Title: Pamiers Content: Pamiers  is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. Although Pamiers is the largest city in Ariège, the capital is Foix, a smaller city. ==History== In 1111, the city was officially founded by the Count Roger II of Foix and the abbot of the sanctuary of Saint Antonin of Pamiers; they built a castle (now demolished) and named it Castrum Appamiae, after a Syrian city, Apamea, that was visited by Roger II during the First Crusade. A church was built at the foot of the castle (Our Lady of Mercadal) where is now the cathedral. ==Geography== The city of Pamiers is along the Ariège river in the plain formed by this river in the northern part of the Ariège department, in southern France. The commune has an area of . Its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is . Pamiers is at to the south of Toulouse, to the north of Foix and to the west of Saint-Girons.  The commune of Pamiers is surrounded by the communes: ===Climate=== The climate of Pamiers, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers. ==Population== The inhabitants of Pamiers are known, in French, as Appaméens (women: Appaméennes). With a population of 15,518, Pamiers is the city in the department with more people living in it; its population density is of inhabitants/km2. Evolution of the population in Pamiers 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:18000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:2000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1000 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: 14564 bar:1975 from:0 till: 14325 bar:1982 from:0 till: 13345 bar:1990 from:0 till: 12965 bar:1999 from:0 till: 13417 bar:2006 from:0 till: 14830 bar:2014 from:0 till: 15518 PlotData= bar:1968 at: 14564 fontsize:S text: 14,564 shift:(-12,5) bar:1975 at: 14325 fontsize:S text: 14,325 shift:(-17,5) bar:1982 at: 13345 fontsize:S text: 13,345 shift:(-17,5) bar:1990 at: 12965 fontsize:S text: 12,965 shift:(-13,5) bar:1999 at: 13417 fontsize:S text: 13,417 shift:(-13,5) bar:2006 at: 14830 fontsize:S text: 14,830 shift:(-13,5) bar:2014 at: 15518 fontsize:S text: 15,518 shift:(-17,5) Pamiers forms, with other 6 communes, the urban area of Pamiers with a population of 26,727 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Pamiers, formed by 29 communes with a population of 35,054 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . == Administration == Pamiers is a subprefecture of the Ariège department, the capital of the arrondissement of Pamiers and the administrative centre  of two cantons: * Pamiers-1, with 12,332 inhabitants (2014). * Pamiers-2, with 14,702 inhabitants (2014). It is part of the intercommunality Les Portes d'Ariège - Pyrénées . === Twinned and partner towns === Pamiers is twinned with: * Crailsheim, Germany * Tarrasa, Spain ==People from or related to Prades== * Gabriel Fauré, (1845-1924), composer * Pope Benedict XII, (ca. 1280-1342), bishop of Pamiers in the 1320s ==Gallery== File:Pamiers rue commerçante.jpg|Pamiers: commercial street File:Marché de Pamiers.jpg|Market in Pamiers File:Pamiers - Cathédrale Saint-Antonin -2.JPG|Bell tower of the Pamiers cathedral File:Cathédrale Saint-Antonin de Pamiers (09).JPG|Saint Antonin of Pamiers cathedral File:ND du Camp vue des coteaux.jpg|Notre Dame du Camp church in Pamiers ==Related pages== * Arrondissement of Pamiers * Communes of the Ariège department