Gironde
Gironde (/ʒɪˈrɒnd/ zhi-ROND,[1] US usually /dʒɪˈ-/ ji-,[2][3] French: [ʒiʁɔ̃d] (
listen); Occitan: Gironda, pronounced [dʒiˈɾundo]) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwest France. It is named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway. The Bordeaux wine region is in the Gironde.
Gironde
| |
|---|---|
 Prefecture building of the Gironde department, in Bordeaux | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Gironde in France | |
| Coordinates: 44°50′N 0°40′W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Prefecture | Bordeaux |
| Subprefectures | Arcachon Blaye Langon Lesparre-Médoc Libourne |
| Government | |
| • President of the General Council | Jean-Luc Gleyze |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10,000 km2 (4,000 sq mi) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • Total | 1,566,679 |
| • Rank | 7th |
| • Density | 160/km2 (410/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Department number | 33 |
| Arrondissements | 6 |
| Cantons | 33 |
| Communes | 535 |
| ^1 French Land Register data, which excludes estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km². | |
History
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 502,723 | — |
| 1806 | 522,371 | +0.77% |
| 1821 | 522,041 | −0.00% |
| 1831 | 554,225 | +0.60% |
| 1841 | 568,034 | +0.25% |
| 1851 | 614,387 | +0.79% |
| 1861 | 667,193 | +0.83% |
| 1872 | 705,149 | +0.50% |
| 1881 | 748,703 | +0.67% |
| 1891 | 793,528 | +0.58% |
| 1901 | 821,131 | +0.34% |
| 1911 | 829,095 | +0.10% |
| 1921 | 819,128 | −0.12% |
| 1931 | 852,768 | +0.40% |
| 1936 | 850,567 | −0.05% |
| 1946 | 858,381 | +0.09% |
| 1954 | 896,517 | +0.54% |
| 1962 | 935,448 | +0.53% |
| 1968 | 1,009,390 | +1.28% |
| 1975 | 1,061,480 | +0.72% |
| 1982 | 1,127,546 | +0.87% |
| 1990 | 1,213,499 | +0.92% |
| 1999 | 1,287,532 | +0.66% |
| 2006 | 1,393,758 | +1.14% |
| 2016 | 1,566,679 | +1.18% |
| source:[4] | ||
Gironde is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Guyenne and Gascony.
From 1793 to 1795, the department's name was changed to Bec-d'Ambès to avoid the association with the revolutionary party, the Girondists.
Geography
Gironde is part of the current region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne and Charente-Maritime and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. With an area of 10,000 km², Gironde is the largest department in metropolitan France. If overseas departments are included, however, Gironde's land area is dwarfed by the 83,846 km² of French Guiana.
Gironde is well known for the Côte d'Argent beach which is Europe's longest, attracting many surfers to Lacanau each year. It is also the birthplace of Jacques-Yves Cousteau who studied the sea and all forms of life in water.
The Great Dune of Pyla in Arcachon Bay near Bordeaux is the tallest sand dune in Europe.[5]
Politics
The President of the General Council is Jean-Luc Gleyze of the Socialist Party.
| Party | seats | |
|---|---|---|
| • | Socialist Party | 45 |
| The Republicans | 12 | |
| • | French Communist Party | 3 |
| Miscellaneous Right | 1 | |
| MoDem | 1 | |
| Hunting, Fishing, Nature, Tradition | 1 | |
Current National Assembly Representatives
Tourism
Château de la Brède, birthplace of Montesquieu
The Gironde estuary seen from the citadel of Blaye
See also
References
- "Gironde". Lexico UK Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- "Gironde". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- "Gironde". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- Site sur la Population et les Limites Administratives de la France
- C.G. (14 August 2009). Les Adresses de Mathilde Seigner et Fabien Onteniente. Le Figaro Magazine. (in French)
- http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/
External links
- (in French) General Council website
- (in French) Prefecture website
- (in English) Gironde at Curlie
- (in French) Tourism Office website
Authority control  |
|---|