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Haute-Garonne

*Nauta Garona* (Occitan)
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
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Prefecture	Toulouse
Subprefectures	Saint-Gaudens; Muret
Government
• President of the Departmental Council	Sébastien Vincini (PS)
Area 1
• Total	6,309 km2 (2,436 sq mi)
Population (2021)
• 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]

History

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.

Geography

Map of Haute-Garonne with its main cities and towns

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.

Demographics

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%

Sources:^[4]^[5]

Principal towns

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

Commune	Population (2019)
Toulouse	493,465
Colomiers	39,968
Tournefeuille	28,117
Blagnac	25,525
Muret	24,797
Plaisance-du-Touch	19,402
Cugnaux	19,344
Balma	16,625

Politics

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

Departmental Council of Haute-Garonne

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.

Party		Seats
•	Socialist Party	48
	The Republicans	6

Members of the National Assembly

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

	Member^[6]	Party
Haute-Garonne's 1st constituency	Pierre Cabaré	La République En Marche!
Haute-Garonne's 2nd constituency	Jean-Luc Lagleize	MoDem
Haute-Garonne's 3rd constituency	Corinne Vignon	La République En Marche!
Haute-Garonne's 4th constituency	Mickaël Nogal	La République En Marche!
Haute-Garonne's 5th constituency	Jean-François Portarrieu	La République En Marche!
Haute-Garonne's 6th constituency	Monique Iborra	La République En Marche!
Haute-Garonne's 7th constituency	Élisabeth Toutut-Picard	La République En Marche!
Haute-Garonne's 8th constituency	Joël Aviragnet	Socialist Party
Haute-Garonne's 9th constituency	Sandrine Mörch	La République En Marche!
Haute-Garonne's 10th constituency	Sébastien Nadot	La République En Marche!