Lot-et-Garonne

Lot-et-Garonne (French pronunciation: [lɔt e ɡaʁɔn] (listen), Occitan: Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.[3] Its prefecture and largest city is Agen.

Lot-et-Garonne
Òlt e Garona (Occitan)
Department of France
Top down, from left to right: prefecture building in Agen, Castelnaud-de-Gratecambe, Château de Lauzun and Château de Bonaguil
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Lot-et-Garonne in France
Coordinates: 44°20′N 0°30′E
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
PrefectureAgen
SubprefecturesMarmande
Nérac
Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilSophie Borderie[1] (PS)
Area
1
 • Total5,361 km2 (2,070 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2019)[2]
 • Total331,271
 • Rank71st
 • Density62/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number47
Arrondissements4
Cantons21
Communes319
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

History

Lot-et-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created on 4 March 1790, as a result of the French Revolution. It was created from part of the province of Guyenne and Gascony; originally the territory of the ancient county of Agenais constituted nearly the whole.

The southeastern part of the original department (the former cantons of Auvillar, Montaigu-de-Quercy and Valence) was separated from it in 1808 to become a part of the newly created department of Tarn-et-Garonne.[4]

Geography
Map of Lot-et-Garonne

Lot-et-Garonne is part of the current region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of Lot, Tarn-et-Garonne, Gers, Landes, Gironde, and Dordogne. The north of the department is composed of limestone hills. Between Lot and Garonne, there is a plateau carved by many valleys. In the west of the department, the Landes forest is planted in sand. It's composed of maritime pines. Between the forest and Agen, there is the Albret, a very hilly country.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Agen, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 7,000 inhabitants:[3]

Commune Population (2019)
Agen 32,602
Villeneuve-sur-Lot 21,742
Marmande 17,421
Le Passage 9,400
Tonneins 9,130

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called Lot-et-Garonnais.

Population development since 1801:

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1801298,940—    
1806327,444+1.84%
1821330,121+0.05%
1831346,885+0.50%
1841347,073+0.01%
1851341,345−0.17%
1861332,065−0.28%
1872319,289−0.36%
1881312,081−0.25%
1891295,360−0.55%
1901278,740−0.58%
1911268,083−0.39%
1921239,972−1.10%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1931247,500+0.31%
1936252,761+0.42%
1946265,449+0.49%
1954265,549+0.00%
1962275,028+0.44%
1968290,592+0.92%
1975292,616+0.10%
1982298,522+0.29%
1990305,989+0.31%
1999305,380−0.02%
2006322,283+0.77%
2016332,833+0.32%
Sources:[4][5]

Politics

Departmental Council of Lot-et-Garonne

The Departmental Council of Lot-et-Garonne has 40 seats. In the 2015 departmental elections, the Socialist Party (PS) secured 25 seats while The Republicans (LR) won 15 seats. Sophie Borderie (PS) has presided over the assembly since 2019.

Members of the National Assembly

Lot-et-Garonne elected the following members of the National Assembly during the 2017 legislative election:

ConstituencyMember[6]Party
Lot-et-Garonne's 1st constituency Michel Lauzzana La République En Marche!
Lot-et-Garonne's 2nd constituency Alexandre Freschi La République En Marche!
Lot-et-Garonne's 3rd constituency Olivier Damaisin La République En Marche!

Economy

Food-processing, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals are all major industries of the department.

Tourism
  • Agen
  • Marmande
  • Villeneuve-sur-Lot
  • Duras
  • Nérac
  • Monflanquin

See also
  • Cantons of the Lot-et-Garonne department
  • Communes of the Lot-et-Garonne department
  • Arrondissements of the Lot-et-Garonne department
  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Agen

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 2019". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2021.
  3. Populations légales 2019: 47 Lot-et-Garonne, INSEE
  4. "Historique de Lot-et-Garonne". 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.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lot-et-Garonne.
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