Dax, Landes
Dax | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Dax  | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Landes |
| Arrondissement | Dax |
| Canton | Dax |
| Intercommunality | Grand Dax |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2014–2020) | Gabriel Bellocq |
| Area 1 | 19.70 km2 (7.61 sq mi) |
| Population (2013) | 20,776 |
| • Density | 1,100/km2 (2,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 40088 /40100 |
| Elevation | 2–46 m (6.6–150.9 ft) (avg. 9 m or 30 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Dax (French pronunciation: [daks]; Dacs in Occitan) is a commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France, sub-prefecture of the Landes department.
It is known as a spa, specialising in mud treatment for rheumatism and similar ailments.
It is also a market town, former bishopric and busy local centre, especially for the Chalosse area.
History
It was first established by the Romans, and its reputation is supposed to date from a visit by Julia, the daughter of the first Emperor Octavian Augustus. Its Roman name was Civitas Aquensium. In the Middle Ages, it was administered by viscounts until 1177. With the acquisition of Aquitaine by Henry II Plantagenet, later King of England, Dax remained under English rule until 1451, when it was conquered by French troops before the end of the Hundred Years' War. It successfully withstood a Spanish siege in 1521-1522.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1793 | 3,391 | — |
| 1806 | 3,179 | −6.3% |
| 1821 | 4,948 | +55.6% |
| 1831 | 4,716 | −4.7% |
| 1841 | 5,842 | +23.9% |
| 1851 | 5,805 | −0.6% |
| 1861 | 9,856 | +69.8% |
| 1872 | 9,062 | −8.1% |
| 1881 | 10,218 | +12.8% |
| 1891 | 10,240 | +0.2% |
| 1901 | 10,329 | +0.9% |
| 1911 | 11,387 | +10.2% |
| 1921 | 11,047 | −3.0% |
| 1931 | 12,663 | +14.6% |
| 1946 | 14,113 | +11.5% |
| 1954 | 14,557 | +3.1% |
| 1962 | 17,051 | +17.1% |
| 1968 | 19,348 | +13.5% |
| 1975 | 19,137 | −1.1% |
| 1982 | 18,648 | −2.6% |
| 1990 | 19,309 | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 19,515 | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 20,528 | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 20,776 | +1.2% |
Climate
| Climate data for Dax, Landes (1981–2010 averages) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.8 (73.0) |
27.2 (81.0) |
29.9 (85.8) |
32.7 (90.9) |
36.2 (97.2) |
39.1 (102.4) |
40.8 (105.4) |
41.1 (106.0) |
37.0 (98.6) |
34.7 (94.5) |
28.1 (82.6) |
23.9 (75.0) |
41.1 (106.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.4 (52.5) |
13.1 (55.6) |
16.4 (61.5) |
18.1 (64.6) |
21.7 (71.1) |
24.7 (76.5) |
27.0 (80.6) |
27.2 (81.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
20.6 (69.1) |
14.8 (58.6) |
11.6 (52.9) |
19.3 (66.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.0 (37.4) |
3.3 (37.9) |
5.5 (41.9) |
7.5 (45.5) |
11.1 (52.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
16.1 (61.0) |
16.1 (61.0) |
13.3 (55.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
6.1 (43.0) |
3.7 (38.7) |
9.2 (48.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −16.2 (2.8) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
0.3 (32.5) |
3.8 (38.8) |
3.4 (38.1) |
6.8 (44.2) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−16.2 (2.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 106.3 (4.19) |
95.8 (3.77) |
82.8 (3.26) |
107.5 (4.23) |
90.2 (3.55) |
69.8 (2.75) |
57.9 (2.28) |
70.3 (2.77) |
89.6 (3.53) |
117.0 (4.61) |
145.7 (5.74) |
118.4 (4.66) |
1,151.3 (45.33) |
| Average precipitation days | 12.4 | 10.4 | 10.8 | 12.9 | 12.1 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 11.4 | 12.6 | 12.1 | 128.4 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 87 | 82 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 78 | 81 | 82 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 82.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 95.1 | 108.2 | 166.0 | 171.2 | 196.7 | 206.6 | 219.7 | 212.7 | 190.2 | 142.2 | 93.5 | 80.2 | 1,882.4 |
| Source 1: Météo France[1][2] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity, 1961–1990)[3] | |||||||||||||
Sights
- Roman archaeological crypt, including the foundations of a Roman temple from the second century AD.
- Remains of the Gallic-Roman walls (4th century)
- Cathedral of Notre-Dame Ste-Marie
- Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Xaintes.
- Fontaine Chaude ("Hot Fountain").
Twin towns
Logroño, Spain
Personalities
- Maurice Boyau, ace of the First World War who spent most of his life in Dax
- Jean-Charles de Borda, mathematician
- Vincent de Paul, theologian born in a village near Dax
- Victor Denain, aviator and politician
- Roger Ducos, politician born in Dax
- Patrick Edlinger, rock climber
- Brigitte Lovisa Fouché, painter
- Laurent Fressinet, chess player
- Raphaël Ibañez, rugby player
- Christophe Lamaison, rugby player
See also
- Diocese of Dax
- US Dax, a French rugby union club based in Dax.
References
- ^ "Données climatiques de la station de Dax" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- ^ "Climat Aquitaine" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- ^ "Normes et records 1961-1990: Dax-Seyresse (40) - altitude 31m" (in French). Infoclimat. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
External links
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