Landes (department)

Landes (French pronunciation: [lɑ̃d] ⓘ; Gascon and Occitan: Lanas [ˈlanəs]; Basque: Landak) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, Southwestern France, with a long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It borders Gers to the east, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, to the south, Lot-et-Garonne to the north-east, and Gironde to the north. It also borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Located on the Atlantic coast, it had a population of 413,690 as of 2019.[3] Its prefecture is Mont-de-Marsan.

For other uses, see Landes (disambiguation).
Landes
Lanas (Occitan)
Landak (Basque)
Department of France
Prefecture building in Mont-de-Marsan
Prefecture building in Mont-de-Marsan
Flag of Landes
Flag
Coat of arms of Landes
Coat of arms
Location of Landes in France
Location of Landes in France
Coordinates: 44°0′N 0°50′W
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
PrefectureMont-de-Marsan
SubprefectureDax
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilXavier Fortinon[1] (PS)
Area
1
 • Total9,243 km2 (3,569 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
 • Total418,122
 • Rank59th
 • Density45/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number40
Arrondissements2
Cantons15
Communes327
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2

The department is the second-largest department in France and its covers the Forest of Landes. The southwestern part of the department is part of the wider conurbation of Biarritz and Bayonne across the Pyrénées-Atlantique border.

History

Landes is one of the original 83 departments that were created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the provinces of Guyenne and Gascony.

During the first part of the 19th century large parts of the department were covered with poorly drained heathland (French: lande) which is the origin of its name. The vegetation covered rich soil and was periodically burned off, leaving excellent pasturage for sheep, which around 1850 are thought to have numbered between 900,000 and 1,000,000 in this area. The sheep were managed by shepherds who moved around on stilts and became proficient at covering long distances thus supported. Most of the sheep departed during the second half of the nineteenth century when systematic development of large pine plantations transformed the landscape and the local economy.

One of the most famous citizens of the Landes was the 19th-century French economist Frédéric Bastiat.

The Nobel Prize–winning novelist François Mauriac set his novels in the Landes.

Geography

The Landes is part of the current region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. With an area stretching over more than 9,243 km2, Landes is, after Gironde, the second largest department of the metropolitan French territory.

It is well known for the Côte d'Argent beach which is Europe's longest and attracts many surfers to Mimizan and Soorts-Hossegor each year. It is also home to a château called Château de Gaujacq that was built in 1686.

Demographics

Population development since 1801:

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1801224,272—    
1806240,146+1.38%
1821256,311+0.44%
1831281,504+0.94%
1841288,077+0.23%
1851302,196+0.48%
1861300,839−0.04%
1872300,528−0.01%
1881301,143+0.02%
1891297,842−0.11%
1901291,586−0.21%
1911288,902−0.09%
1921263,937−0.90%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1931257,186−0.26%
1936251,436−0.45%
1946248,395−0.12%
1954248,943+0.03%
1962260,495+0.57%
1968277,381+1.05%
1975288,323+0.55%
1982297,424+0.44%
1990311,461+0.58%
1999327,334+0.55%
2006362,827+1.48%
2011387,929+1.35%
2016405,010+0.87%
Sources:[4][5]

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Mont-de-Marsan, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:[3]

Commune Population (2019)
Mont-de-Marsan 29,807
Dax 20,843
Biscarrosse 13,947
Saint-Paul-lès-Dax 13,381
Tarnos 12,634

Politics

Departmental Council of Landes

The president of the Departmental Council has been Xavier Fortinon of the Socialist Party since 2017. He succeeded former president of the National Assembly Henri Emmanuelli upon his death.

PartySeats
• Socialist Party17
• Left Front3
Union of the Republican Right and Independents10

National representation

In the 2017 legislative election, Landes elected the following members of the National Assembly:

ConstituencyMember[6]Party
Landes's 1st constituency Fabien Lainé MoDem
Landes's 2nd constituency Lionel Causse La République En Marche!
Landes's 3rd constituency Boris Vallaud Socialist Party

In the Senate, Landes is represented by two members: Éric Kerrouche and Monique Lubin. Both have served since the 2017 Senate election.

Economy

Agriculture

Landes is known for its large pine forest which is the raw material for a timber and resin industries in the region. The forest was planted in the early nineteenth century to prevent erosion of the region's sandy soil by the sea.

Tourism

Landes is famous for its seaside resorts and natural spots, such as:

See also

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
  2. "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. Populations légales 2019: 40 Landes, INSEE
  4. "Historique des Landes". Le SPLAF.
  5. "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
  6. Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale.
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