The department is named after the river Gardon. In recent decades of the 21st century, local administration and French speakers have returned to the original Occitan name of the river, Gard (Occitan pronunciation:[gaɾ]). It is part of a revival of Occitan culture.
In classical times the Gard area was settled by Romans and their allies. They built the Via Domitia across the region in 118 BC. Centuries later, on 4 March 1790, Gard was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution. It comprised the ancient province of Languedoc.
Originally this department was to include the canton of Ganges, but Ganges was transferred to the neighbouring department of Hérault. In return, Gard was assigned the fishing port of Aigues Mortes, which gave the department its own outlet to the Gulf of Lion on the Mediterranean Sea.
During the middle of the nineteenth century the prefecture, traditionally a centre of commerce with a manufacturing sector focused on textiles, was an early beneficiary of railway development, becoming an important railway junction. Several luxurious hotels were built, and the improved market access provided by the railways also encouraged, initially, a rapid growth in wine growing. But many winegrowers were ruined when the vineyards were infected with phylloxera in 1872.
In the first quarter of the 21st century, the department has suffered serious flooding. The region has also been subject to some of the highest recorded temperatures in France's history as climate change alters summer heat.[4]
Demographics
Population development since 1791:
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1791
313,464
—
1801
300,144
−0.43%
1806
322,144
+1.42%
1821
334,164
+0.24%
1831
357,283
+0.67%
1841
376,062
+0.51%
1851
408,163
+0.82%
1861
422,107
+0.34%
1872
420,131
−0.04%
1881
415,629
−0.12%
1891
419,388
+0.09%
1901
420,836
+0.03%
1911
413,458
−0.18%
1921
396,169
−0.43%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1931
406,815
+0.27%
1936
395,299
−0.57%
1946
380,837
−0.37%
1954
396,742
+0.51%
1962
435,107
+1.16%
1968
478,544
+1.60%
1975
494,575
+0.47%
1982
530,478
+1.01%
1990
585,049
+1.23%
1999
623,125
+0.70%
2006
684,306
+1.35%
2011
718,357
+0.98%
2016
742,006
+0.65%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
The inhabitants of Gard are called "Gardois". The most populous commune is Nîmes, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are eight communes that have more than 10,000 inhabitants each:[3]
Gard is also home to the source of Perrier, a carbonated mineral water sold both in France and internationally on a large scale. The spring and facility are located just south-east of the commune of Vergèze.