Pyrénées-Atlantiques (French pronunciation: [pi.ʁe.nez‿at.lɑ̃.tik] ; Gascon Occitan: Pirenèus Atlantics; Basque: Pirinio Atlantikoak) is a department located in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan France. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean, it covers the French Basque Country and the Béarn. It is divided in three arrondissements and its prefecture is Pau. In 2019, it had a population of 682,621.[3]
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
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|---|---|
,_4.jpg) | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: 64, P-A | |
 Location of Pyrénées-Atlantiques in France | |
| Coordinates: 43°15′N 0°50′E / 43.250°N 0.833°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Prefecture | Pau |
| Subprefectures | Bayonne Oloron-Sainte-Marie |
| Government | |
| • President of the Departmental Council | Jean-Jacques Lasserre[1] (MoDem) |
| Area | |
• Total | 7,645 km2 (2,952 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 693,027 |
| • Rank | 36th |
| • Density | 91/km2 (230/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| Department number | 64 |
| Arrondissements | 3 |
| Cantons | 27 |
| Communes | 546 |
| ^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2 | |
History
editOriginally named Basses-Pyrénées, it was one of the 83 departments of France created during the French Revolution, on 4 March 1790.[4] It comprised the territories of Labourd and Soule (in the provinces of Guyenne and Gascony), as well as Lower Navarre (still, at least nominally, part of the Kingdom of Navarre) and the Béarn.[5] It was initially divided in six districts, with the prefecture at Navarrenx, before being moved to Pau on 14 October 1790.
The 1790 administrative reform brought about the end of native institutions and laws. All Basque estates representatives from Labourd overtly opposed the new administrative layout since it suppressed their institutions and laws. The representatives of Lower Navarre refused to vote in Paris arguing that they were not part of the Kingdom of France; those of Soule voted against. The brothers Garat, representing Labourd, eventually voted yes, thinking that it would give them a say in upcoming political decisions.[6]
In 1800, during the Consulate, the six initial districts were replaced by five arrondissements: Pau, Orthez, Bayonne, Mauléon and Oloron.
In 1926, as part of a vast reform launched by the government of Raymond Poincaré, the arrondissements of Orthez and Mauléon were abolished, resulting in the three current arrondissements.
In the 1950s, the Basses-Pyrénées were one of the departments composing the newly created region of Aquitaine.
In 1969, the name of the department was changed to "Pyrénées-Atlantiques", because the inhabitants of the department found the name of the Basses-Pyrénées pejorative compared to that of the Hautes-Pyrénées.[7][8]
On January 1, 2016, the regions of Aquitaine, Poitou-Charentes and Limousin merged to form the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
Geography
editThe southernmost department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, it is bordered by the departments of Landes, Hautes-Pyrénées and Gers (to the north, east and northeast, respectively), by the Bay of Biscay to the west and by the Spanish provinces of Huesca, Navarre and Gipuzkoa to the south. Lac Gentau is located in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, as are the Lacs de Carnau.d
The Pyrenees mountain range crosses the department from east to west from the Col d'Aubisque to the mouth of the Bidasoa at Hendaye. The border with Spain follows the Pyrenean chain.
The highest point is at the Pic Palas (commune of Laruns), in the Balaïtous massif, on the Franco-Spanish border, at 2,974 meters.
The summit of La Rhune (900 m) is particularly well-known because of its proximity to the coast (about ten kilometers) and its ancient tourist tradition.
Principal towns
editThe most populous commune is Pau, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 11 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:[3]
| Commune | Population (2021) |
|---|---|
| Pau | 77,066 |
| Bayonne | 52,749 |
| Anglet | 41,153 |
| Biarritz | 25,764 |
| Hendaye | 17,796 |
| Saint-Jean-de-Luz | 14,601 |
| Lons | 13,915 |
| Billère | 13,866 |
| Orthez | 10,684 |
| Oloron-Sainte-Marie | 10,616 |
| Urrugne | 10,543 |
Demographics
editThere does not seem to be a particular name to designate the inhabitants of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The western part is mainly inhabited by the Basques and the eastern part by the Béarnais, who since the Revolution and the creation of the department have shared the same department. However, from 1790 to 1969, the inhabitants were called Bas-Pyrénéens. The Pyrénées-Atlantiques have a fertility rate below the French average with 1.7 children per woman.
Population development since 1801:
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Economy
editUrban areas
editPyrénées-Atlantiques, a border department, has cultivated a number of economic and cultural links with Spain.
Two urban concentrations exist in the east and west of the department: Pau, which has 145,000 inhabitants and 344,000 workers in the local area; and Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz which has 166,400 inhabitants and 235,000 workers in the local area.
Tourism
editThe department is known for its tourism industry:
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Villa Belza in Biarritz -
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Culture
edit
The parts of the department that were part of Guyenne and Gascony, as well as Béarn, have a culture heavily influenced by the Basques, but clearly different identities.
Both the Gascon Bearnese variant and Basque language are indigenous to the region in their respective districts. Gascon in turn is a dialect of Occitan, formerly the main language of southern France. It is more closely related to Catalan than it is to French. Basque is a language isolate, not related to any known language. Today, French, the sole official language of the French Republic, is the predominant native language and is spoken by virtually all inhabitants.
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is also home to a number of professional sports teams, including rugby union football clubs Aviron Bayonnais, Biarritz Olympique and Section Paloise; basketball club Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez; and association football club Pau FC.
The Pau Grand Prix, an auto race first held in 1901, has hosted the World Touring Car Championship, British Formula Three, Formula 3 Euro Series and FIA European Formula 3 Championship.
Politics
editPyrénées-Atlantiques is a stronghold of the centrist Democratic Movement (MoDem). Its founder and president, François Bayrou, has served as Mayor of Pau since 2014.
Departmental politics
editThe Departmental Council of Pyrénées-Atlantiques has 54 seats. Its president has been Jean-Jacques Lasserre of the Democratic Movement since 2015.
National representation
editIn the 2022 legislative election, Pyrénées-Atlantiques elected the following members of the National Assembly:
In the Senate, the department is represented by three members: Frédérique Espagnac (since 2011), Max Brisson (since 2017) and Denise Saint-Pé (since 2017).
Heraldry
edit The coat of arms of Pyrénées-Atlantiques combines those of four traditional provinces:
Twinning and cooperation
editPyrénées-Atlantiques is twinned with:
Misiones Province, Argentina (since 2012)
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: 64 Pyrénées-Atlantiques, INSEE
- ^ "Décret général sur la division de la France en 83 départements". Collection générale des décrets rendus par l'Assemblée nationale (in French). Vol. 11. Paris: Baudouin. 1790. p. 151.
- ^ The history of the region, under the Ancien Régime, can be found in the articles about those individual regions.
- ^ Bolinaga, Iñigo (2012). La alternativa Garat (in Spanish). Txertoa. p. 44. ISBN 978-84-7148-530-4.
- ^ Décret du 10 octobre 1969 AUTORISANT LE DEPARTEMENT DES BASSES-PYRENEES A PORTER LE NOM DE PYRENEES-ATLANTIQUES, retrieved 2024-12-02
- ^ This process occurred in almost all departments whose name included the word "bas" or "inférieur", for example Loire-Inférieure, which became Loire-Atlantique in 1957. Exception: Bas-Rhin.
- ^ "Historique des Pyrénées-Atlantiques". 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) Departmental Council website
- (in French) Prefecture official website
- (in French) Archives of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department website
- (in French) Photography Panoramics 360° website
- (in English) Pyrenees-Atlantiques Monuments, Villages, Walks and Attractions
- (in English) Information on living, working and visiting Pyrenees Atlantiques