Gironde
Gironde | |
---|---|
Prefecture building of the Gironde department, in Bordeaux | |
![]() Location of Gironde in France | |
Coordinates: 44°50′N 0°40′W / 44.833°N 0.667°W | |
Country | France |
Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
Prefecture | Bordeaux |
Subprefectures | Arcachon Blaye Langon Lesparre-Médoc Libourne |
Government | |
• President of the General Council | Jean-Luc Gleyze |
Area | |
• Total | 10,000 km2 (4,000 sq mi) |
Population (2013) | |
• Total | 1,505,517 |
• Rank | 7th |
• Density | 150/km2 (390/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Department number | 33 |
Arrondissements | 6 |
Cantons | 33 |
Communes | 538 |
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km². |
Gironde (French pronunciation: [ʒiʁɔ̃d]; in Occitan Gironda) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwest France. It is named for the Gironde estuary, a major waterway. The Bordeaux wine region is in the Gironde.
History
Gironde is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Guyenne and Gascony.
From 1793 to 1795, the department's name was changed to Bec-d'Ambès to avoid the association with the revolutionary party, the Girondists.
Geography
Gironde is part of the current region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne and Charente-Maritime and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. With an area of 10,000 km², Gironde is the largest department in metropolitan France. If overseas departments are included, however, Gironde's land area is dwarfed by the 83,846 km² of French Guiana.
Gironde is well known for the Côte d'Argent beach which is Europe's longest, attracting many surfers to Lacanau each year. It is also the birthplace of Jacques-Yves Cousteau who studied the sea and all forms of life in water.
The Great Dune of Pyla in Arcachon Bay near Bordeaux is the tallest sand dune in Europe.[1]
Politics
The President of the General Council is Jean-Luc Gleyze of the Socialist Party.
Party | seats | |
---|---|---|
style="background-color: Template:Socialist Party (France)/meta/color" |• | Socialist Party | 45 |
style="background-color: Template:The Republicans (France)/meta/color" | | The Republicans | 12 |
style="background-color: Template:French Communist Party/meta/color" |• | French Communist Party | 3 |
style="background-color: Template:Miscellaneous Right/meta/color" | | Miscellaneous Right | 1 |
style="background-color: Template:Democratic Movement (France)/meta/color" | | MoDem | 1 |
style="background-color: Template:Hunting, Fishing, Nature, Traditions/meta/color" | | Hunting, Fishing, Nature, Tradition | 1 |
Tourism
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Château de la Brède, birthplace of Montesquieu
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The Gironde estuary seen from the citadel of Blaye
See also
- Cantons of the Gironde department
- Communes of the Gironde department
- Arrondissements of the Gironde department
- Bordeaux wine regions
References
- ^ C.G. (14 August 2009). Les Adresses de Mathilde Seigner et Fabien Onteniente. Le Figaro Magazine. Template:Fr icon