Title: Saint-Girons, Ariège Content: Saint-Girons (Gascon: Sent Gironç) is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region, southwestern France. It is the capital of the former French province of Couserans that forms the western part of Ariège. ==History== Unlike its close neighbour Saint-Lizier, Saint-Girons is not an ancient city; there was however a lucus (a "sacred forest") on its present territory. The city is named after Saint Girons, a saint from fifth-century Landes who evangelized in southwestern France. In the ninth century some of his relics were supposedly buried in Saint Girons' Church, around which the city later developed. ==Geography== Saint-Girons is in the center of a basin at the foot of the Pyrenees and at the confluence of the Salat with the Lez and Baup rivers, in the Ariège department, southern France. The commune is part of the Regional Natural Park Pyrenees Ariégeoises. The commune has an area of . Its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .  The commune of Saint- Girons is surrounded by the communes: ===Climate=== The climate of Saint- Girons, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers. ==Population== The inhabitants of Saint-Girons are known, in French, as Saint- Gironnais or Gironnais (women: Saint-Gironnaises or Gironnaises). Saint-Girons has a population of 6,284 (2014), and population density of inhabitants/km2. Evolution of the population in Saint-Girons Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:500 height:373 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:30 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:9000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:1000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:500 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1968 text:1968 bar:1975 text:1975 bar:1982 text:1982 bar:1990 text:1990 bar:1999 text:1999 bar:2007 text:2007 bar:2014 text:2014 PlotData= color:barra width:30 align:left bar:1968 from:0 till: 7971 bar:1975 from:0 till: 8130 bar:1982 from:0 till: 7260 bar:1990 from:0 till: 6596 bar:1999 from:0 till: 6254 bar:2007 from:0 till: 6552 bar:2014 from:0 till: 6284 PlotData= bar:1968 at: 7971 fontsize:S text: 7,971 shift:(-12,5) bar:1975 at: 8130 fontsize:S text: 8,130 shift:(-17,5) bar:1982 at: 7260 fontsize:S text: 7,260 shift:(-17,5) bar:1990 at: 6596 fontsize:S text: 6,596 shift:(-13,5) bar:1999 at: 6254 fontsize:S text: 6,254 shift:(-13,5) bar:2007 at: 6552 fontsize:S text: 6,552 shift:(-13,5) bar:2014 at: 6284 fontsize:S text: 6,284 shift:(-17,5) Saint- Girons forms, with other 3 communes, the urban area of Saint-Girons with a population of 9,652 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Saint-Girons, formed by 39 communes with a population of 18,222 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . == Administration == Saint-Girons is a subprefecture of the Ariège department, the capital of the arrondissement of Saint-Girons and the administrative centre  of the canton Couserans Ouest, with 10,686 inhabitants (2014). It is part of the intercommunality Couserans - Pyrénées . === Twinned and partner towns === Saint-Girons is twinned with: * Vielha e Mijaran, Lleida, Spain * Albese con Cassano, Como Italy ==Sites of interest== Some important buildings are: * The Saint-Girons church * The Saint-Valier church * The Palais de Justice ==Gallery== File:Saint-Girons (Ariège) - Église Saint-Girons - 20070625.jpg|St Girons' Church by the Salat river File:Marché de Saint Girons.jpg|Market in the Gambetta street, Saint-Girons File:Château de St- Girons (Ariège).jpg|Château des Vicomtes, Parc du Tribunal File:Saint-Girons - Petite Rue des Jacobins - 20120129 (1).jpg|Petite Rue des Jacobins, Saint- Girons File:Saint-Girons - Château des Vicomtes - 20110807 (1).jpg|Hall in the Château des Vicomtes ==Related pages== * Arrondissement of Saint-Girons * Communes of the Ariège department