Title: Villefranche-de-Rouergue Content: Villefranche-de-Rouergue  is a commune in southern France in the Aveyron department, in the region of Occitanie. It is the sous-prefecture (capital) of the arrondissement of the same name in the Aveyron department. ==History== In 1252, Alphonse de Poitiers, Count of Toulouse, sent Jean d'Arcis, Seneschal of Rouergue, to build a city along the Aveyron as a new capital for Rouergue (an old French province): Villefranche-de-Rouergue. From 1369 to the French Revolution, Villefranche-de-Rouergue was the capital of Rouergue. ==Geography== Villefranche-de-Rouergue is in the valley of the Aveyron river along the line that separates the Causses (limestone plateaus) from the Ségala geographical region. There are mines of copper, lead, tin, iron and silver. The Alzou river joins in the city, as a right tributary, the Aveyron river. Villefranche-de-Rouergue has an area of , and its average altitude in the city is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .  Villefranche-de-Rouergue is surrounded by the communes Saint-Rémy, Maleville, La Bastide-l'Évêque, Morlhon-le-Haut, Sanvensa, La Rouquette, Savignac and Toulonjac. ===Climate=== The climate of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers. ==Population== The inhabitants of Villefranche-de-Rouergue are known, in French, as Villefranchois (women: Villefranchoises). With a population of 11,822, Villefranche-de-Rouergue has a population density of inhabitants/km2. Evolution of the population in Villefranche-de-Rouergue 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:15000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:2500 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:2006 text:2006 bar:2014 text:2014 PlotData= color:barra width:30 align:left bar:1968 from:0 till: 10709 bar:1975 from:0 till: 12284 bar:1982 from:0 till: 12693 bar:1990 from:0 till: 12291 bar:1999 from:0 till: 11919 bar:2006 from:0 till: 12040 bar:2014 from:0 till: 11822 PlotData= bar:1968 at: 10709 fontsize:S text: 10,709 shift:(-12,5) bar:1975 at: 12284 fontsize:S text: 12,284 shift:(-18,5) bar:1982 at: 12693 fontsize:S text: 12,693 shift:(-18,5) bar:1990 at: 12291 fontsize:S text: 12,291 shift:(-18,5) bar:1999 at: 11919 fontsize:S text: 11,919 shift:(-18,5) bar:2006 at: 12040 fontsize:S text: 12,040 shift:(-18,5) bar:2014 at: 11822 fontsize:S text: 11,822 shift:(-18,5) Villefranche-de- Rouergue forms with Toulonjac the urban area of Villefranche-de-Rouergue with a population of 12,644 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, formed by 16 communes with a population of 20,180 inhabitants and an area of . == Administration == Villefranche-de-Rouergue is a subprefecture of the Aveyron department, the capital of the arrondissement of Villefranche-de-Rouergue and the administrative centre  of the canton of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, with 13,282 inhabitants (2014). It is part of the intercommunality Le Grand Villefranchois . === Sister cities === Villefranche-de-Rouergue is twinned with: * Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Pula, Croatia * Sarzana, Italy ==Gallery== File:Villefranche-de-Rouergue - Hôtel de ville -1.JPG|City Hall File:Villefranche-de-Rouergue - Théâtre -2.JPG|Municipal theatre File:Villefranche-de-Rouerge 12.jpg|Notre-Dame square File:Villefranche-de- Rouergue - Pont des Consuls -1.JPG|Pont des Consuls or Pont-Vieux