Haute-Garonne

Haute-Garonne (Nauta Garona, ; Upper Garonne) is a department in the southwestern French region of Occitanie. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's fourth-largest. In 2019, it had a population of 1,400,039.

History
Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former provinces of Languedoc and Guyenne/Gascony.

The department was originally larger. The reduction in its area resulted from an imperial decree dated 21 November 1808 and which established the neighbouring department of Tarn-et-Garonne, to the north. The new department took territory from five surrounding departments including Haute-Garonne. The districts lost to Tarn-et-Garonne in 1808 were those of Montech and Castelsarrasin.

Geography
Haute-Garonne is part of the current region of Occitanie and is surrounded by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées, Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne, Tarn, Aude, and Ariège. It also borders Spain in the south (province of Lleida and province of Huesca). According to the Köppen climate classification, the department has a mix of humid subtropical, oceanic, subarctic, and polar climates.

The department is crossed by the upper course of the Garonne river (hence the name) for nearly 200 km. The borders of the department follow the river. The Garonne enters France from Spain at the town of Fos, and goes through Toulouse and leaves the department. The extreme south of the department lies in the Pyrenees mountain range and is very mountainous. The highest elevation is the Peak of Perdiguère, at 3,222 m above sea level.

Demographics
The inhabitants of the department are called Haut-Garonnais. The greatest population concentration is around Toulouse, in the north, while the southern area of the department is sparsely populated. Overall the department had a population of 1.4 million as of the 2019 census, with 55% of the population under the age of 40, and 16% between the ages of 20 and 29. This youthful demographic is due in part to Toulouse being a major university town. The department has also seen significant migration from other parts of the country.

Principal towns
The most populous commune is Toulouse, the prefecture. As of 2019, there were eight communes with more than 15,000 inhabitants:

Politics
This department was the political base of former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.

Departmental Council of Haute-Garonne
The Departmental Council of Haute-Garonne comprises 54 seats. In the 2015 departmental elections, the Socialist Party (PS) won 48 seats. The Republicans secured the remaining 6 seats. The President of the Departmental Council has been Georges Méric (PS) since 2015.

Members of the National Assembly
Haute-Garonne elected the following members of the National Assembly during the 2017 legislative election:

Main sights
Haute-Garonne's main sights include:

Winter sports
The department has four ski resorts:
 * Peyragudes (1600 m -2450 m), 55 km of slopes
 * Luchon-Superbagnères (1440 m - 2260 m), 30 km of slopes
 * Le Mourtis (1380 m - 1816 m), 22 km of slopes
 * Bourg-d'Oueil (1350 m - 1500 m)