Hérault Explained

Hérault
Native Name Lang:fr
Type:Department of France
Coordinates:43.35°N 16°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:France
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Occitanie
Seat Type:Prefecture
Seat:Montpellier
Parts Type:Subprefectures
Parts Style:para
P1:Béziers
Lodève
Leader Party:PS
Leader Title:President of the Departmental Council
Leader Name:Kléber Mesquida[1]
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:6224
Population Rank:18th
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Demonym:Héraultais
Blank Name Sec1:Department number
Blank Info Sec1:34
Blank Name Sec2:Arrondissements
Blank Info Sec2:3
Blank1 Name Sec2:Constituency
Blank1 Info Sec2:9
Blank2 Name Sec2:Cantons
Blank2 Info Sec2:25
Blank3 Name Sec2:Intercommunality
Blank3 Info Sec2:16
Blank4 Name Sec2:Communes
Blank4 Info Sec2:342
Timezone1:CET
Utc Offset1:+1
Timezone1 Dst:CEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+2
Footnotes: French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Hérault (in French pronounced as /eʁo/;[2] Occitan (post 1500);: Erau, in Occitan (post 1500); pronounced as /eˈɾaw/) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.[3]

History

Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.

At the beginning of the 20th century, viticulture in the wine-growing region was devastated by a slump in sales combined with disease affecting the vines. Thousands of small scale producers revolted. This revolt was suppressed very harshly by the government of Georges Clemenceau.

The catastrophic frost of the winter of 1956 damaged the olive trees, and the olive-growing regions did not recover until the late 1980s. Many of the olive-industry co-ops closed.

During the second half of the twentieth century the Montpellier basin saw some of the most rapid population growth in France.[4]

Geography

Hérault is part of the region of Occitanie and is surrounded by the departments of Aude, Tarn, Aveyron, Gard, and the Mediterranean (Gulf of Lion) on the south. The department is geographically very diverse, with beaches in the south, the Cévennes mountains in the north, and agricultural land in between. The territory of Hérault is often described as an open amphitheater facing the sea. The geography of Hérault is marked by the diversity of its geology and its landscapes. These range from the southern foothills of the Massif Central, to the Mediterranean Sea, through the areas of garrigue and the low plain of Languedoc wine. Hérault has a Mediterranean climate.

The minimum elevation is at sea level and the highest point of the department is at an elevation of 1181m in one of the peaks of the Espinouse. The average elevation is about 227m.The department of Hérault is crossed by several rivers that originate in the southern foothills of the Massif Central and empty into the Mediterranean Sea, flowing more-or-less from north to south over a relatively short distance from high elevation. The main rivers flowing from east to west are the Vidourle, which marks the limit with the Gard department; the Lesz, which flows through Montpellier; the Hérault, which gave its name to the department, and the Orb, which flows through Béziers. To the west, the Aude, a 224 km-long river flowing from the Pyrenees, has a course oriented west–east and marks the boundary between Hérault and the neighbouring department of Aude. These rivers as well as their tributaries take their character from the region's 'cévénol' climate, with sudden variations of flow causing sudden floods. Lagoons are found along the coast of Herault, the largest of which is the Étang de Thau, with an area of about 7,500 hectares.

The hinterland of the lowlands of Bas-Languedoc is gradually hilly. It is the territory of the vineyard, olive groves, orchards and scrubland. Olive growing and viticulture symbolize an important part of the Mediterranean heritage and lifestyle.

The area of Hérault near the town of Lodève is the geographical antipode point of Chatham Island off the east coast of New Zealand.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Montpellier, the prefecture. The least populated municipality is Romiguières with 21 inhabitants in 2019. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:[3]

CommunePopulation (2019)
Montpellier295,542
Béziers78,308
Sète43,858
Agde29,600
Lunel26,385
Frontignan23,028
Castelnau-le-Lez22,534

Climate

The vast majority of the department can be characterized as a Mediterranean climate. However, the mountainous areas of the northwest have an oceanic influence. Some sectors of northern Herault have a temperate continental influence.

The average temperature of the summer months is close to the maximum French average. Nevertheless, the sea protects the coastal areas from the extremes of heat waves in summer, but also frosts in winter. They range from about 27 degrees Celsius on the seashore to 32 degrees Celsius inland. Mean minimum temperatures also vary, ranging from about 19 degrees Celsius on the coast to 15 degrees Celsius in the interior.

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called Héraultais. Population development since 1791:

Culture

Language

The historical language is Occitan.

Totem animals and local festivals

Heritage

The Canal du Midi has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Economy

Agriculture

185,048 hectares (nearly 30%) of land in Hérault is used for agriculture. Viticulture is the most important, with 85,525 hectares. The cultivation of cereals uses 20,095 hectares, grazing 7,090 hectares, 4,991 hectares are left fallow, 3,788 hectares are devoted to the cultivation of vegetables, and 3,400 hectares for orchards (olives, chestnuts, walnuts, plums, apples).

Viticulture

The vineyards of Hérault are very old, dating from before the founding of Gallia Narbonensis. Hérault is today the second French wine department, after the Gironde, representing 14% of the total area of the department. The department has a favorable climate, excellent exposure, a wide variety of soils and many varieties of grape: all these assets result in generous, sometimes robust, wines with a wide aromatic palette

Aquaculture

In Hérault, the cultivation of shellfish produces 8,300 tons of oysters (10% of the national production) and 5,900 tons of mussels a year. The Étang de Thau is a centre for growing mussels and oysters in the Mediterranean. At Bouzigues, oysters are cultivated on permanently-immersed, raised breeding.

Politics

Composition of the departmental council

The president of the Departmental Council is Kléber Mesquida of the Socialist Party.

PartyRepresentative
Majority (36 representatives)
align=center 2
align=center 16
align=center 15
Opposition (14 representatives)
align=center 2
align=center 4
align=center 2
align=center 6
President of the General Council
Kléber Mesquida (PS)

Current National Assembly Representatives

ConstituencyMember[5] Party
Hérault's 1st constituencyPatricia MirallèsLa République En Marche!
Hérault's 2nd constituencyMuriel RessiguierLa France Insoumise
Hérault's 3rd constituencyCoralie DubostLa République En Marche!
Hérault's 4th constituencyJean-François EliaouLa République En Marche!
Hérault's 5th constituencyPhilippe HuppéLa République En Marche!
Hérault's 6th constituencyEmmanuelle MénardNational Rally
Hérault's 7th constituencyChristophe EuzetLa République En Marche!
Hérault's 8th constituencyNicolas DémoulinLa République En Marche!
Hérault's 9th constituencyPatrick VignalLa République En Marche!

List of successive presidents

ElectionMemberParty
1961Jean BèneSFIO
1964
1967
1970
1973PS
1976
1979Gérard SaumadePS
1982
1985
1988
1992
1994
1998André VézinhetPS
2001
2004
2008
2011
2015Kléber MesquidaPS

Sport

Beach soccer

ClubLeague
Grande Motte Pyramide Beach SoccerFrench Beach Football Championship
Montpellier Hérault Beach SoccerFrench Beach Football Championship

Football

ClubLeague
AS BéziersLigue 2
Montpellier HSCLigue 1
Montpellier HSC (Women)Division 1 Féminine
FC Sète 34N2

Volley-ball

ClubLeague
Béziers Volley (Women)Ligue AF
Ligue AM
Ligue AM

Rugby

ClubLeague
Rugby olympique agathoisFédérale 1
AS Béziers HéraultPro D2
Montpellier Hérault RugbyTop 14
European Rugby Champions Cup
Montpellier Hérault Rugby (Women)Top 8

Specific sports

There are several sports specific to Hérault: tamburello (85% of players are French) and water jousting.

Tourism

Tourist attractions

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux. data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022. fr.
  2. Web site: Hérault - Deutsch-Übersetzung - Langenscheidt Französisch-Deutsch Wörterbuch. Langenscheidt. 22 October 2018. de, fr.
  3. https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep34.pdf Populations légales 2019: 34 Hérault
  4. News: Montpellier in the spotlight: development mania in France's fastest-growing city. Hoad. Phil. 2017-03-13. The Guardian. 2018-12-29. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  5. Web site: Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français. Assemblée. Nationale. Assemblée nationale.
  6. Web site: Le naturisme au Cap d’Agde . 2024-06-04 . www.capdagde.com . fr-FR.
  7. Web site: Le Canal du Midi : à pied, à vélo ou en péniche . 2024-06-04 . Tourisme Hérault . fr-FR.