HAUTE-GARONNE INFORMATION
HAUTE-GARONNE Geography
Haute-Garonne is part of the current region of Midi-Pyrénées and is surrounded by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées, Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne, Tarn and Ariège, in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon by the department of Aude. It also borders Spain in the south (province of Lleida and province of Huesca). Along with other agricultural products, this village is well known for its farming and production of pork and of other pig products. It is referred to by locals at times as "Le village de Jambon" (the town of ham) for this reason.
The department is crossed by the upper course of the Garonne River (hence the name) for nearly 200 kilometers (125 miles). The borders of the department follow the river. The Garonne enters France from Spain at the town of Fos, goes through Toulouse and leaves the department The extreme south of the department lies in the Pyrenees mountain range and is very mountainous. The highest elevation is the Peak of Perdiguère, at 3,222 meters (10,571 ft) above sea level.
Garonne River: The Garonne (French: Garonne; in Occitan, Catalan and Spanish: Garona; Latin: Garumna) is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of 575 km (357 miles).
The name "Garonne" derives from an ancient form Garumna containing the Aquitanian (language related to old Basque) root kharr-, meaning "rock", akin to modern Basque harri, "stone", and a Pre-Indo-European suffix -unn-, -onna which means "source, river", and which can be found in the name of many rivers in Western Europe (such as the Seine, the Saône, etc.).
The river Garonne rises on the slopes of Pic Aneto (near 42°38′59″N 0°40′06″E/ 42.6498°N 0.6683°E / 42.6498; 0.6683 according to the season) and flows by way of a sink hole known as the Trou de Toro or the Forau dels Aigualluts (42°40′00″N 0°40′01″E / 42.6666°N 0.6669°E / 42.6666; 0.6669) through the limestone of the Tuca Blanco de Pomèro and a resurgence in the Val dera Artiga above the Aran Valley in the Spanish Pyrenees. This underground route was suggested by the geologist Ramond de Carbonnières in 1787, but there was no confirmation until 1931, when caver Norbert Casteret poured fluorescein dye into the flow and noted its emergence a few hours later 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) away at Uelhs deth Joeu ("source of the Joeu" 42°40′51″N 0°42′28″E/ 42.68092°N 0.7077°E / 42.68092; 0.7077) in the Artiga de Lin on the other side of the mountain. Until this discovery the source was considered to be in the meadows of the Plan de Beret above Baqueira, a longer but lower tributary to the east.
It follows the Aran Valley northwards into France, flowing via Toulouse and Agen towards Bordeaux, where it meets the Gironde estuary. The Gironde flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay). Along its course, the Garonne is joined by three other major rivers: the Ariège, the Tarn, and the Lot. Just after Bordeaux, the Garonne river finally meets the Dordogne, after which the two rivers become the Gironde estuary, which after approximately 60 miles (97 km) joins the Atlantic Ocean. Other tributaries include the Save and the Gers.
The Garonne is one of the few rivers in the world that exhibit a tidal bore. Surfers and jet skiers can ride the tidal bore at least as far as the village of Cambes (70 miles or 110 kilometres from the Atlantic) and even further upstream.
HAUTE-GARONNE History
Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.
HAUTE-GARONNE Administration
Department number : 31
Region : Midi-Pyrénées
Prefecture : Toulouse
Subprefectures : Saint-Gaudens, Muret
Arrondissements: 3
Cantons: 53
Communes : 588
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