Originally 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
The 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
The most populous commune is Pau, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 11 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:[3]
There 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:
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1801
355,573
—
1811
383,502
+0.76%
1821
399,474
+0.41%
1831
428,401
+0.70%
1841
451,683
+0.53%
1851
446,997
−0.10%
1861
436,628
−0.23%
1872
426,700
−0.21%
1881
434,366
+0.20%
1891
425,033
−0.22%
1901
426,347
+0.03%
1911
433,318
+0.16%
1921
402,981
−0.72%
1931
422,719
+0.48%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1936
413,411
−0.44%
1946
415,797
+0.06%
1954
420,019
+0.13%
1962
466,038
+1.31%
1968
508,734
+1.47%
1975
534,748
+0.71%
1982
555,696
+0.55%
1990
578,516
+0.50%
1999
600,018
+0.41%
2006
636,845
+0.85%
2011
656,608
+0.61%
2016
673,986
+0.52%
2020
687,240
+0.49%
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Pyrénées-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.
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 a stronghold of the centrist Democratic Movement (MoDem). Its founder and president, François Bayrou, has served as Mayor of Pau since 2014.
^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.
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