Mirande (Occitan : Miranda ) is a commune in the Gers department , of which it is a subprefecture , in the Occitanie region , southwestern France . It is the administrative center of the arrondissement of Mirande and of the canton of Mirande-Astarac .
History
Mirande was founded in 1281 near the village of Saint-Jean de Lezian by the abbot Berdoues and by Bernhard IV, Count of Astarac. The town was built as a bastide (a fortified town). Miranda became, in 1297, the capital of the County of Astarac .[ 1]
Mirande was surrounded by a wall with four city gates ; the wall was destroyed during the 19th century.
Since 17 February 1800, Mirande is the capital of the arrondissement of Mirande .
Geography
Mirande is a commune found along the Baïse river in the Astarac , a natural region that is part of Gascony .
The commune has an area of 23.42 km2 (9.04 sq mi) and its average altitude is 170 m (560 ft); at the city hall , the altitude is 163 m (535 ft).[ 2]
Mirande is at 20 km (12 mi) from Auch , 100 km (62 mi) from Toulouse , 45 km (28 mi) from Tarbes and 80 km (50 mi) from Lourdes .
Mirande and its neighboring communes
Mirande is surrounded by the following communes , all of them part of the arrondissement of Mirande : Estipouy and Mouchès to the north, Miramont-d'Astarac to the northeast, Idrac-Respaillès to the east, Saint-Médard to the southeast, Berdoues to the south, Saint-Martin and Monclar-sur-Losse to the west and Montesquiou to the northwest.
Climate
The climate of Mirande, in the Köppen climate classification , is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers.
Population
The inhabitants of Mirande are known, in French , as Mirandais (women: Mirandaises ).[ 3]
With a population of 3,527 (2014),[ 4] Mirande has a population density of 151 inhabitants/km2 .
Evolution of the population in Mirande
Gallery
St. Mary's Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral, Mirande
Museum of Fine Arts and Tourist Information Center, Mirande
Mirande Market Hall
The Astarac square, Mirande
Sister cities
Mirande is twinned with:[ 5]
Related pages
References
Other websites
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Mirande .