Aveyron

Coordinates: 44°15′N 02°42′E / 44.250°N 2.700°E / 44.250; 2.700
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Aveyron
Avairon (Occitan)
From top down, left to right: Conques, prefecture building in Rodez, Castle of Belcastel, Aveyron River in Villefranche-de-Rouergue and Peyre
Flag of Aveyron
Coat of arms of Aveyron
Location of Aveyron in France
Location of Aveyron in France
Coordinates: 44°15′N 02°42′E / 44.250°N 2.700°E / 44.250; 2.700
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
PrefectureRodez
SubprefecturesMillau
Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilJean-François Galliard (UDI)
Area
 • Total8,735 km2 (3,373 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total278,697
 • Rank78th
 • Density32/km2 (83/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number12
Arrondissements3
Cantons23
Communes285
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Aveyron (French: [avɛʁɔ̃] ; Occitan: Avairon; [aβajˈɾu]) is a department located in Occitanie region of Southern France. Named after the Aveyron River, it had a population of 278,697 in 2016. Its inhabitants are known as Aveyronnais or Aveyronnaises in French.[1] The inhabitants of Rodez are called Ruthénois, based on the first Celtic settlers in the area, the Ruteni.

History

Ruteni coin, 5th–1st century BCE

Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. The first known historical inhabitants of the region were the Rutenii tribe, but the area was inhabited previously to this, boasting many prehistoric ruins including over 1,000 dolmens, more than any other department in France.

Victor of Aveyron in 1800

During the medieval and early modern periods, and until the 1790s, the territory covered by Aveyron was a province known as Rouergue. In 1797, Victor of Aveyron (the Feral child of Aveyron) was found wandering the woods in the area. The story of Victor is told in the film The Wild Child.

In 1817, a local prosecutor, Antoine Bernardin Fualdès, was assassinated. The sordid circumstances of his death, following which his body was found floating in the Aveyron River, led to the matter becoming publicised as a cause célèbre. Recent studies have indicated that he met his end at the initiative of a right-wing royalist organisation known as the Chevaliers de la Foi (Knights of Faith).

Heraldry

Arms of Aveyron
Arms of Aveyron
The Arms of Aveyron are those of the province of Rouergue and are blazoned as follows:

Blazon:
Gules, a lion rampant gardant in Or.



Geography

Aveyron is the centre of a triangle formed by the cities of Toulouse, Clermont-Ferrand, and Montpellier. The department approximately follows the outline of the former province of Rouergue. It is the 5th largest department in metropolitan France in terms of area (8,735 km2 (3,373 sq mi)). Its prefecture is Rodez.

The department comes under the jurisdiction of the Academy of Toulouse and the Montpellier Court of Appeal. The INSEE and Post Code is 12. Aveyron is located in the south of the Massif Central. The highest point in the department is the summit of Le Signal de Mailhebiau at 1469m on the Plateau of Aubrac. The Aveyron department is divided into several natural regions such as the Grand Causses and Rougiers.

Aveyron department consists of an ancient high rocky plateau of great geological diversity. The Truyère, Lot, Aveyron, and Tarn rivers have carved a lot of deep gorges. The department is surrounded by the departments of Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot, Hérault, Gard, Lozère and Cantal. The Lac de Villefranche-de-Panat is used as a reservoir to provide drinking water supplies for the region.

Climate

Town Sunshine

(hours/yr)
Rain

(mm/yr)
Snow

(days/yr)
Storm

(days/yr)
Fog

(days/yr)
National average 1,973 770 14 22 40
Millau[3] 2,146 732 25 25 59
Paris 1,661 637 12 18 10
Nice 2,724 767 1 29 1
Strasbourg 1,693 665 29 29 56
Brest 1,605 1,211 7 12 75
Climate data for Millau
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.6
(63.7)
21.8
(71.2)
23.9
(75.0)
27.0
(80.6)
29.2
(84.6)
35.1
(95.2)
37.5
(99.5)
38.0
(100.4)
34.1
(93.4)
28.9
(84.0)
23.9
(75.0)
19.1
(66.4)
38.0
(100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.1
(43.0)
7.3
(45.1)
10.8
(51.4)
13.5
(56.3)
17.7
(63.9)
21.9
(71.4)
25.5
(77.9)
25.1
(77.2)
20.7
(69.3)
15.5
(59.9)
9.7
(49.5)
6.9
(44.4)
15.1
(59.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.2
(37.8)
3.9
(39.0)
6.7
(44.1)
9.1
(48.4)
13.2
(55.8)
16.9
(62.4)
19.9
(67.8)
19.6
(67.3)
15.9
(60.6)
11.9
(53.4)
6.7
(44.1)
4.0
(39.2)
10.9
(51.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.2
(32.4)
0.4
(32.7)
2.6
(36.7)
4.7
(40.5)
8.6
(47.5)
11.9
(53.4)
14.3
(57.7)
14.1
(57.4)
11.1
(52.0)
8.3
(46.9)
3.6
(38.5)
1.1
(34.0)
6.7
(44.1)
Record low °C (°F) −17.5
(0.5)
−19.4
(−2.9)
−12.9
(8.8)
−5.5
(22.1)
−2.0
(28.4)
3.0
(37.4)
6.0
(42.8)
4.9
(40.8)
1.6
(34.9)
−4.1
(24.6)
−10.3
(13.5)
−13.0
(8.6)
−19.4
(−2.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 55.4
(2.18)
47.4
(1.87)
42.5
(1.67)
69.9
(2.75)
73.4
(2.89)
60.5
(2.38)
39.7
(1.56)
54.8
(2.16)
77.7
(3.06)
79.6
(3.13)
69.1
(2.72)
61.6
(2.43)
731.6
(28.80)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 8.7 7.7 7.9 9.4 8.8 6.7 4.2 5.5 6.8 8.8 9.3 8.8 92.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours 100 115 173 183 218 262 296 261 208 132 100 98 2,146
Source 1: Meteorological data for Millau – 715m altitude, from 1981 to 2010 January 2015
Source 2: Record temperatures for Millau since 1951 January 2015

Demography

In 2010, the department had 276,805 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the department since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.[Note 1]

Template:Table Population Town

Second homes

According to the general census of the population on 1 January 2008, 17.8% of available housing in the department were second homes.

This table shows the main towns of Aveyron including second homes and occasionally exceed 10% of total housing .

Town Municipal Population Number of Residences Secondary Residences % Secondary Residences
Brusque 314 429 249 58.04%
Nant 920 929 532 57.24%
Saint-Jean-du-Bruel 693 830 469 56.52%
Najac 752 930 503 54.09%
Canet-de-Salars 410 438 226 51.60%
Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac 549 474 215 45.36%
Salles-Curan 1,064 923 415 44.90%
Saint-Laurent-d'Olt 661 545 232 42.49%
Arvieu 861 635 269 42.36%
Broquiès 644 524 209 39.94%
Brommat 710 613 231 37.68%
Saint-Geniez-d'Olt 2,034 1,596 580 36.37%
Villefranche-de-Panat 778 600 217 36.17%
Laguiole 1,269 1,063 377 35.48%
Saint-Rome-de-Tarn 845 605 207 34.14%
Camarès 975 756 252 33.27%
Sainte-Geneviève-sur-Argence 1,011 732 214 29.26%
Entraygues-sur-Truyère 1,171 862 224 25.96%
Cransac 1,681 1,357 310 22.84%
Salles-la-Source 2,028 1,029 210 20.40%
Sévérac-le-Château 2,395 1,521 303 19.93%
Bozouls 2,772 1,433 227 15.84%
Espalion 4,477 2,925 413 14.14%
Saint-Affrique 8,112 4,609 480 10.41%

Politics

Departmental Council

The Department Council of Aveyron has 46 seats. The President of the Departmental Council has been Jean-François Galliard of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) since 2017.

Party Seats
style="background-color: Template:The Republicans (France)/meta/color" | The Republicans
Union of Democrats and Independents
30
style="background-color: Template:Socialist Party (France)/meta/color" | Socialist Party 10
style="background-color: Template:Left Radical Party/meta/color" | Radical Party of the Left 5
style="background-color: Template:Independent politician/meta/color" | Independent 1

Members of the National Assembly

Following the 2017 legislative election, Aveyron elected the following representatives to the National Assembly:

Constituency Member[4] Party
style="background-color: Template:La République En Marche!/meta/color" | Aveyron's 1st constituency Stéphane Mazars La République En Marche!
style="background-color: Template:La République En Marche!/meta/color" | Aveyron's 2nd constituency Anne Blanc La République En Marche!
style="background-color: Template:The Republicans (France)/meta/color" | Aveyron's 3rd constituency Arnaud Viala The Republicans

Culture

Regional sub-dialect

The regional sub-dialect spoken in Aveyron is a form of Languedoc Occitan called Rouergat. Faced with the risk of disappearance of the language several associations asked the State and political communities for an ambitious language policy.[5] In Rouergat, Aveyron is written:

  • Avairon (traditional Occitan spelling) – e.g. "Roergue forma lo despartament de l'Avairon"
  • Oboyróu (spelling of Father Vayssier) – e.g. "Rouergue fouórmo lou desportomén de l'Oboyróu"

Tourism

File:Viaduc Millau P1010248mod.jpg
The Millau Viaduct is the tallest bridge in the world

Aveyron contains a part of the Cévennes National Park. Tourist attractions include the castle of Najac, a medieval ruin perched high on a hill, and other castles and monasteries such as Conques Abbey, Sylvanès Abbey, Bonneval Abbey and Loc-Dieu Abbey, located near Martiel in a region with many dolmens. The small city of Millau is the site of the world's tallest bridge, the Millau viaduct, opened by President Chirac in December 2004.

Activities include horseriding, fishing, swimming in the Lacs du Lévézou and hiking/camping. The inhabitants are also very good craftsmen, and Aveyron is full of various craft objects, handmade, that can be found locally. Examples include the couteau de Laguiole, the world famous Roquefort cheese, from the village of the same name and other local produce. Markets take place every Saturday on market places around the region.

Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance is the commune where the feral child Victor of Aveyron was found in the late 18th century.

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France

Ten towns in Aveyron fall within the classification of a 1901 association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France:

Other tourist spots

Societies

  • Central Agricultural Society of Aveyron, founded in 1798
  • Society of letters, sciences and arts of Aveyron, founded in 1836

Notable people linked to the department

Bibliography

  • Encyclopedia Bonneton, Aveyron, Christine Bonneton, 2005 (in French)
  • Jean-Michel Cosson, Dictionary of Aveyron, Loubatières, ISBN 2-86266-471-5 (in French)
  • Daniel Crozes, The Guide to Aveyron, Éditions du Rouergue, ISBN 2-84156-541-6 (in French)
  • Aue/Miche, Aveyron (Discovered), MSM, ISBN 2-911515-44-7 (in French)
  • Dominique Auzias, Jean-Paul Labourdette, The small clever Aveyron, Collectif, Nouvelles Éditions Université, ISBN 2-7469-1664-9 (in French)
  • Paul Astruc, Major Criminal cases of Aveyron, Éditions De Borée, ISBN 2-84494-180-X (in French)
  • Christian Bernard, Aveyron in flowers: Illustrated inventory of vascular plants of Aveyron department, Éditions du Rouergue, ISBN 2-84156-658-7 (in French)
  • Francine Claustres, Aveyron Cuisine, Sud Ouest, ISBN 2-87901-257-0 (in French)
  • Aveyron: Farming Yields, Du Curieux, ISBN 2-914225-07-5 (in French)
  • French Hiking Federation, Aveyron on foot, Guide FFRP, ISBN 2-85699-893-3 (in French)
  • French Hiking Federation, The most beautiful villages in Aveyron… on foot: 20 walks and hikes, FFRP, ISBN 2-7514-0113-9 (in French)
  • Hubert Calmette, The paths of Émilie in Aveyron, French Hiking Federation, ISBN 2-84182-156-0 (in French)
  • Richard André, Romain Pages Éditions, The Regional National Park of Grands Causses, Parc naturel Grands Causses, ISBN 2-84350-194-6 (in French)
  • Rémi Soulié, The old Rouergue: Land of Aveyron, Paris, ISBN 2-84621-069-1 (in French)
  • Alain Marc, Aveyron, Logbooks, Éditions du Rouergue, ISBN 2-84156-610-2 (in French)
  • Laurent Millet, Family names of Aveyron, Archives Cult, ISBN 2-35077-013-3 (in French)
  • Laurent Barthe, Of Rouergue in Aveyron, Empreinte, ISBN 2-913319-34-3 (in French)
  • Aveyron 1900–1920 Édition De Boree, ISBN 2-84494-322-5 (in French)
  • Jean-Michel Cosson, Stéphane Monnet, Aveyron in the 1939–1945 war, Éditions De Boré, ISBN 2-84494-464-7 (in French)
  • Jill Dawson, Béatrice Dunner, The wild child of Aveyron, Du Rocher, ISBN 2-268-05377-6 (in French)
  • Jean Itard, Victor de l'Aveyron, Allia, ISBN 2-904235-78-7 (in French)
  • Dagonet/Christian, Regards to Aveyron, De Borée, ISBN 2-84494-536-8 (in French)
  • Nicole de Bertier, Meeting in Aveyron, Equinoxe, ISBN 2-84135-471-7 (in French)

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002 [1] Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" which allow, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For municipalities with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these municipalities is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

External links