes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Landes
Department
Prefecture building of the Landes department, in Mont-de-Marsan
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Landes in France
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Département	4 March 1790
Prefecture	Mont-de-Marsan
Subprefectures	Dax
Area
• Total	9,242.6 km2 (3,568.6 sq mi)
Population  (2014)
• Total	400,477
• Density	43.32947/km2 (112.2228/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Landais
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	FR-40
Arrondissements	2
Cantons	15
Communes	330
Website	www.landes.fr

Landes (which means heathland in French) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. It was named Landes because heathland was the most common type of land there.

This area is famous for its Côte d'Argent (Silver Coast) beach. Many surfers visit towns like Mimizan and Hossegor every year to enjoy the waves.

History of Landes

The Landes department was created on March 4, 1790. This happened during the French Revolution. It was formed from parts of older French areas called Guyenne and Gascony.

At first, Landes was divided into four main areas called districts: Dax, Mont-de-Marsan, Saint-Sever, and Tartas. The main city, or capital, was Mont-de-Marsan. Later, in 1800, these districts were changed into arrondissements. In 1926, the Saint-Sever arrondissement was removed, and its areas were added to the Dax and Mont-de-Marsan arrondissements.

Geography of Landes

Landes is located in southwestern France, as part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is the second largest department in Metropolitan France, covering about 9,242.6 square kilometers (about 3,568.6 square miles).

The department has the Atlantic Ocean to its west. To the north, it borders the Gironde department. To the northeast, it touches Lot-et-Garonne. The Pyrénées-Atlantiques department is to the south. All these departments are also in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. To the east, Landes borders the Gers department, which is in the Occitanie region.

The most important river in Landes is the Adour. It flows through the southern part of the department from east to west. Near the city of Dax, the river turns southwest. It then joins another river called the Gaves réunis before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Landes Forest

The forest of Landes is the biggest forest in France. It covers about 67% of the northern part of the department. This forest also extends into large parts of the Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne departments. The main type of tree found here is the maritime pine.

Climate in Landes

The climate in Mont-de-Marsan, the capital of Landes, is a Marine West Coast Climate. This means it has mild winters and warm summers.

The average temperature for the year in Mont-de-Marsan is about 13.5°C (56.3°F). July is usually the warmest month, with an average temperature of 21.4°C (70.5°F). January is the coolest month, with an average temperature of 6.2°C (43.2°F).

Mont-de-Marsan gets about 693.4 millimeters (27.3 inches) of rain each year. October is typically the wettest month, with about 71.1 millimeters (2.8 inches) of rain. August is usually the driest month, with only about 40.6 millimeters (1.6 inches) of rain.

Administration of Landes

The department is managed by a group called the Departmental Council of the Landes. This council is based in Mont-de-Marsan. The leader of this council is called the President.

Administrative Divisions

Landes is divided into smaller administrative areas to help manage it.

• There are 2 main arrondissements (which are like large districts).
• These arrondissements are further divided into 15 cantons.
• Within these cantons, there are 330 communes (which are like local towns or municipalities).

The two arrondissements of Landes are:

The 15 cantons of Landes, which were reorganized in March 2015, are:

Population of Landes

People who live in Landes are called Landais (for men) or Landaises (for women) in French.

In 2014, the department of Landes had a population of 400,477 people. This means there were about 43.3 inhabitants per square kilometer. The arrondissement of Dax had more people, with 220,656 inhabitants. The arrondissement of Mont-de-Marsan, where the main government office is, had 179,821 inhabitants.

How the population of Landes has changed over time:

The 10 largest cities in the department are:

Gallery

• 

  Mont-de-Marsan

• 

  Surfer in Hossegor

• 

  Beach near Messanges

• 

  Labastide-d'Armagnac

• 

  Landes forest, the largest maritime-pine forest in Europe

Related pages

• Arrondissements of the Landes department
• Communes of the Landes department