Landes (department)

The Landes [ lɑ ː d] is a French department of order number 40 It is in the southwest of the country in the region Aquitaine. Is and is derived from the name of there once dominant heathland (french country ) from which since the large afforestation on Napoleon's orders, the largest contiguous forest area in Western Europe become, the name is plural ( gascognisch las Lanas Landes, département of the country), known as Les Landes ( the country).

Geography

The department is bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the Aquitaine region in the north of the Gironde, on the northeast by the department of Lot- et- Garonne and on the south by the department of Pyrénées- Atlantiques. In the east it borders the Gers department of Midi -Pyrénées region.

Geographically, the department is characterized by the largest contiguous forest area in Western Europe, the Forêt des Landes. The forest extends far beyond the boundaries of the department also south to the Adour, Garonne and east to the north until well into the Medoc. In contrast to the neighboring hill and mountain countries, the country is for the most part a low level. The few hills are flat. Since the 1980s, large part of the forest are substantially damaged, more than any other forest area in France.

The most important river is the Adour, which crosses the southern part of the department in the east-west direction, with Dax turns to the southwest, united at the border of the department of Pyrénées- Atlantiques with the gaves Réunis and empties into the Atlantic Ocean between Tarnos and Anglet.

Coat of arms

Description: The coat of arms is quartered in blue and red. Field 1 and 4 with a golden ongoing hersehenden blue reinforced and gezungten lions and in the other fields three golden lilies.

History

The department was formed during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790 from parts of the former provinces of Guyenne and Gascogne. It was subdivided into four districts (French: district ), the forerunner of the arrondissement. The districts were Dax, Mont -de- Marsan, Saint -Sever and Tartas. The department and the districts subdivided into 25 cantons and had about 200,000 inhabitants. Capital was already Mont -de- Marsan.

The arrondissements Dax, Mont -de- Marsan and Saint -Sever were established on February 17, 1800, the arrondissement of Saint -Sever dissolved on September 10, 1926 and incorporated into the arrondissements Dax and Mont -de- Marsan.

Cities

The most densely populated municipalities in the departments of Landes are:

Administrative divisions

The Department of State is divided into 2 arrondissements, 30 cantons and 331 communes: