Gex, Ain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Commune of Gex
Location
Longitude	06° 03' 30" E
Latitude	46° 20' 02" N
Administration
Country	France
Région	Rhône-Alpes
Département	Ain (sous-préfecture)
Arrondissement	Gex
Canton	Gex
Mayor	Gérard Paoli
Statistics
Land area¹	32.02 km²
Population² (1999)	7,844
- Density (1999)	244.9/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	01173/ 01170
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Gex is a commune and the chief town of the Gex arrondissement in the Ain département, France, 5 km from the Swiss border, and 16 km from Geneva. It is a sous-préfecture of the Ain département.

[edit] History

The town gave its name to the Pays de Gex, at various times under the jurisdiction of France, Switzerland and the Duchy of Savoy. Exports significantly to Geneva.

With the 1815 Treaty of Vienna Gex was placed in the Customs region of Switzerland and neutralised. The resolutions regarding the Pays de Gex were annulled by Art 435 of the Treaty of Versailles. In November 1923 France moved its customs office to Gex, and the matter was brought before the Permanent Court of International Justice (predecessor of the International Court of Justice), which decided in favour of Switzerland. A compromise was reached in 1932.

Historically, citizens spoke a dialect of the Franco-Provençal language.

[edit] External link

• Official town website (in French)