Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/ Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs ; alts piɾiˈneʊs ) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. The department is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to t ...
, southwestern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 by merger of the former communes of
Gavarnie
Gavarnie (; ) is a former commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, Southwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Gavarnie-Gèdre.Gèdre.Arrêté préfectoral 18 December 2015
Geography
Climate
Gavarnie-Gèdre has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''Cfb''). The average annual temperature in Gavarnie-Gèdre is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in February, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Gavarnie-Gèdre was on 18 August 2012; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 8 February 2012.
Landmarks
The place is famed primarily for the
Cirque de Gavarnie
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The Cirque de Gavarnie () is a cirque in the central Pyrenees, in Southwestern France, close to the border of Spain. It is within the commune of Gavarnie, the department of Hautes-Pyrénées, and the Pyrénées National Park. Major ...
, which is a glacial valley. The southern border is on the mountains, with
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
In the village of Gavarnie is a small church. The church, built around the 12th Century, lies on the Camino route. The church contains a cabinet which claims to hold the skulls of a number of the Knights Templar who died whilst traveling to Compostela. The church was an influential factor in the listing of the village of Gavarnie as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village is visited by those who ski and by HCPT Pilgrimages to Lourdes.
See also
*
Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department
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 o ...