Bastanès is in the former province of Béarn some 12 km east by south-east of Sauveterre-de-Béarn and some 13 km south of Orthez. Access to the commune is by the D947 road from Loubieng in the north which passes south-east through the western part of the commune and the village and continues south-east to Navarrenx. The D27 branches off the D947 near the village and goes north-west to Bugnein. The commune is mainly farmland in the south-west with the rest mixed forest and farmland.[4][5]
The Gave d'Oloron forms the south-western border of the commune as it flows north-west to join the Gave de Pau at Peyrehorade. The Saleys river forms the north-eastern border of the commune as it flows north-west to eventually join the Gave d'Oloron east of Saint-Pé-de-Léren. The Barthes stream rises just east of the village and flows north-west to join the Gave d'Oloron at Audaux. The Hérre river rises in the east of the commune and flows north-west to join the Saleys east of Castetbon.[4][5]
The commune name in GasconOccitan is also Bastanès. According to Michel Grosclaude the name comes from the gascon basta meaning "gorse" with an obscure suffix, probably giving "moorish terrain".[6]
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
The commune is part of five inter-communal structures:
the Communauté de communes du Béarn des Gaves;
the AEP association of Navarrenx;
the energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
the tax collection association of Navarrenx;
the inter-communal association of the Gaves and the Saleys.
Demography
In 2017 the commune had 99 inhabitants.
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1793
203
—
1800
200
−0.21%
1821
250
+1.07%
1831
243
−0.28%
1836
287
+3.38%
1841
288
+0.07%
1846
289
+0.07%
1851
275
−0.99%
1856
271
−0.29%
1861
243
−2.16%
1866
230
−1.09%
1872
227
−0.22%
1876
231
+0.44%
1881
231
+0.00%
1886
226
−0.44%
1891
250
+2.04%
1896
243
−0.57%
1901
234
−0.75%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1906
227
−0.61%
1911
211
−1.45%
1921
169
−2.20%
1926
152
−2.10%
1931
147
−0.67%
1936
140
−0.97%
1946
122
−1.37%
1954
129
+0.70%
1962
136
+0.66%
1968
143
+0.84%
1975
132
−1.14%
1982
143
+1.15%
1990
105
−3.79%
1999
97
−0.88%
2007
100
+0.38%
2012
102
+0.40%
2017
99
−0.60%
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