The department of the Eastern Pyrenees is a department French n° 66 , located at the south of the France, in the north of the Catalogne, the border with the Spain. This department gathers the old province of the Roussillon (i.e. the Roussillon, high the Cerdagne, the Conflent, the Vallespir and the Capcir originally catalanophones as well as the territory of the Fenouillèdes, only territory of the department of Languedocien culture and language Occitan E.)

It was often indicated like the " Catalonia française" and more recently like the " Catalonia-North ". This last term was invented in the Thirties by catalanists who wanted to point out the historical links, cultural and linguistics of this area to the remainder of Catalonia. Moreover, the use nowadays of terms northern Catalonia , Roussillon or PO more or less translates the attachment or the rejection of this bond.

History

See also: County of Roussillon, Roussillon (province), History of the Eastern Pyrenees

The department is created with the French revolution, the March 4th 1790, pursuant to the law of the December 22nd 1789, starting from the province of the Roussillon and of a small portion of the Languedoc called Fenouillèdes.

Two dates make it possible to better include/understand the history of this department:

• 1258 : the Traité of Corbeil fixes the border between the kingdoms of France and Aragon, to the Corbières, Fenouillèdes leave the zone of influence of king d' Aragon whereas Roussillon is maintained there like all Catalonia. The inhabitants of the current department belong to two different countries and speak two close languages, the Catalan in Roussillon, Conflent, Vallespir and Cerdagne and the Occitan in Fenouillèdes.
• 1659 : the province of Roussillon is attached to France by the Traité of the Pyrenees, except for the enclave of Llívia. The political border of 1258 then becomes a limit between two provinces of the kingdom of France.

In spite of the creation of the department in 1790, the differences were maintained between the two entities. The Catalans use the pejorative term of Gavatx bone to designate the inhabitants of Fenouillèdes and the Aude. In fact, this term is always very widespread in Spain in the forms gavatx (as a Catalan) and gabacho (in Spanish). " Gavatx" could be comparable with the word Boche in French. But it designates the French. It is still long-lived because the last invasion of Spain dates from the Napoleonean Guerres. In PO, this term lost its aggressive connotation and became mocker, it is more comparable to our franchouillard, or the word Teuton to designate the Germans.

The Spanish crown , eager to find its old possession, invades with its troops the department in April 1793, but the France recovered it thirteen months later, after the Bataille of Peyrestortes.

The royalty had torn off Roussillon and Cerdagne of the remainder of Catalonia and had isolated them in a statute from country says foreign. At the 19th century, the Eastern Pyrenees were one of the most republican departments of France. François Arago, politician and scientist born with Estagel, is the symbol.

Geography

See also: Roussillon (geography)

The department of the Eastern Pyrenees belongs to the area Languedoc-Roussillon. Its borders are consisted of the Mediterranean in the east, the Spain (Province of Gérone) in the south, of the Département of the Aude in north, Andorre and the Département of Ariège in the west.

It belongs to the rare French departments (with the the Alpes-Maritimes and the Yrénées-Atlantiques) which allow their inhabitants and the tourists to benefit at the same time from the joys of the mountain and of those of the sea.

It is crossed of west in is by three parallel rivers, the Tech, the Têt and the Agly. It is also in the the Pyrenees - Eastern that the Aude takes her source. Its culminating point is the Pic Carlit (2921 m), but its most known mountain remains the mount Canigou.

Climate

See also: Climate of the Eastern Pyrenees

The climate, of Mediterranean type, makes it possible to have relatively soft winters, the snowfalls being very rare in plain. The summers are hot. The winds play a great part, in particular the Tramontane, wind of the North-West, which frequently reaches high speeds to 100 km/h. The marine wind brings the rain for its part.

• sunning: on average 300 days per annum

• rainfall: 60 days

Economy

See also: Economy of the Eastern Pyrenees

The economy of the department rests traditionally on the Agriculture, dominated by the Arboriculture (many orchards of pêchers, apricot trees and cherry trees), the Maraîchage (salads, artichokes in particular) and the vine growing. In this field, the Eastern Pyrenees are characterized by an important production from VDN (sweet aperitif wines), with four prestigious names: Banyuls, Maury, Rivesaltes, Muscatel of Rivesaltes, without counting the Byrrh, elaborate in the cellars of Thuir, or Terrasous, elaborate in the cellars of Water troughs. One produces also many dry wines AOC, reds especially, whose name Collioure is undoubtedly most known.

The breeding, in retreat during several decades, seems to find a new vitality, in particular on the level of the Bovin S (production of calf meat Rosée of the Pyrenees ).

It should however be specified that hardly more 8  000 people, if the seasonal workers are excluded, live agriculture. The industrial companies are very few, and cannot constitute a resource sufficient for the department, which knows an important unemployment rate (more than 15% of the active population). The majority of the population works in the tertiary sector (administration, services, distribution, tourism **). The census of 1999 gave the following figures in the distribution of the credits:

• agriculture: 8.227,

• industry: 10.389,
• construction: 8.460,
• tertiary: 97.673.

The economic sectors of the department also profit from a specialized directory, true virtual commercial arcade. The craftsmen, tradesmen, service providers can from now on develop their policy marketing thanks to catalapro.com and widen their market radius at all the department and the Catalan area in order to attract new customers.

Demography

See also: Demography of the Eastern Pyrenees

The department counts more 422  000 inhabitants. The town of Perpignan only gathers more than one quarter with it, and more than one third with its suburbs. It is the only important city, and only the towns of Canet-in-Roussillon, Saint-Estève, Argelès-sur-Mer exceed the 10  000 inhabitants. The other important cities are Saint-Cyprien, Rivesaltes, Saint-Laurent-of-the-Salt marsh, Bompas, Cabestany, Thuir, Céret, Elne and Prades, cash each one between 7  000 and 10  000 inhabitants. The district of Perpignan, with 287  272 inhabitants, which is that counts the most inhabitants in the department. Indeed, the two others, the districts of Céret and Prades, count 66  respectively; 624 inhabitants and 38  907 inhabitants.

The distribution by age brackets shows to a relatively high number elderly some 60 year old and more (29% of the population compared with 21,3% for the whole of France).

This old age of the population has as a consequence a death rate higher than that of the births. However the population has been in continuous increase for several decades thanks to a definitely positive migratory balance. The department attracts in particular pensioners thanks to his pleasant climate, which contributes at the same time to the increase in the population and its ageing. The evolution of the population was the following one:

• 1954 : 230  285 inhabitants
• 1975: 299  506 inhabitants
• 1982: 334  557 inhabitants
• 1990: 363  796 inhabitants
• 1999: 392  803 inhabitants
• 2005: 422  000 inhabitants

Languages and culture

See also: Culture in the Eastern Pyrenees

The department was almost entirely of language Catalan E , except in the country of the Fenouillèdes, in the North, which is of language Occitan E .

The State always imposed French like only language of use. Schooling allowed its diffusion. During the XXe century, much of Catalans encouraged their children to speak only French. They did not transmit the language of their ancestors to them for fear it does not harm the control of the national language which at the time radiated on a whole colonial empire.

Nevertheless, the Catalan language remains long-lived in comparison with many other regional languages. Many popular assemblies ( aplecs ) take place in the department, and the traditional dances there are very appreciated, in particular the Sardane. Every year is held with Prades the Catalan University of Summer. The Catalan language is taught in the elementary schools, colleges and colleges, at the university, like in schools where teaching is done in languages Catalan woman and Frenchwoman (elementary schools Bressola and Arrels , colleges collar·legi count Guifré ) but his decline continuous, is sometimes encouraged by the representatives of the State but stopped also a little by investments as those of Catalonia which regards Roussillon the cradle of its history and as debatable proof of nonHispanic catalanity. The arrival of the TGV Barcelona-Perpignan could reinforce this last tendency.

Several great painters came to live in Roussillon at the beginning of the 20th century, either with Céret, or with Collioure. It is mainly in Collioure, where remained Henri Matisse and André Derain, which was born the Fauvisme. The Cubisme as for him developed in Céret, attended by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque starting from 1911. Aristide Maillol was born in this country and remained there, carving on the topic of the woman. Céret shelters today an important museum of Modern art, founded in 1950 by Pierre Brune. Many cultural events take place each year, in particular the photographic festival Visa for the image in Perpignan and the festival Pau Casals (classical music) with the Abbaye Saint-Michel of Cuxa, close to Prades.

Tourism

See also: Tourism in the Eastern Pyrenees

In the Sixties, Languedoc-Roussillon was arranged to allow tourism of mass. The Vermilion Coast was covered with buildings. The Tourisme developed much in the department, in particular with seaside resorts like Canet-in-Roussillon, Argelès-sur-Mer, Saint-Cyprien, Barcarès, which accommodate many Camping S, and many hotels, attracted by long the Plage S of fine sand. Who known as Tourisme says tourist attractions, and for this reason the department is well equipped; indeed, it accommodates many attractions of climbs with the trees in the mountain, of Canyoning (natural and artificial), as well as the largest circuit of Karting of the world: the Circuit of Roussillon .

Policy

Currently, the department is directed by the left. Its president, Christian Bourquin (PS), is with the head of the General advice since 1998 (re-elected in 2001).

• List of the deputies of the Eastern Pyrenees

• List of the senators of the Eastern Pyrenees
• List of the general advisers of the Eastern Pyrenees

Administration

See also: Administration of the Eastern Pyrenees

• List of the prefects of the Common Eastern Pyrenees

• of the Eastern Pyrenees
• Old communes of the Eastern Pyrenees

Others

• Prades : site of the Catalan University of summer.

• Salses: important castle of the 16th century on the old French border.
• Solar furnace of Prats-of-Mollo-the-Swift Odeillo
• : Strong Lagarde of Vauban
• Mount-Louis: fortifications of Vauban
• Villefranche-with-Conflent: fortifications of Vauban
• Organ of Ille-on-Small fireclay cup
• small the yellow Train connecting Villefranche de Conflent with Turn-of-Carol: travel in the high valley of the Small fireclay cup and the Cerdagne
• Village of Have: structure and geographical location (close to Prades) interesting
• the Homme of Tautavel (mankind)
• Canet-in-Roussillon: College of the Sea, Olympic Swimming pool where in particular Laure Manaudou
• Perpignan was involved: Stage Aime-Giral, Club of Rugby to XV: USAP and Club of Rugby to XIII: Catalan dragons (only team of Rugby with XIII Frenchwoman to be played in league English), inter alia.
• Climatic Lycée of Makes-Romeu

Internal bonds

• Gate of the Eastern Pyrenees

External bonds

• general Sites
• Site of the General advice of the Eastern Pyrenees
• Site of the Departmental committee of Tourism of the Eastern Pyrenees
• Information and photographs on the Eastern Pyrenees
• most beautiful photographs of the 66

Random links:

FN P90 | Zollikofen | Andréa Guiot | Yoav Talmi | Sound cinema