Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest

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 Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the

Gironde estuary The Gironde estuary ( , US usually ; french: estuaire de la Gironde, ; oc, estuari de aGironda, ) is a navigable estuary (though often referred to as a river) in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Gar ...

, a major waterway, its

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.Populations légales 2019: 33 Gironde
INSEE The famous Bordeaux wine region is in Gironde. It has six arrondissements, making it one of the

departments 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, ...

with the most arrondissements (

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

also has six, while

Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...

has the most of any department, with seven).

History

Gironde is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Guyenne and

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...

. From 1793 to 1795, the department's name was changed to ''Bec-d'Ambès'' to avoid the association with the Girondist political party of the French Revolution. In July 2022, Gironde was affected by large wildfires.

Geography

Gironde is part of the current region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of

Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word '' ...

, Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne and Charente-Maritime and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. With an area of 10,000 km², Gironde is the largest department in metropolitan France. If overseas departments are included, however, Gironde's land area is dwarfed by the 83,846 km² of French Guiana. Gironde is well known for the Côte d'Argent beach which is Europe's longest, attracting many surfers to Lacanau each year. It is also the birthplace of Jacques-Yves Cousteau who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. The Great Dune of Pyla in Arcachon Bay near Bordeaux is the tallest sand dune in Europe.C.G. (14 August 2009). Les Adresses de Mathilde Seigner et Fabien Onteniente. ''

Le Figaro Magazine ''Le Figaro Magazine'' is a French language weekly news magazine published in Paris, France. The magazine is the weekly supplement of the daily newspaper ''Le Figaro''. History and profile The magazine is the first supplement of ''Le Figaro'' n ...

''.

Demographics

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Bordeaux, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 30,000 inhabitants:

Politics

The President of the Departmental Council is Jean-Luc Gleyze of the Socialist Party.

Current National Assembly Representatives

Tourism

File:Place-Bourse Bordeaux-boosted-colours.jpg, Bordeaux File:Cave Blanc Château de Rochemorin.JPG, Bordeaux wine File:Dune du pyla 2009.JPG, The Great Dune of Pyla File:Arcachon tchanquée.JPG, Arcachon Bay File:Bourg-sur-Gironde2.jpg,

Bourg-sur-Gironde Bourg (; oc, Borg), also informally known as ''Bourg-sur-Gironde'', is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is part of the Côtes de Bourg wine region. Bourg originated as a fortified villa built ...

File:Château de La Brède en Gironde.jpg, Château de la Brède, birthplace of Montesquieu File:France - Blaye - La Gironde depuis la citadelle.jpg, The

seen from the citadel of Blaye File:Les Grottes de Ferrand.jpg,

Grottoes of Ferrand The Grottoes of Ferrand ( French: ''Grottes de Ferrand'') are a series of 17th-century artificial grottoes on the estate of the Château de Ferrand in Saint-Hippolyte, Gironde, in southwestern France, near the town of Saint-Émilion. Carved out ...

File:Château des Freytets nouveau château d'Eck cadaujac.JPG,

Château d'Eck Château d'Eck is a château in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories ...

References

External links

*
Departmental Council website
*
Prefecture website
* *
Tourism Office website
{{Authority control 1790 establishments in France Departments of Nouvelle-Aquitaine States and territories established in 1790