Title: Rodez Content: Rodez  is a commune in southwestern France in the department of Aveyron, of which it is its prefecture. It is in the region of Occitanie. It was the capital of Rouergue, a former French province. Rodez is also the capital of 3 cantons: Rodez-1, Rodez-2 and Rodez-Onet. ==History== Existing from at least the 5th century BC, Rodez was founded by Celtic people, the Ruteni. Here they built an oppidum (fortified place) which, after the Roman occupation, was named Segodunum ("Fortified place", "high hill"). The town later was given the name of Civitas Rutenorum ("City of the Ruteni") and then only Ruteni and, finally, Rodez. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city was taken by the Visigoths and then by the Franks; in 725, the Moors took the city and destroyed the old church. Later it was occupied by the armies of the Dukes of Aquitaine and of the Counts of Toulouse. English troops occupied Rodez during the Hundred Years War. With the creation of the Aveyron department in 1790, Rodez became préfecture of the department. ==Geography== The commune of Rodez is on the western part of the central plateau (Massif Central) of France. The Aveyron river and the Auterne stream flow through the city. Rodez has an area of , and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .  Rodez is surrounded by the communes Onet-le-Château, Sainte-Radegonde, Le Monastère and Olemps. ===Climate=== The climate of Rodez, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers. ==Population== The inhabitants of Rodez are known, in French, as Ruthénois (women: Ruthénoises). With a population of 24,088, Rodez has a population density of inhabitants/km2. Evolution of the population in Rodez 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:30000 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: 23328 bar:1975 from:0 till: 25550 bar:1982 from:0 till: 24368 bar:1990 from:0 till: 24701 bar:1999 from:0 till: 23707 bar:2006 from:0 till: 24028 bar:2014 from:0 till: 24088 PlotData= bar:1968 at: 23328 fontsize:S text: 23,328 shift:(-12,5) bar:1975 at: 25550 fontsize:S text: 25,550 shift:(-18,5) bar:1982 at: 24368 fontsize:S text: 24,368 shift:(-18,5) bar:1990 at: 24701 fontsize:S text: 24,701 shift:(-18,5) bar:1999 at: 23707 fontsize:S text: 23,707 shift:(-18,5) bar:2006 at: 24028 fontsize:S text: 24,028 shift:(-18,5) bar:2014 at: 24088 fontsize:S text: 24,088 shift:(-18,5) Rodez forms, together with 5 other communes, the urban area of Rodez with a population of 49,716 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Rodez, formed by 39 communes with a population of 85,181 inhabitants and an area of . == Administration == Rodez is the prefecture of the Aveyron department, the capital of the arrondissement of Rodez and the administrative centre  of three cantons: * Rodez-1, with 11,905 inhabitants (2014). * Rodez-2, with 12,051 inhabitants (2014). * Rodez- Onet, with 14,105 inhabitants (2014). It is part of the intercommunality Rodez Agglomération . === Sister cities === Rodez is twinned with: * Pigüé, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina * Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany * Fderîck, Mauritania ==Places of interest== Some interesting places in Rodez are: * The Rodez Cathedral  is a Roman Catholic cathedral; is the main religious building of the department. * The Episcopal Palace , built in the 15th century. * The Saint-Amans Church, built in the 12th century and then completely rebuilt from 1758 to 1761 with materials from the original building. * The Hôtel de la préfecture, built in the first half of the 18th century. It is now home to the prefecture of the Aveyron department. ==Gallery== File:Rodez - Hôtel Le Normant d'Ayssènes -01.JPG|Aveyron prefecture building. File:12 - Rodez Cathédrale.jpg|Rodez cathedral. File:Nocturne façade ouest.JPG|Rodez cathedral by night. File:Rodez-coquelicots480.JPG|Rodez, general view.