Gap, Hautes-Alpes
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Gap |
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| Jean Marcellin Square | |
  Gap
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Hautes-Alpes |
| Arrondissement | Gap |
| Mayor | Roger Didier (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 625–2,360 m (2,051–7,740 ft) (avg. 745 m/2,444 ft) |
| Land area1 | 110.43 km2 (42.64 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 39,557 (2006) |
| - Density | 358 /km2 (930 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 05061/ 05000 |
| 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: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Gap (Occitan: Gap) is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Hautes-Alpes department.
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Geography
An Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies 2,406 feet above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River (close to where it joins the Durance River). The region around Gap is known as Gapençais.
History
Originally founded by the Gauls; the Roman emperor Augustus seized the town in 14 BC and renamed it Vapincum. Gap was annexed by the French crown in 1512. The city of Gap has announced their interest in hosting the Winter Olympic Games in 2018.
Napoleon I left Elba in February 1815 and had reached Gap on March 15 with 40 horsemen and 10 grenadiers where he had thousands of copies of his Proclamations printed. The whole population of the city accompanied Napoleon when he left Gap.
Personalities
- The French ski mountaineer Laëtitia Roux was born in Gap on June 21, 1985.
- The French mountaineer Jean-Christophe Lafaille was born in Gap on March 31, 1965
- The French born designer Christian Audigier is originally from Gap.
Points of interest
- Conservatoire botanique national alpin de Gap-Charance
- Domaine de Charance
See also
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Gap
- Gap Cathedral
- Communes of the Hautes-Alpes department
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.- Gallia Christiana (Nova, 1715), I, 452-473, Instrumenta, 86-89, (Nova, 1725), III, 1051–1107; Instrumenta, 177-188, 205-8;
- Albanes, Gallia christiana Novissima (Montbeliard, 1899), I,
- Depery, Histoire hagiologique du diocese de Gap (Gap, 1852);
- Honoré Fisquet, France Pontificale (Paris, 1868);
- Gaillaud, Histoire de Notre Dame d'Embrun (Gap, 1862);
- Roman, Sigillographie du diocese de Gap (Grenoble, 1870);
- IDEM, Tableau historique du département des Hautes-Alpes (Paris, 1889–91);
- Chevalier, Topo-bibl., pp. 988, 1266.
External links
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