Puy-de-Dôme was created in 1790 during the French Revolution, when the whole of France was divided into departments, replacing the old provinces. Puy-de-Dôme was formed with part of the old province of Auvergne.
It was divided in eight districts: Ambert, Besse, Billom, Clermont-Ferrand, Issoire, Montaigu, Riom and Thiers, with Clermont-Ferrand as is capital.[4]
In 1800, with the creation of the arrondissements in France, the eight districts were changed into five arrondissements: Ambert, Clermont-Ferrand, Issoire, Riom and Thiers. On 10 September 1926, the arrondissement of Ambert was eliminated but, in 1942 Ambert became again an arrondissement of the department.[4]
Geography
Puy-de-Dôme is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpesregion, in east-central France, with an area of 7,969.7 km2 (3,077 sq mi).[2]
The department borders with 2 other departments in 2 regions:
The average temperature for the year in Clermont-Ferrand, at an altitude of 330 m (1,080 ft), is 10 °C (50 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 18.9 °C (66.0 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 0.6 °C (33.1 °F).
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Clermont-Ferrand is 612.1 mm (24.1 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is May with 73.7 mm (2.9 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is January with an average of 30.5 mm (1.2 in).[6]
Administration
Puy-de-Dôme is part of the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The department is managed by the Departamental Council of the Puy-de-Dôme in Clermont-Ferrand.
The following is a list of the 31 cantons of the Puy-de-Dôme department (with their INSEE codes), in France, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:[10]
The inhabitants of Puy-de-Dôme are known, in French, as Puydômois (women: Puydômoises).[11]
Puy-de-Dôme has a population, in 2014, of 644,216,[3] for a population density of 80.8 inhabitants/km2. The arrondissement of Clermont-Ferrand, with 375,518 inhabitants, is by far the largest.[8]
↑"Bureau départemental" (in French). Conseil départemental du Puy-de-Dôme (63). Retrieved 16 October 2017.
↑ 2.02.1"Département du Puy-de-Dôme (63)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
↑"Département du Puy-de-Dôme (63)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 17 October 2017.