Lot-et-Garonne (French pronunciation: [lɔt e ɡaʁɔn] , Occitan: Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.[3] Its prefecture and largest city is Agen.
Lot-et-Garonne
Òlt e Garona (Occitan) | |
|---|---|
    Top down, from left to right: prefecture building in Agen, Castelnaud-de-Gratecambe, Château de Lauzun and Château de Bonaguil | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Lot-et-Garonne in France | |
| Coordinates: 44°20′N 0°30′E / 44.333°N 0.500°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Prefecture | Agen |
| Subprefectures | Marmande Nérac Villeneuve-sur-Lot |
| Government | |
| • President of the Departmental Council | Sophie Borderie[1] (PS) |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,361 km2 (2,070 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 331,229 |
| • Rank | 71st |
| • Density | 62/km2 (160/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Department number | 47 |
| Arrondissements | 4 |
| Cantons | 21 |
| Communes | 319 |
| ^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 | |
History
editLot-et-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created on 4 March 1790, as a result of the French Revolution. It was created from part of the province of Guyenne and Gascony; originally the territory of the ancient county of Agenais constituted nearly the whole.
The southeastern part of the original department (the former cantons of Auvillar, Montaigu-de-Quercy and Valence) was separated from it in 1808 to become a part of the newly created department of Tarn-et-Garonne.[4]
Geography
edit
Lot-et-Garonne is part of the current region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of Lot, Tarn-et-Garonne, Gers, Landes, Gironde, and Dordogne. The north of the department is composed of limestone hills. Between Lot and Garonne, there is a plateau carved by many valleys. In the west of the department, the Landes forest is planted in sand. It is composed of maritime pines. Between the forest and Agen, there is the Albret, a very hilly country.
Principal towns
editThe most populous commune is Agen, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are five communes with more than 7,000 inhabitants:[3]
| Commune | Population (2019) |
|---|---|
| Agen | 32,602 |
| Villeneuve-sur-Lot | 21,742 |
| Marmande | 17,421 |
| Le Passage | 9,400 |
| Tonneins | 9,130 |
Demographics
editThe inhabitants of the department are called Lot-et-Garonnais.
Population development since 1801:
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| Sources:[4][5] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Politics
editDepartmental Council of Lot-et-Garonne
editThe Departmental Council of Lot-et-Garonne has 40 seats. In the 2015 departmental elections, the Socialist Party (PS) secured 25 seats while The Republicans (LR) won 15 seats. Sophie Borderie (PS) has presided over the assembly since 2019.
Members of the National Assembly
editLot-et-Garonne elected the following members of the National Assembly during the 2017 legislative election:
Economy
editFood processing, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals are all major industries of the department.
Tourism
edit
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
- ^ "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b Populations légales 2019: 47 Lot-et-Garonne, INSEE
- ^ a b "Historique de Lot-et-Garonne". Le SPLAF.
- ^ "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
- ^ Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale.
External links
edit
- (in French) Prefecture website
- (in French) Departmental Council website
- (in French) Chamber of Commerce and Industry website