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Lot (department)

Coordinates: 44°35′N 01°35′E / 44.583°N 1.583°E / 44.583; 1.583
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Lot
Òlt (Occitan)
From top down, left to right: Figeac, Rocamadour, Faycelles, Lot River, prefecture building in Cahors and Luzech
Flag of Lot
Coat of arms of Lot
Location of Lot in France
Location of Lot in France
Coordinates: 44°35′N 01°35′E / 44.583°N 1.583°E / 44.583; 1.583
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
PrefectureCahors
SubprefecturesFigeac
Gourdon
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilSerge Rigal[1]
Area
 • Total5,217 km2 (2,014 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Total174,942
 • Rank93rd
 • Density34/km2 (87/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number46
Arrondissements3
Cantons17
Communes313
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Lot (French pronunciation: [lɔt];[3] Occitan: Òlt [ɔl]) is a department in the Occitanie region of France. Named after the Lot River, it lies in the southwestern part of the country and had a population of 174,094 in 2019.[4] Its prefecture is Cahors; its subprefectures are Figeac and Gourdon.

History

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Lot is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the province of Quercy. In 1808 some of the original southeastern cantons were separated from it to form the department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It originally extended much farther to the south and included the city of Montauban.

Geography

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Lot River, after which the department is named

Lot is part of the region of Occitanie and is surrounded by the departments of Corrèze, Cantal, Aveyron, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne and Dordogne. It is named after the river Lot, which in its Occitan name is Olt.

Cahors is the prefecture of the department, lying in its southwestern part: a medieval cathedral town known internationally for its production of Cahors wine, it lies in a wide loop of the Lot River and is famous for its 14th-century bridge, the Pont Valentré. Figeac is a medieval town where Jean-François Champollion, the first translator of Egyptian hieroglyphics, was born, situated in the eastern part of Lot. Gourdon, a medieval hilltop town located in Lot's northwestern part, with a well preserved centre, comprises many prehistoric painted caves nearby, notably the Grottes de Cougnac.

Principal towns

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The most populous commune is Cahors, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are seven communes with more than 3,000 inhabitants:[4]

Commune Population (2019)
Cahors 19,937
Figeac 9,802
Gourdon 3,981
Pradines 3,562
Gramat 3,469
Saint-Céré 3,414
Souillac 3,201

Demographics

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The inhabitants of Lot are called Lotois and Lotoises in French. Population development since 1801:

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1801261,207—    
1806268,149+0.53%
1821275,296+0.18%
1831284,505+0.33%
1841287,739+0.11%
1851296,224+0.29%
1861295,542−0.02%
1872281,404−0.44%
1881280,269−0.04%
1891253,939−0.98%
1901226,720−1.13%
1911205,769−0.96%
1921176,889−1.50%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1931166,637−0.60%
1936162,572−0.49%
1946154,897−0.48%
1954147,754−0.59%
1962149,929+0.18%
1968151,198+0.14%
1975150,778−0.04%
1982154,533+0.35%
1990155,816+0.10%
1999160,197+0.31%
2006169,533+0.81%
2011174,754+0.61%
2016173,347−0.16%
Sources:[5][6]

Politics

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Departmental Council of Lot

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The Departmental Council of Lot has 34 seats. Since the 2015 departmental elections, 30 are controlled by the Socialist Party (PS) and its allies; four are controlled by the miscellaneous right. Since 2014, the President of the Departmental Council has been Serge Rigal, currently a member of La République En Marche! (REM).

Members of the National Assembly

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Lot elected the following members of the National Assembly during the 2017 legislative election:

Constituency Member[7] Party
Lot's 1st constituency Aurélien Pradié The Republicans
Lot's 2nd constituency Huguette Tiegna La République En Marche!

Senators

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Lot is represented in the Senate by Angèle Préville (since 2017) and Jean-Claude Requier (since 2011).

Tourism

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "lot - Deutsch-Übersetzung - Langenscheidt Französisch-Deutsch Wörterbuch" (in German and French). Langenscheidt. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b Populations légales 2019: 46 Lot, INSEE
  5. ^ "Historique du Lot". Le SPLAF.
  6. ^ "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
  7. ^ Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale.
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