Haute-Loire

Haute-Loire
Department

Coat of arms

Location of Haute-Loire in France
Coordinates: 45°0′N 4°0′E / 45.000°N 4.000°ECoordinates: 45°0′N 4°0′E / 45.000°N 4.000°E
Country France
Region Auvergne
Prefecture Le Puy-en-Velay
Subprefectures Brioude
Yssingeaux
Government
 • President of the General Council Gérard Roche
Area1
 • Total 4,977 km2 (1,922 sq mi)
Population (1999)
 • Total 209,113
 • Rank 85th
 • Density 42/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Department number 43
Arrondissements 3
Cantons 35
Communes 260
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Haute-Loire (French pronunciation: ​[ot lwaʁ]; Occitan: Naut Léger) is a department in south-central France named after the Loire River.

History

Haute-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne, Languedoc, and Lyonnais.

Geography

Haute-Loire is part of the current region of Auvergne and is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Ardèche, Lozère, Cantal, and Puy-de-Dôme.

The department covers the upper reaches of the Loire. Parts of the department belong to Parc naturel régional Livradois-Forez.

Demography

The inhabitants of the department are called Altiligériens (English : Altiligerians).

Notable residents

The de Polignac family has its historic seat there, and various descendants of the general Lafayette were senators for this region in the nineteenth century.

Tourism

See also

References

  1. ↑ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haute-Loire.