Gap, Hautes-Alpes

Gap
Jean Marcellin Square
Gap
Administration
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Hautes-Alpes
Arrondissement	Gap
Mayor	Roger Didier (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	625–2,360 m (2,051–7,740 ft) (avg. 745 m or 2,444 ft)
Land area1	110.43 km2 (42.64 sq mi)
Population2	38,584  (2008)
- Density	349 /km2 (900 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	05061/ 05000
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Gap (Occitan: Gap) is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Hautes-Alpes department.

Geography

An Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies 745 metres (2,400 ft) above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River (close to where it joins the Durance River). The region around Gap is known as Gapençais.

History

Originally founded by the Gauls, the Roman emperor Augustus seized the town in 14 BC and renamed it Vapincum. Gap was annexed by the French crown in 1512. The city of Gap has announced their interest in hosting the Winter Olympic Games in 2018.

Napoleon I left Elba in February 1815 and had reached Gap on 15 March with 40 horsemen and 10 grenadiers where he had thousands of copies of his Proclamations printed. The whole population of the city accompanied Napoleon when he left Gap.

Population

Historical population of Gap, Hautes-Alpes

Year	1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
Population	6014	8050	8891	6714	7215	7854	8599	8724	8797	8912

Year	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901
Population	8219	8165	8927	9294	10,765	11,621	10,478	11,376	11,018

Year	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
Population	10,823	10,647	9859	10,660	11,717	13,600	16,371	17,317

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2008
Population	20,478	23,994	28,233	30,676	33,444	36,269	38,584

Personalities

• The French ski mountaineer Laëtitia Roux was born in Gap on 21 June 1985.
• The French mountaineer Jean-Christophe Lafaille was born in Gap on 31 March 1965
• The French born designer Christian Audigier is originally from Gap.
• The French rally driver Sebastien Ogier, a rising star in the World Rally Championship, born in 17 Dec 1983.

Points of interest

• Conservatoire botanique national alpin de Gap-Charance
• Domaine de Charance

See also

• Gap Cathedral
• Communes of the Hautes-Alpes department

References

• INSEE

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company. 
• Gallia Christiana (Nova, 1715), I, 452–473, Instrumenta, 86–89, (Nova, 1725), III, 1051–1107; Instrumenta, 177–188, 205–8;
• Albanes, Gallia christiana Novissima (Montbeliard, 1899), I,
• Depery, Histoire hagiologique du diocese de Gap (Gap, 1852);
• Honoré Fisquet, France Pontificale (Paris, 1868);
• Gaillaud, Histoire de Notre Dame d'Embrun (Gap, 1862);
• Roman, Sigillographie du diocese de Gap (Grenoble, 1870);
• IDEM, Tableau historique du département des Hautes-Alpes (Paris, 1889–91);
• Chevalier, Topo-bibl., pp. 988, 1266.

External links

• Official site
• Gap 2018 olympic bid web site