Gironde ( , <small>US usually</small> ; ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2023, it had a population of 1,690,493.

Geography

Gironde is part of the current region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne and Charente-Maritime and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. With an area of 10,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, Gironde is the largest department in metropolitan France, and the second-largest in entire France. Its size is larger than Lebanon or the province of Banten. If overseas departments are included, however, Gironde's land area is dwarfed by the 83,846&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> of French Guiana.

Gironde is well known for the Côte d'Argent beach which is Europe's longest, attracting many surfers to Lacanau each year. It is also the birthplace of Jacques-Yves Cousteau who studied the sea and all forms of life in water.

The Great Dune of Pyla in Arcachon Bay near Bordeaux is the tallest sand dune in Europe.

Demographics

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Bordeaux, the prefecture. As of 2023, there are 7 communes with more than 30,000 inhabitants, all of which are part of the Bordeaux agglomeration:

{| class=wikitable

! Commune

! Population (2023)

|-

| Bordeaux

| style="text-align: center;" | 267,991

|-

| Mérignac

| style="text-align: center;" | 78,090

|-

| Pessac

| style="text-align: center;" | 67,339

|-

| Talence

| style="text-align: center;" | 46,338

|-

| Villenave-d'Ornon

| style="text-align: center;" | 42,545

|-

| Saint-Médard-en-Jalles

| style="text-align: center;" | 32,910

|-

| Bègles

| style="text-align: center;" | 31,831

|}

Politics

The President of the Departmental Council is Jean-Luc Gleyze of the Socialist Party.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"

!colspan=2| Party || seats

|-

! style="background-color: " |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>

|Socialist Party ||align="right"| 45

|-

! style="background-color: " |

|The Republicans ||align="right"| 12

|-

! style="background-color: " |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>

|French Communist Party ||align="right"| 3

|-

! style="background-color: " |

|Miscellaneous Right ||align="right"| 1

|-

! style="background-color: " |

|MoDem ||align="right"| 1

|-

! style="background-color: " |

|Hunting, Fishing, Nature, Tradition ||align="right"| 1

|-

|}

Current National Assembly Representatives

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member!!Party

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 1st constituency

| Thomas Cazenave

| Renaissance

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 2nd constituency

| Nicolas Thierry

| The Ecologists

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 3rd constituency

| Loïc Prud'homme

| La France Insoumise

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 4th constituency

| Alain David

| Socialist Party

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 5th constituency

| Pascale Got

| Socialist Party

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 6th constituency

| Marie Recalde

| Socialist Party

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 7th constituency

| Sébastien Saint-Pasteur

| Socialist Party

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 8th constituency

| Sophie Panonacle

| Renaissance

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 9th constituency

| Sophie Mette

| MoDem

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 10th constituency

| Florent Boudié

| Renaissance

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 11th constituency

| Edwige Diaz

| National Rally

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Gironde's 12th constituency

| Mathilde Feld

| La France Insoumise

|}

Tourism

<gallery>

File:Place-Bourse Bordeaux-boosted-colours.jpg|Bordeaux

File:Cave Blanc Château de Rochemorin.JPG|Bordeaux wine

File:Dune du pyla 2009.JPG|The Great Dune of Pyla

File:Arcachon tchanquée.JPG|Arcachon Bay

File:Bourg-sur-Gironde2.jpg|Bourg-sur-Gironde

File:Château de La Brède en Gironde.jpg|Château de la Brède, birthplace of Montesquieu

File:France - Blaye - La Gironde depuis la citadelle.jpg|The Gironde estuary seen from the citadel of Blaye

File:Les Grottes de Ferrand.jpg|Grottoes of Ferrand

File:Château des Freytets nouveau château d'Eck cadaujac.JPG|Château d'Eck

</gallery>

See also

  • Cantons of the Gironde department
  • Communes of the Gironde department
  • Arrondissements of the Gironde department
  • Bordeaux wine regions

References

  • Departmental Council website
  • Prefecture website
  • Tourism Office website