Baulou (; oc, Baulon) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Ariège

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

region of south-western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Baulouais'' or ''Baulouaises''.

Geography

Baulou is located in the

Pre-Pyrenees The Pre-Pyrenees are the foothills of the Pyrenees. Description As a mountainous system the Pre-Pyrenees are part of the Pyrenees. They run parallel to the main mountain range in a west to east direction. On the French side the Pyrenees's slop ...

in the Plauntaurel Mountains and a part of the ''Parc naturel régional des Pyrénées ariégeoises'' some 12 km south by south-west of

Pamiers Pamiers (; oc, Pàmias ) is a commune and largest city in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the most populous commune in the Ariège department, although it ...

and 6 km north-west of

Foix Foix (; oc, Fois ; ca, Foix ) is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. It is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the Préfecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of southwe ...

. Access to the commune is by the D1 road from

Vernajoul Vernajoul (; oc, Vernajol) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and ...

in the south-east which passes through the commune and ends in the village. The D11 branches from the D117 south-west of the commune and passes through continuing north-east to Loubens. The D1a branches off the D11 in the commune and goes north-west to Aigues-Juntes. Apart from the village there is the hamlet of Clarac in the commune. The commune is mainly forest with some farmland along the D1 and in scattered parts. The ''Ruisseau d'Argentat'' rises north of the village and flows towards the north-west into a small artificial lake before continuing north-west to join the

Lèze The Lèze () is a long river in the Ariège and Haute-Garonne ''départements'', southwestern France. Its source is in La Bastide-de-Sérou. It flows generally north. It is a left tributary of the Ariège into which it flows between Labarthe-su ...

north-west of Aigues-Juntes. Many streams feed the left bank of the Ruisseau d'Argentat including the ''Goute de Chenaut'' which also forms the north-western border of the commune, the ''Freyché'', the ''Goute de Tariol'', the ''Goute du Peyfourcat'', and the ''Goute du Gouas''. The ''Ruisseau de Carol'' flows from the south to the village then continues north to join the ''Ruisseau de la Plaine'' north of the commune. The ''Fajal'' rises in the north-east of the commune and flows south.

Toponymy

Baulou appears as ''Boulou'' on the 1750

Cassini Map The Cassini Map or Academy's Map is the first topographic and geometric map made of the Kingdom of France as a whole. It was compiled by the Cassini family, mainly César-François Cassini (Cassini III) and his son Jean-Dominique Cassini (Ca ...

and the same on the 1790 version.

History

In 1901, during the building of the Foix - Saint Girons railway a

mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...

was discovered and called the "Mammoth of Baulou" by the scientific community. It was displayed in the hall of the

Château de Foix The Château de Foix (Languedocien: ''Castèl de Fois'') is a castle which dominates the town of Foix in the French département of Ariège. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. It has been listed since 1840 as a ''m ...

departmental museum before being transferred to the ''Parc pyrénéen de l'art préhistorique'' (Pyrenean park of prehistoric art) at

Tarascon-sur-Ariège Tarascon-sur-Ariège (, literally ''Tarascon on Ariège''; Languedocien: ''Tarascon d’Arièja'') is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primari ...

.To discover or rediscover''
17 May 2013, consulted on 21 December 2014

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...

List of Mayors of France

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 168 inhabitants. Croix_à_Baulou

Sites and monuments

*The Labouiche Subterranean River

References

{{authority control Communes of Ariège (department) sr:Болу