# Lot (department)

Lot (French pronunciation:; Occitan: Òlt [ɔl]) is a department in the Occitanie region of France. Named after the Lot River, it lies in the southwestern part of the country and had a population of 174,094 in 2019. Its prefecture is Cahors; its subprefectures are Figeac and Gourdon.

## History

Lot is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the province of Quercy. In 1808 some of the original southeastern cantons were separated from it to form the department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It originally extended much farther to the south and included the city of Montauban.

## Geography

Lot is part of the region of Occitanie and is surrounded by the departments of Corrèze, Cantal, Aveyron, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne and Dordogne. It is named after the river Lot, which in its Occitan name is Olt.
Cahors is the prefecture of the department, lying in its southwestern part: a medieval cathedral town known internationally for its production of Cahors wine, it lies in a wide loop of the Lot River and is famous for its 14th-century bridge, the Pont Valentré. Figeac is a medieval town where Jean-François Champollion, the first translator of Egyptian hieroglyphics, was born, situated in the eastern part of Lot. Gourdon, a medieval hilltop town located in Lot's northwestern part, with a well preserved centre, comprises many prehistoric painted caves nearby, notably the Grottes de Cougnac.

### Principal towns

The most populous commune is Cahors, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are seven communes with more than 3,000 inhabitants:
| Commune | Population (2019) |
| Cahors | 19,937 |
| Figeac | 9,802 |
| Gourdon | 3,981 |
| Pradines | 3,562 |
| Gramat | 3,469 |
| Saint-Céré | 3,414 |
| Souillac | 3,201 |

## Demographics

The inhabitants of Lot are called Lotois and Lotoises in French. Population development since 1801:
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1801 | 261,207 | — |
| 1806 | 268,149 | +0.53% |
| 1821 | 275,296 | +0.18% |
| 1831 | 284,505 | +0.33% |
| 1841 | 287,739 | +0.11% |
| 1851 | 296,224 | +0.29% |
| 1861 | 295,542 | −0.02% |
| 1872 | 281,404 | −0.44% |
| 1881 | 280,269 | −0.04% |
| 1891 | 253,939 | −0.98% |
| 1901 | 226,720 | −1.13% |
| 1911 | 205,769 | −0.96% |
| 1921 | 176,889 | −1.50% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1931 | 166,637 | −0.60% |
| 1936 | 162,572 | −0.49% |
| 1946 | 154,897 | −0.48% |
| 1954 | 147,754 | −0.59% |
| 1962 | 149,929 | +0.18% |
| 1968 | 151,198 | +0.14% |
| 1975 | 150,778 | −0.04% |
| 1982 | 154,533 | +0.35% |
| 1990 | 155,816 | +0.10% |
| 1999 | 160,197 | +0.31% |
| 2006 | 169,533 | +0.81% |
| 2011 | 174,754 | +0.61% |
| 2016 | 173,347 | −0.16% |
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## Politics
### Departmental Council of Lot

The Departmental Council of Lot has 34 seats. Since the 2015 departmental elections, 30 are controlled by the Socialist Party (PS) and its allies; four are controlled by the miscellaneous right. Since 2014, the President of the Departmental Council has been Serge Rigal, currently a member of La République En Marche! (REM).

### Members of the National Assembly

Lot elected the following members of the National Assembly during the 2017 legislative election:
| Constituency | Constituency | Member | Party |
| | Lot's 1st constituency | Aurélien Pradié | The Republicans |
| | Lot's 2nd constituency | Huguette Tiegna | La République En Marche! |

### Senators

Lot is represented in the Senate by Angèle Préville (since 2017) and Jean-Claude Requier (since 2011).

## Tourism

* Cahors
* Saint-Céré
* Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
* Gourdon
* Grottes de Presque