Tarn-et-Garonne

Tarn-et-Garonne (French pronunciation: ​[taʁn e ɡaʁɔn]; Occitan: Tarn e Garona [ˈtaɾ e ɣaˈɾɔnɔ]) is a department in the Occitanie region of France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name. This area was originally part of the former provinces of Quercy and Languedoc. The department was created in 1808 by Napoleon, with territory being taken from the departments of Lot, Haute-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne, Gers and Aveyron.

Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn e Garona (Occitan)
Department of France
Prefecture building in Montauban
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Tarn-et-Garonne in France
Coordinates: 44°0′N 1°20′E
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
PrefectureMontauban
SubprefecturesCastelsarrasin
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilMichel Weill[1] (PRG)
Area
1
 • Total3,718 km2 (1,436 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2019)[2]
 • Total260,669
 • Rank82nd
 • Density70/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number82
Arrondissements2
Cantons15
Communes195
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

The department is mostly rural with fertile agricultural land in the broad river valley, but there are hilly areas to the south, east and north. The departmental prefecture is Montauban, the only subprefecture is Castelsarrasin. In 2019, it had a population of 260,669.[3]

History

History of the region

Quercy was part of Aquitania prima under the Romans; Christianity was introduced during the 4th century. Early in the 6th century the area fell under the authority of the Franks, and in the 7th century became part of the autonomous Duchy of Aquitaine. At the end of the 10th century its rulers were the powerful counts of Toulouse. During the hostilities between England and France in the reign of Henry II of England, the English placed garrisons in the county, and by the 1259 Treaty of Paris lower Quercy came under the control of England.[4]

The kings of both England and France around this time tried to curry favour by adding to the privileges of the towns and the district. In 1360, the Treaty of Brétigny was signed and the whole of Quercy passed to England. However, in the 1440s the English were finally expelled by the newly created army of Charles VII of France.[5] In the 16th century Quercy was a stronghold of the Protestants, and the scene of fierce religious conflicts. The civil wars of the reign of Louis XIII largely took place around Montauban.

After Napoleon's defeat in 1815, the monarchy was re-established in France, but the discredited Bourbon Dynasty was overthrown in the July Revolution of 1830, which established the constitutional July Monarchy, which lasted until 1848. During this time the divide between the rich and poor increased; in Montauban, hundreds turned to begging as wages fell, factories closed and food prices rose; rioting was widespread and the home of the mayor was stoned by building workers in 1847.[6]

History of the department
Map of the region before the creation of the department

Before the department's formation in the nineteenth century, the northern half formed part of the old province of Quercy and the southern half, part of Languedoc. The department was created on 4 November 1808 during the First French Empire by a decision of Napoleon.[7] The emperor had been invited to visit the town of Montauban, an important industrial and commercial centre at the time, whose populace thought the town was central enough and sufficiently important to be the capital of a new department. He was impressed by their loyalty and granted their request.[7]

The department was formed out of territories that had previously been part of neighbouring areas. More than half of the territory was taken from the Department of Lot (including Montauban and Moissac), over one-third was taken from Haute-Garonne (including Castelsarrasin), and the rest from the departments of Lot-et-Garonne, Gers, and Aveyron. The first prefect was Félix Le Peletier d'Aunay, who was installed in his post on 31 December 1808.[7]

Geography
Map of Tarn-et-Garonne

Tarn-et-Garonne constitutes part of the Occitanie region in Southern France. It borders on the departments of Lot to the north, Aveyron to the northeast, Tarn to the east, Haute-Garonne to the south, and Gers and Lot-et-Garonne to the west. The capital of the department is Montauban which lies about 50 km (31 mi) north of Toulouse. Montauban is situated on the right bank of the river Tarn at its confluence with the river Tescou, and the Tarn is joined by the Aveyron about 10 km (6.2 mi) further downstream. The second largest commune in the department is Castelsarrasin which stands near the confluence of the Tarn and River Garonne.[8] Montauban is connected to the Garonne via the 11 km (7 mi) Canal de Montech.[9]

The central part of the department is a broad river valley that does not exceed 150 m (492 ft) in altitude, but near the commune of Valence-d'Agen, in the extreme west of the department, the valley narrows as the hilly regions of Bas-Quercy to the north and Lomagne to the south draw closer together. In the northeast of the department is higher land in the form of limestone plateaus known as the Causses, part of the Massif Central.[8] The highest point in the department, at 510 m (1,673 ft), is the Pech Maurel, situated in the commune of Castanet.[10]

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1801228,000—    
1806228,420+0.04%
1821238,143+0.28%
1831242,250+0.17%
1841239,297−0.12%
1851237,553−0.07%
1861232,551−0.21%
1872221,610−0.44%
1881217,056−0.23%
1891206,596−0.49%
1901195,669−0.54%
1911182,537−0.69%
1921159,559−1.34%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1931164,259+0.29%
1936164,629+0.05%
1946167,664+0.18%
1954172,379+0.35%
1962175,847+0.25%
1968183,572+0.72%
1975183,314−0.02%
1982190,485+0.55%
1990200,220+0.62%
1999206,034+0.32%
2006226,844+1.38%
2011244,545+1.51%
2016256,897+0.99%
Source:[11][12]

Principal towns

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

Commune Population (2019)
Montauban 61,372
Castelsarrasin 14,114
Moissac 13,378
Caussade 6,808
Montech 6,589
Nègrepelisse 5,685
Valence 5,205

Economy

The economy of the department depends mainly on agriculture but there is also some industry, and it benefits from its proximity to Toulouse. The commercial importance of Montauban is mainly due to its trade in agricultural products, horses, game and poultry, but it does have some manufacturing industries, which include cloth-weaving, cloth-dressing, flour-milling, wood-sawing, and the manufacture of furniture, silk-gauze and straw hats. The surrounding countryside supports nursery-gardening, wine-making and the growing of maize, olives and mulberries. This area is approximately at the northern limit for the commercial production of the latter two crops because of the vagaries of the climate.[13]

Politics

Departmental Council of Tarn-et-Garonne

The Departmental Council of Tarn-et-Garonne has 30 seats. The president of the Departmental Council is Michel Weill, elected in July 2021.

Composition of the Departmental Council since 2021
Political group Party Seats Position
Radicaux et apparentés PRG 11 Majority
Tarn-et-Garonne en commun PS 5
Le Tarn-et-Garonne d'abord DVC 6 Opposition
Engagés pour le Tarn-et-Garonne LR 4
Non-inscrits RN (2) - DVG (2) 4

Members of the National Assembly

Tarn-et-Garonne elected the following members of the National Assembly during the 2022 legislative election:

ConstituencyMember[14]Party
Tarn-et-Garonne's 1st constituency Valérie Rabault Socialist Party
Tarn-et-Garonne's 2nd constituency Marine Hamelet National Rally

Tourism
  • National square in Montauban
  • Bruniquel, one of the formally listed "Most Beautiful Villages of France"
  • Saint Barthelemy church in Lauzerte
  • The "King's House" in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val
  • Saint Peter abbey in Moissac
  • Château de Montauriol, seat of the Departmental Council of Tarn-et-Garonne

See also
  • Cantons of the Tarn-et-Garonne department
  • Communes of the Tarn-et-Garonne department
  • Arrondissements of the Tarn-et-Garonne department

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: 82 Tarn-et-Garonne, INSEE
  4. Harry Rothwell (Editor) English Historical Documents 1189-1327, Routledge, 1996, ISBN 0-415-14368-3
  5. Haine, W. Scott (2000). The History of France. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-313-30328-9.
  6. Fenby, Jonathan (2015). The History of Modern France: From the Revolution to the Present Day. Simon & Schuster UK. ISBN 978-1-4711-2931-5.
  7. Pascale Marouseau. "Création du département de Tarn-et-Garonne". Archives de France (in French). Archives départementales de Tarn-et-Garonne. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  8. Philips' Modern School Atlas. George Philip and Son, Ltd. 1973. p. 43. ISBN 0-540-05278-7.
  9. Fluviacarte, Canal de Montech
  10. Castanet IGN
  11. "Historique de Tarn-et-Garonne". Le SPLAF.
  12. "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
  13. Michelet, Jules (1847). History of France. D. Appleton. p. 150.
  14. Assemblée Nationale. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblee-nationale.fr. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
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