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Occitanie

Occitània
Flag of Occitanie
Flag
Coat of arms of Occitanie
Coat of arms
Occitanie in France 2016.svg
Country  France
Prefecture Toulouse
Departments
Area
 • Total 72,724 km2 (28,079 sq mi)
Population
 (2015)
 • Total 5,774,185
 • Density 79.3986/km2 (205.6415/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Occitans
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)

Occitanie (Occitan: [Occitània] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), Catalan: [Occitània] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) is an administrative region of France that was created on 1 January 2016 from the former French regions Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées. Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées was the temporary name for the region.

The name Occitania (French: Occitanie) was approved as the new name of the region on 28 September 2016, effective 30 September 2016.

The new Occitania Region should not be confused with the wider cultural entity of Occitania, of which the new administrative region is part.

Geography

Lac du Milieu de Bastan Hautes Pyrénées 02 BLS
Middle Lake of Bastan, Hautes-Pyrénées

The Occitanie region is the third largest region of France, after Nouvelle-Aquitaine and French Guiana, and the second of Metropolitan France with an area of 72,723.5 km2 (28,079 sq mi). It is in southern France (the Midi) and borders to the south with Spain and Andorra; it also borders three French regions: Nouvelle-Aquitaine to the west, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes to the north, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur to the east. The Mediterranean Sea is to the southeast.

Its capital, Toulouse, is at 590 km (367 mi) to the southwest of Paris, the national capital, at 405 km (252 mi) to the west of Marseille, at 245 km (152 mi) fto the southeast of Bordeaux and at 395 km (245 mi) to the north of Barcelona (Spain).

Rivers

There are two main drainage basin in the region; some rivers in those basins are:

  • Garonne river is 522 km (324 mi) long but, in the region it is 250 km (160 mi) long, more than half its total length.
  • Tarn 381 km (237 mi)
  • Lot 485 km (301 mi)
  • Ariège 163.1 km (101.3 mi)
  • Gers 175.4 km (109.0 mi)
  • Tech 84.1 km (52.3 mi)
  • Têt 115.8 km (72.0 mi)
  • Agly 81.7 km (50.8 mi)
  • Aude 224 km (139 mi)
  • Rhône 812 km (505 mi)

Mountains

The Pic Vignemale (42°46′26″N 0°8′51″E / 42.77389°N 0.14750°E / 42.77389; 0.14750 (Vignemale)), at 3,299 m (10,823 ft), is the highest mountain of the Occitanie region; it is on the border with Spain. It is in the Pyrénées National Park.

The highest point of the different departments of the Occitanie region are:

01 Gorges du Tarn Roc des Hourtous
The canyon of the Tarn
Department Mountain Elevation
Ariège Pica d'Estats 3,142 m (10,308 ft)
Aude Pic de Madrès 2,469 m (8,100 ft)
Aveyron Signal de Mailhe-Biau 1,463 m (4,800 ft)
Gard Mont Aigoual 1,565 m (5,135 ft)
Haute-Garonne Perdiguero 3,221 m (10,568 ft)
Gers Mont de Chapelle Saint Roch 377 m (1,237 ft)
Hérault Valbonne 1,151 m (3,776 ft)
Lot Signal de Labastide-du-Haut-Mont 783 m (2,569 ft)
Lozère Mont Lozère 1,699 m (5,574 ft)
Hautes-Pyrénées Pic Vignemale 3,299 m (10,823 ft)
Pyrénées-Orientales Pic Carlit 2,921 m (9,583 ft)
Tarn Puech de Rascas 1,270 m (4,170 ft)
Tarn-et-Garonne Puech des Carts-Sommet Nord 504 m (1,654 ft)

Departments

The Occitanie region is formed by 13 departments:

ISO
3166-2
Shield Department Prefecture Arr. Cant. Comm. Population
(2013)
Area
(km²)
Density
(Inh./km²)
FR-09 Blason département fr Ariège.svg Ariège Foix 3 13 332 152,684 4,889.9 31.2
FR-11 Blason département fr Aude.svg Aude Carcassonne 3 19 436 364,877 6,139.0 59.4
FR-12 Blason Rouergue.svg Aveyron Rodez 3 23 286 277,740 8,735.1 31.8
FR-30 Blason département fr Gard.svg Gard Nîmes 3 23 353 733,201 5,852.8 125.3
FR-31 Blason département fr Haute-Garonne.svg Haute-Garonne Toulouse 3 27 589 1,298,562 6,309.3 205.8
FR-32 Blason département fr Gers.svg Gers Auch 3 17 462 190,276 6,256.8 30.4
FR-34 Blason département fr Hérault.svg Hérault Montpellier 3 25 343 1,092,331 6,101.0 179.0
FR-46 Blason département fr Lot.svg Lot Cahors 3 17 326 173,758 5,216.5 33.3
FR-48 Blason département fr Lozère.svg Lozère Mende 2 13 176 76,607 5,166.9 14.8
FR-65 Blason département fr Hautes-Pyrénées.svg Hautes-Pyrénées Tarbes 3 17 472 228,868 4,464.0 51.3
FR-66 Blason département fr Pyrénées-Orientales.svg Pyrénées-Orientales     Perpignan 3 17 226 462,705 4,116.0 112.4
FR-81 Blason département fr Tarn.svg Tarn Albi 2 23 320 381,927 5,757.9 66.3
FR-82 Blason département fr Tarn-et-Garonne.svg Tarn-et-Garonne Montauban 2 30 195 250,342 3,718.3 67.3
Total of the Region 36 264 4,516 5,683,878 72,723.5 78.2

Arr. = Arrondissements          Cant. = Cantons          Comm. = Communes

Demographics

The Occitanie region had a population, in 2013, of 5,683,878, for a population density of 78.2 inhabitants/km2.

Toulouse Capitole Night Wikimedia Commons
Le Capitole, Toulouse

The important cities with more than 20,000 inhabitans (2013) in the region are:

INSEE
code
City Department Population
(2013)
31555 Toulouse Haute-Garonne &&&&&&&&&0458298.&&&&&0458,298
34172 Montpellier Hérault &&&&&&&&&0272084.&&&&&0272,084
30189 Nîmes Gard &&&&&&&&&0150564.&&&&&0150,564
66136 Perpignan Pyrénées-Orientales &&&&&&&&&0120959.&&&&&0120,959
34032 Béziers Hérault &&&&&&&&&&074811.&&&&&074,811
82121 Montauban Tarn-et-Garonne &&&&&&&&&&057921.&&&&&057,921
11262 Narbonne Aude &&&&&&&&&&052802.&&&&&052,802
81004 Albi Tarn &&&&&&&&&&049342.&&&&&049,342
11069 Carcassonne Aude &&&&&&&&&&046724.&&&&&046,724
34301 Sète Hérault &&&&&&&&&&044270.&&&&&044,270
81065 Castres Tarn &&&&&&&&&&041636.&&&&&041,636
65440 Tarbes Hautes-Pyrénées &&&&&&&&&&041062.&&&&&041,062
30007 Alès Gard &&&&&&&&&&040711.&&&&&040,711
31149 Colomiers Haute-Garonne &&&&&&&&&&038302.&&&&&038,302
31557 Tournefeuille Haute-Garonne &&&&&&&&&&026206.&&&&&026,206
34003 Agde Hérault &&&&&&&&&&025253.&&&&&025,253
34145 Lunel Hérault &&&&&&&&&&025006.&&&&&025,006
31395 Muret Haute-Garonne &&&&&&&&&&024725.&&&&&024,725
12202 Rodez Aveyron &&&&&&&&&&023741.&&&&&023,741
31069 Blagnac Haute-Garonne &&&&&&&&&&022969.&&&&&022,969
34108 Frontignan Hérault &&&&&&&&&&022942.&&&&&022,942
12145 Millau Aveyron &&&&&&&&&&022205.&&&&&022,205
32013 Auch Gers &&&&&&&&&&021962.&&&&&021,962

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