Midi-Pyrénées

Midi-Pyrénées Former French Region (until 2015)
Basic data
Today part of	Occitania
Administrative headquarters	Toulouse
population  - total January 1, 2017  - density	3,034,719 inhabitants 66.9 inhabitants per km²
surface  - total  - share in France :	45,348 km² 7.1%
Departments	8th
Arrondissements	22nd
Cantons	293
Communities	3,020
Formerly ISO 3166-2 code	FR-N

Midi-Pyrénées [ midipireˈne ] was a region in southwest France , which consisted of the departments of Ariège , Aveyron , Haute-Garonne , Gers , Lot , Hautes-Pyrénées , Tarn and Tarn-et-Garonne . It had an area of ​​45,348 km² and 3,034,719 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017). The capital of the region was Toulouse .

The name of the region is a new creation made up of Midi ( French for midday , south , also used as a general name for southern France ) and the French name of the Pyrenees (Pyrénées) .

geography

The Midi-Pyrénées region bordered Spain and Andorra to the south, the Aquitaine region to the west, Languedoc-Roussillon to the east, and Auvergne and Limousin to the north .

The region could be divided into three landscape zones: The south was shaped by the high mountain range of the Pyrenees . The northeast and the extreme north belonged to the low mountain range of the Massif Central . The central and northwestern part of the region, however, was flat. It was shaped by the course of the Garonne and its tributaries, which drained most of the region to the Atlantic .

coat of arms

Description: A gold Tolosan cross in red .

history

Today's region is a new creation made up of parts of different historical territories. It was created in 1960 with the establishment of the regions in France. In 1972 the region received the status of an établissement public under the direction of a regional prefect. The decentralization laws of 1982 gave the regions the status of collectivités territoriales ( territorial authorities ), which until then had only been enjoyed by the municipalities and the départements . In 1986 the regional councils were directly elected for the first time. Since then, the region's powers vis-à-vis the central government in Paris have been gradually expanded.

Until 1789 the northern part of the region belonged to the historical province of Guyenne ( Aquitaine ), the southwest to Gascony , the southeast (including the city of Toulouse ) largely to Languedoc , the extreme southeast formed the county of Foix (Comté de Foix) .

The Counts of Toulouse were the most powerful rulers of southern France in the 12th century until they were defeated in the Albigensian Wars. The Cathars or Albigensians had their headquarters in this area.

On January 1, 2016, the Midi-Pyrénées region merged with the neighboring Languedoc-Roussillon region to form the Occitania region .

population

The population distribution of the region is strongly oriented towards the capital Toulouse , in whose agglomeration a third of the population lives. The rest of the region is predominantly small-town and rural.

Cities

The most populous cities in the Midi-Pyrénées region are:

city	Inhabitants (year)	Department
Toulouse	479,553 (2017)	Haute-Garonne
Montauban	60,810 (2017)	Tarn-et-Garonne
Albi	48,970 (2017)	Camouflage
Tarbes	41,518 (2017)	Hautes-Pyrénées
Castres	41,636 (2017)	Camouflage
Colomiers	38,951 (2017)	Haute-Garonne
Tournefeuille	26,962 (2017)	Haute-Garonne
Muret	24,945 (2017)	Haute-Garonne
Rodez	24,057 (2017)	Aveyron
Blagnac	24,517 (2017)	Haute-Garonne

Political structure

The Midi-Pyrénées region is divided into eight departments :

Department	prefecture	ISO 3166-2	Arrondissements	Cantons	Communities	Inhabitants (year)	Area (km²)	Density (inh / km²)
Ariège	Foix	FR-09	3	22nd	332	153.153 (2017)	4,890	31.3
Aveyron	Rodez	FR-12	3	46	304	279.206 (2017)	8,735	32
Haute-Garonne	Toulouse	FR-31	3	53	589	1,362,672 (2017)	6,309	216
Gers	Also	FR-32	3	31	463	191.091 (2017)	6,257	30.5
Lot	Cahors	FR-46	3	31	340	173,828 (2017)	5,217	33.3
Hautes-Pyrénées	Tarbes	FR-65	3	34	474	228,530 (2017)	4,464	51.2
Camouflage	Albi	FR-81	2	46	323	387,890 (2017)	5,758	67.4
Tarn-et-Garonne	Montauban	FR-82	2	30th	195	258,349 (2017)	3,718	69.5

economy

In comparison with the GDP of the EU expressed in purchasing power standards, the region achieved an index of 100.2 (EU-27: 100) ( 2004 ). It ranks 11th out of the 26 French regions.

Attractions

• Grotte de Massabielle , Lourdes - an important place of pilgrimage and pilgrimage
• Viaduc de Millau - longest cable-stayed bridge in the world
• Musée des Augustins - Art Museum in Toulouse
• Place du Capitole - Place in Toulouse with the town hall
• Ensemble conventuel des Jacobins - Gothic monastery church in Toulouse
• Albi Cathedral - Gothic cathedral in Albi
• Château de Roquefixade - Castle
• Château de Montségur - castle
• Pyrenees National Park
• Lac de Gaube - clear mountain lake in the Pyrenees
• Mont Perdu - mountains and mountains in the Pyrenees with waterfalls, lakes and gorges
• Pic du Midi - popular mountain in the Pyrenees with an observatory on the summit
• Col du Tourmalet - Mountain Pass of the Pyrenees
• Grotte de Niaux - cave with cave paintings from prehistoric times
• Gouffre de Padirac - underground water with hiking trail
• Grotte de Lombrives - cave complex at Ornolac-Ussat-les-Bains
• Grottes de Gargas - cave and historical site
• Grotte du Pech Merle - cave with rock carvings from around 16-20,000 BC And a museum on prehistory

See also

• List of Presidents of the Midi-Pyrénées Regional Council since 1986

Web links

Commons : Midi-Pyrénées  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Midi-Pyrénées region (French, partly German)
• Prefecture of the Midi-Pyrénées region (French)
• Midi-Pyrénées: great expanses . France's official website (German)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Regional GDP per inhabitant in the EU25 . Eurostat News Release, 63/2006

Coordinates: 43 ° 47 '  N , 1 ° 41'  E