iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Dordogne

Dordogne
Coat of arms of the Dordogne department
Location
Administration
Department number:24
Region: Aquitaine
Prefecture:Périgueux
Subprefectures:Bergerac
Nontron
Sarlat-la-Canéda
Arrondissements:4
Cantons:50
Communes:557
President of the General Council:Bernard Cazeau
Statistics
PopulationRanked 58th
 -1999388,293
Population density:43/km
Land area:9060 km
French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km.


Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha) is a department in central France named after the Dordogne River.

History

The Dordogne is a beautiful region of South West France Between the Loire valley and the High Pyrénées named after the magnificent river that runs through it. However, locally it is known as the Périgord. This dates back to the time when the area was inhabited by the Gauls. There were four tribes living here and the name for "four tribes" in the Gaulish language was "Petrocore", which after a few hundred years became the Périgord and its inhabitants became the Périgordin. To confuse things further there are four Périgords in the Dordogne. The "Périgord Verte" (Green Périgord) with its main town of Nontron, offers a greenery of verdant growth and valleys in a region crossed by a myriad of rivers and streams. The "Périgord Blanc" (White Périgord) situated around the regions capital of Périgueux, is a region of limestone plateaux, wide valleys and rolling meadows. The "Périgord Pourpre" (Purple Périgord) with its capital of Bergerac (the home of Cyrano). This is the wine region, with full bodied reds and sweet white Monbazilacs. The "Périgord Noir" (Black Périgord) surrounding its capital of Sarlat, overlooks the valleys of the Vézère and the Dordogne, where the woods of Oak and Pine give it its name.

We know very little about our ancestors. the Petrocores. Along with other peoples. they took part in the resistance against Rome. Far more spectacular, being concentrated in two or three major sites. are the vestiges of the Gallo-Roman period-the gigantic ruined tower and arenas in Périgueux our capital city (formerly Vesone), fascinating collections, the results of numerous archaeological digs at the Périgord museum. significant villa remains in Montcaret and the Roman tower of La Rigale Castle in Villetoureix. It is highly probable that the first cluzeaux. artificial caves either above or below ground that are found throughout the Dordogne, date back to these times. These subterranean refuges and lookout huts could shelter entire populations. We have confirmation from Julius Caesar that the Gauls took refuge there. They can be found just about anywhere and very few cliffs have had no holes at all made in them.

Since the Guienne province had returned to the Crown under the Plantagenets following the re marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152. Périgord passed by right under English suze-rainty. In fact, being situated at the limit of the areas of influence of the two monarchies of France and England, it was to oscillate between the two dynasties for a long time. Over three hundred years of incessant struggle until 1453 and the end of the Hundred Years War were to tear apart and, as a consequence, model its physiognomy.

With the end of the Hundred Years War, the Castillon plain on the banks of the Dordogne, during the calmer periods of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, saw a development in urban architecture. The finest Gothic and Renaissance residences were built in Périgueux, Bergerac and Sarlat. In the countryside, the nobility had the majority of our 1200 chateaux, manors and country houses erected. In the second half of the sixteenth century, however, they experienced attacks, pillaging and fires as the Wars of Religion reached a rare degree of violence in Périgord. At the time, Bergerac was one of the most powerful Huguenot stongholds, along with La Rochelle. Following these wars, Périgord, fief of Henry of Navarre. was to return to the Crown for good and suffer henceforth from the sudden political changes of the French nation, from the Revolution to the tragic hours of the Resistance. We also encounter the memory of its most illustrious literary figures: Bertran de Born, Michel de Montaigne. Etienne de La Boetie, Brantôme, Fenelon. Mahle de Biran, Eugene Le Roy and Andre Maurois; its great captains: Talleyrand, Saint-Exupery, Biron... and even Josephine Baker. A number of ruins (La Chapelle-Faucher, I'Herm...) have retained the memory of the tragedies which took place within their walls. Several of our castles and châteaux are open to visitors and some of them such as Bourdeilles and Mareuil, house remarkable collections.

In addition to its castles, chateaux, churches, Bastides and cave fortresses. Périgord has preserved from centuries past, a number of wonderful villages which still have their market hall, dovecotes, Tories (stone huts), church, abbey and castle (s). Saint-Leon-sur-Vezere, Conclat, Saint-Jefm-de-Cole, La Roque-Gageac and many others are real jewels of architecture. As for the old quarters of Périgueux or Bergerac, restored and developed into pedestrian areas, they have regained their former charm. A number of small towns, such as Brantôme, Issigeac. Eymet and Mareuil, have with-stood the often brash changes of modern times. A special mention should be made in this respect to Sarlat and Black Périgord.

Dordogne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the former province of Périgord, the county of Périgord.

Geography

The department is part of the region of Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of Haute-Vienne, Corrèze, Lot, Lot-et-Garonne, Gironde], and Charente, 6 départements. It is the third largest department of France.

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called "Périgourdins" or "Périgordins", (depending on their gender). The Périgord is an eden wherein the habitants rarely pronounce the republican name:"Dordogne". Here, from North to South, and East to West of the departement we are "en Périgord". Locals, like newcomers from France, Europe or elsewhere live in the Périgord, not the Dordogne. The Dordogne is a river born from two streams in Auvergne, the Dore and the Dogne on the flanks of the puy de Sancy. "Dordogne" has become one of the favourite destinations of British immigration to France, (more than 20 000 in 2006), but most are careful not to stay longer than six months and a day, or else be considered permanent French residents.

Tourism

There are more than 1,000 castles in Dordogne, including the following:
  • [[Château de Beynac The famous caves of Lascaux are a major tourist attraction. Périgueux has important Roman ruins, including an arena which is still visible inside a public park located near the town centre.

    See also

    Dordogne in Popular Culture

    Michael Crichton's Timeline (novel) is placed in two time periods of Dordogne.

    Douglas Boyd, the author husband of flautist Atarah Ben Tovim, set parts of each of his six thrillers in Dordogne.

    External links

    Departments of France
    Ain • Aisne • Allier • Alpes-de-Haute-Provence • Hautes-Alpes • Alpes-Maritimes • Ardche • Ardennes • Arige • Aube • Aude • Aveyron • Bouches-du-Rhne • Calvados • Cantal • Charente • Charente-Maritime • Cher • Corrze • Corse-du-Sud • Haute-Corse • Cte-d'Or • Ctes-d'Armor • Creuse • Dordogne • Doubs • Drme • Eure • Eure-et-Loir • Finistre • Gard • Haute-Garonne • Gers • Gironde • Hrault • Ille-et-Vilaine • Indre • Indre-et-Loire • Isre • Jura • Landes • Loir-et-Cher • Loire • Haute-Loire • Loire-Atlantique • Loiret • Lot • Lot-et-Garonne • Lozre • Maine-et-Loire • Manche • Marne • Haute-Marne • Mayenne • Meurthe-et-Moselle • Meuse • Morbihan • Moselle • Nivre • Nord • Oise • Orne • Pas-de-Calais • Puy-de-Dme • Pyrnes-Atlantiques • Hautes-Pyrnes • Pyrnes-Orientales • Bas-Rhin • Haut-Rhin • Rhne • Haute-Sane • Sane-et-Loire • Sarthe • Savoie • Haute-Savoie • Paris • Seine-Maritime • Seine-et-Marne • Yvelines • Deux-Svres • Somme • Tarn • Tarn-et-Garonne • Var • Vaucluse • Vende • Vienne • Haute-Vienne • Vosges • Yonne • Territoire de Belfort • Essonne • Hauts-de-Seine • Seine-Saint-Denis • Val-de-Marne • Val-d'Oise • Overseas departments and territories: Guadeloupe • Martinique • French Guiana • Runion


    ]]
    Administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to jurisdiction.

    United States

    Main article: Executive (government)

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Administrative divisions of France

    Main article

    Regions
    (incl. overseas regions)
    Departments
    (incl.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Administrative divisions of France

    Main article

    Regions
    (incl. overseas regions)
    Departments
    (incl.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Région Aquitaine

    (Region flag) (Region logo)

    Location

    Administration
    Capital Bordeaux
    Regional President Alain Rousset
    (PS) (since 1998)
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    A prefecture (French: préfecture) in France can refer to :
    • the Chef-lieu de département, the town in which the administration of a département is located ;
    • the Chef-lieu de région

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Commune of
    Périgueux

    Cathédrale Saint-Front in Périgueux

    Location
    Longitude 00° 43' 08" E
    Latitude 45° 11' 06" N

    Administration
    Country  France
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Subprefectures (French: sous-préfectures) are the administrative towns of arrondissements in France that do not contain the prefecture for its department. Subprefecture is also the name given to the building which houses the administarive headquarters for the
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Commune of
    Bergerac


    Location
    Longitude 00° 28' 59" E
    Latitude 44° 51' 07" N

    Administration
    Country  France
    Arrondissement Bergerac
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Commune of
    Nontron

    View of the lower part of Nontron

    Location
    Longitude 0°40' E
    Latitude 45°32'28" N

    Administration
    Country  France
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Sarlat-la-Canéda, or simply Sarlat, is a commune of France situated in the département of the Dordogne in the region of Aquitaine. Sarlat is one of the most attractive and alluring towns in Southwest France. Population (1999): 9,707.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Administrative divisions of France

    Main article

    Regions
    (incl. overseas regions)
    Departments
    (incl.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    The 4 arrondissements of the Dordogne department are:
    1. Arrondissement of Bergerac, (subprefecture: Bergerac) with 14 cantons and 159 communes. The population of the arrondissement was 102,282 in 1990, and was 103,105 in 1999, an increase of 0.8%.

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Administrative divisions of France

    Main article

    Regions
    (incl. overseas regions)
    Departments
    (incl.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    The following is a list of the 50 cantons of the Dordogne department, in France, sorted by arrondissement:

    Arrondissement of Bergerac (14 cantons)

    • Beaumont-du-Périgord
    • Bergerac 1st Canton
    • Bergerac 2nd Canton
    • Le Buisson-de-Cadouin
    • Eymet

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Administrative divisions of France

    Main article

    Regions
    (incl. overseas regions)
    Departments
    (incl.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    The following is a list of the 557 communes of the Dordogne département in France.

    (CAP) Communauté d'agglomération Périgourdine, created in 2000.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    In France, the President of the General Council (French: Président du conseil général) is the locally-elected head of the General Council, the assembly governing a
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    only, excluding overseas departments and territories, as well as former French colonies and protectorates. Algeria and its départements, although they were an integral part of metropolitan France until 1962, are not included in the figures.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Rank Department Population (2006) Size (km²) Density (pop./km²)
    2 Paris 2,164,000 105 20,605
    4 Rhône 1,646,000 3,249 507
    6 Seine-Saint-Denis 1,459,000 236 6,182
    8 Yvelines 1,395,000 2,284 611
    10 Val-de-Marne 1,279,000 245 5,220
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Distances shorter than 109 m
    • 1,400,000 km — Diameter of Sun
    • 1,500,000 km — Expected orbit from Earth of the James Webb Space Telescope

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea.[1] Estuaries are often associated with high rates of biological productivity. An estuary is where the river meets the sea.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Occitan}}} 
    Official status
    Official language of: Officially recognised in Catalonia, Spain, as Occitan.
    Regulated by: Conselh de la Lenga Occitana
    Language codes
    ISO 639-1: oc
    ISO 639-2: oci
    ISO 639-3: oci

    Occitan
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Administrative divisions of France

    Main article

    Regions
    (incl. overseas regions)
    Departments
    (incl.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Motto
    Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
    "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
    Anthem
    "La Marseillaise"


    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Origin Massif Central
    Mouth Garonne
    Basin countries France
    Length 490 km
    Source elevation 1,720 m

    Avg. discharge 450 m³/s
    Basin area 23,870 km² The Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    <noinclude></noinclude>

    The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    March 4 was Inauguration Day for the President of the United States. Beginning in 1937, Inauguration Day has been January 20.

    Events

    • 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title princeps iuventutis (head of the youth).

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    17th century - 18th century - 19th century
    1760s  1770s  1780s  - 1790s -  1800s  1810s  1820s
    1787 1788 1789 - 1790 - 1791 1792 1793

    :
    Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    This article or section may contain inappropriate or misinterpreted which do not the text.
    Please help [ improve this article] by checking for inaccuracies. This article has been tagged since March 2007.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Périgord ( pronunciation   (help info ) ) (Occitan: Peiregòrd / Perigòrd) is a former province of France, corresponding to the current Dordogne département
    ..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter