Haute-Garonne

Haute-Garonne Nauta Garona (Occitan)
Department
Prefecture building in Toulouse, with the city's cathedral in the background
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Haute-Garonne in France
Coordinates: 43°25′N 1°30′E / 43.417°N 1.500°E / 43.417; 1.500
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Prefecture	Toulouse
Subprefectures	Saint-Gaudens Muret
Government
• President of the Departmental Council	Georges Méric[1] (PS)
Area 1
• Total	6,309 km2 (2,436 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Total	1,434,367
• Rank	13th
• Density	230/km2 (590/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number	31
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	27
Communes	586
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Haute-Garonne (French pronunciation: [ot ɡaʁɔn]; Occitan: Nauta Garona, pronounced [ˈnawto ɡaˈɾuno]; Upper Garonne) is a department in the southwestern French region of Occitanie. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's fourth-largest. In 2019, it had a population of 1,400,039.^[3]

Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former provinces of Languedoc and Guyenne/Gascony.

The department was originally larger. The reduction in its area resulted from an imperial decree dated 21 November 1808 and which established the neighbouring department of Tarn-et-Garonne, to the north. The new department took territory from five surrounding departments including Haute-Garonne. The districts lost to Tarn-et-Garonne in 1808 were those of Montech and Castelsarrasin.

Haute-Garonne is part of the current region of Occitanie and is surrounded by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées, Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne, Tarn, Aude, and Ariège. It also borders Spain in the south (province of Lleida and province of Huesca). According to the Köppen climate classification, the department has a mix of humid subtropical, oceanic, subarctic, and polar climates.

The department is crossed by the upper course of the Garonne river (hence the name) for nearly 200 kilometers (120 mi). The borders of the department follow the river. The Garonne enters France from Spain at the town of Fos, and goes through Toulouse and leaves the department. The extreme south of the department lies in the Pyrenees mountain range and is very mountainous. The highest elevation is the Peak of Perdiguère, at 3,222 meters (10,571 feet) above sea level.

The inhabitants of the department are called Haut-Garonnais. The greatest population concentration is around Toulouse, in the north, while the southern area of the department is sparsely populated. Overall the department had a population of 1.4 million as of the 2019 census, with 55% of the population under the age of 40, and 16% between the ages of 20 and 29. This youthful demographic is due in part to Toulouse being a major university town. The department has also seen significant migration from other parts of the country.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1801 339,574 —     1821 391,118 +0.71% 1831 427,856 +0.90% 1841 468,153 +0.90% 1851 481,610 +0.28% 1861 484,081 +0.05% 1872 479,362 −0.09% 1881 478,009 −0.03% 1891 472,383 −0.12% 1901 448,481 −0.52% 1911 432,126 −0.37% 1921 424,582 −0.18% 1931 441,799 +0.40%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1936 458,647 +0.75% 1946 512,260 +1.11% 1954 525,669 +0.32% 1962 594,633 +1.55% 1968 690,712 +2.53% 1975 777,431 +1.70% 1982 824,501 +0.84% 1990 925,962 +1.46% 1999 1,046,338 +1.37% 2006 1,186,330 +1.81% 2011 1,260,226 +1.22% 2016 1,348,183 +1.36%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Sources:[4][5]

The most populous commune is Toulouse, the prefecture. As of 2019, there were eight communes with more than 15,000 inhabitants:^[3]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2022)

This department was the political base of former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.

The Departmental Council of Haute-Garonne comprises 54 seats. In the 2015 departmental elections, the Socialist Party (PS) won 48 seats. The Republicans secured the remaining 6 seats. The President of the Departmental Council has been Georges Méric (PS) since 2015.

Haute-Garonne elected the following members of the National Assembly during the 2017 legislative election:

Haute-Garonne's main sights include:

• 
  The Capitole de Toulouse at night
• 
  Château de Laréole
• 
  The Pyrenees mountain range seen from Bagnères-de-Luchon
• 
  Lac d'Oô
• 
  Cité de l'espace

The department has four ski resorts:

• Peyragudes (1600 m -2450 m), 55 km of slopes
• Luchon-Superbagnères (1440 m - 2260 m), 30 km of slopes
• Le Mourtis (1380 m - 1816 m), 22 km of slopes
• Bourg-d'Oueil (1350 m - 1500 m)

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

• (in French) Departmental Council website
• (in French) Prefecture website Archived 2022-03-09 at the Wayback Machine
• (in French) Tourism website Archived 2010-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
• (in French) Photography Panoramics 360° website