Prades (Pyrénées-Orientales) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Prades

View of Prades

Coat of arms

Prades

Location in France

Prades

Location in Occitanie

Country

Les Pyrénées catalanes

Intercommunality

Conflent-Canigó

Area

10.87 km² (4.20 sq mi)

Population

(2014)

5,927

• Density

545.26/km² (1,412.2/sq mi)

Pradéens

• Summer (DST)

INSEE/Postal code

66149 /66500

Elevation

300–745 m (984–2,444 ft)
(avg. 523 m or 1,716 ft)

Website

Official website: http://www.prades.com/

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Prades (also called Prada in Catalan) is a small town in southern France. It's located in the Pyrénées-Orientales area. Long ago, it was the main town of a historic region called Conflent in Catalonia. Today, Prades is an important administrative center. It's known as a "subprefecture" and is the main town of the Prades district.

What's in a Name? Prades's Meaning
Exploring Prades: Geography and Location
- Prades's Climate
Prades's Population: A Look at Its People
How Prades is Governed
- Prades's Twin Towns
Cool Places to See in Prades
Famous People Connected to Prades
Gallery
Related Pages
Images for kids
See also

What's in a Name? Prades's Meaning

The name Prades comes from the Catalan word Prada. This word actually comes from an old Latin word, prata. Prata means "prairie" or "meadow". So, Prades is like "the town of meadows"!

Exploring Prades: Geography and Location

Prades is the main town in the Conflent region, which is a natural area in the Pyrénées-Orientales. It sits at the bottom of the Canigou mountain, west of Perpignan. The Têt River flows right through the town.

The town covers an area of about 10.87 km² (4.20 sq mi). Its average height above sea level is 523 m (1,716 ft). At the town hall, the height is 356 m (1,168 ft).

Prades is about 44 km (27 mi) away from Perpignan. It is surrounded by other towns like Catllar, Eus, Los Masos, Clara, Taurinya, Codalet, and Ria-Sirach.

	Catllar	Eus
Ria-Sirach		Los Masos
	Prades

Codalet	Taurinya	Clara

Prades's Climate

Prades has a climate known as Cfb. This means it has an oceanic climate with mild summers.

Prades's Population: A Look at Its People

The people who live in Prades are called Pradéens (for men) and Pradéennes (for women) in French. In Catalan, they are called Pradencs and Pradenques.

In 2014, Prades had a population of 5,927 people. This means there were about 545 people living in each square kilometer of the town.

How the Population of Prades Has Changed

How Prades is Governed

Prades has been a "subprefecture" of the Pyrénées-Orientales department since 1790. This means it's an important administrative center for the area. It's also the main town of the Prades district.

Prades is also the administrative center (called chef-lieu in French) for the Les Pyrénées catalanes canton. This canton includes 62 smaller towns and had 26,765 people living there in 2014.

The town is part of a group of towns called Conflent Canigó (or Communauté de communes Conflent Canigó in French). This group works together on things like local services.

Prades's Twin Towns

Prades has special friendships with other towns around the world. These are called "twin towns":

Ripoll, Spain, since 1969
Kitzingen, Germany, since 1984
Lousã, Portugal, since 1991

Cool Places to See in Prades

If you visit Prades, here are some interesting places you might want to check out:

Saint-Peter Church with its tall bell tower.
Saint-Martin de Canoha (Sant Marti de Canoa) chapel.
Jacomet House, a very old building from the 1400s.

Famous People Connected to Prades

Some well-known people were born in Prades or lived there:

Pierre Nicolas Camille Jacquelin du Val (1828-1862), an entomologist (someone who studies insects) born in Prades.
Thomas Merton (1915–1968), a trappist monk born in Prades.

Prades was also the home of the famous cellist Pablo Casals and the grammarian Pompeu Fabra. They lived there when they were in exile during the Spanish Civil War. There's even a small museum in Prades that celebrates Pablo Casals.