Toulouse () is a commune in southwestern France. It is the capital of the department of Haute-Garonne, as well as of the Occitanie region. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Toulouse. In 2014, 1.312.304 people live in the urban area, and 466.297 in the city itself. Toulouse is the 4th largest city of France.

The city has a unique architecture made of pinkish terracotta bricks, which earned it the nickname la Ville Rose ("the Pink City"). Toulouse counts two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Canal du Midi (designated in 1996 and shared with other cities) and the St. Sernin Basilica, the largest remaining Romanesque building in Europe, designated in 1998.

History
The city was the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom in the 5th century. It was the capital of the old French province of Languedoc before provinces were abolished during the French Revolution. "Languedoc" is a contraction of Linguae Occitanae (Latin). Then it included Roussillon, and was the unofficial capital of the cultural region of Occitania (Southern France). It is now the capital of the Occitanie region, the largest region in metropolitan France.

Geography
The city of Toulouse is along the Garonne river,  from the Mediterranean Sea,  from the Atlantic Ocean, and  from Paris.

The commune has an area of , and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

Climate
The climate of Toulouse, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with temperate summers.

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Toulouse is . The month with the most precipitation on average is May with  of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is July with an average of . There are an average of 74.0 days of precipitation, with the most rain occurring in May with 7.0 days and the least rain occurring in July with 4.4 days.

The average temperature for the year in Toulouse is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of .

Population
The inhabitants of Toulouse are known, in French, as Toulousains (women: Toulousaines).

Toulouse has a population, in 2014, of 466,297, for a population density of  inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Toulouse

Administration 

Toulouse is the prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department, the capital of the arrondissement of Toulouse and the administrative centre () of 11 cantons: 
 Toulouse-1 : part of Toulouse with 54,307 inhabitants  (2014)
 Toulouse-2 : part of Toulouse with 55,397 inhabitants (2014)
 Toulouse-3 : part of Toulouse with 52,536 inhabitants (2014)
 Toulouse-4 : part of Toulouse with 52,753 inhabitants  (2014)
 Toulouse-5 : part of Toulouse with 45,521 inhabitants (2014)
 Toulouse-6 : part of Toulouse with 55,866 inhabitants (2014)
 Toulouse-7 : 3 communes + part of Toulouse with 57,622 inhabitants  (2014)
 Toulouse-8 : 1 commune + part of Toulouse with 60,233 inhabitants (2014)
 Toulouse-9 : 2 communes + part of Toulouse with 54,205 inhabitants (2014)
 Toulouse-10 : 9 communes + part of Toulouse with 56,446 inhabitants  (2014)
 Toulouse-11 : 1 commune + part of Toulouse with 48,078 inhabitants (2014)

It is part of the intercommunality Metropolitan Toulouse ().

Sister cities 
Saint-Gaudens is twinned with:

  Atlanta, United States
  Bologna, Italy
  Bristol, England, United Kingdom
  Chongqing, China

  Elx/Elche, Spain
  Kiev, Ukraine
  Tel Aviv, Israel
  Rosario, Argentina

Toulouse also has accords of cooperation with the following towns:

  Bydgoszcz, Poland
  Düsseldorf, Germany
  Hanoi, Vietnam
  N'Djamena, Chad

  Saint-Louis, Senegal
  São José dos Campos, Brazil
  Zaragoza, Spain

In addition, Toulouse has an adoption city:
 Câmpia Turzii, Romania

Museum 
Toulouse welcomes the Cité de l'espace dedicated to space exploration and Aeroscopia dedicated to aviation.

Education 
 Airbus Training Centre Europe
 E-Artsup
 École nationale de l'aviation civile
 École nationale de la météorologie
 École nationale supérieure d'électrotechnique, d'électronique, d'informatique, d'hydraulique et des télécommunications
 École nationale supérieure des ingénieurs en arts chimiques et technologiques
 Institut polytechnique des sciences avancées
 Institut supérieur européen de gestion group
 École pour l'informatique et les techniques avancées
 École pour l'informatique et les nouvelles technologies
 Institut catholique d'arts et métiers
 Institut national polytechnique de Toulouse
 Institut national des sciences appliquées de Toulouse
 Institut supérieur de l'aéronautique et de l'espace
 Institut supérieur européen de formation par l'action
 Toulouse Business School
 Toulouse School of Economics

Notable births and deaths in Toulouse

 Louis Aliot (1969-), French politician
 Bernard Werber, writer
 Louis-Georges-Gustave de Caunes, journalist
 Jean de Coras (1515–1572), judge and humanist
 Lucas Puig, professional skateboarder
 Antony Rea, mixed martial artist
 Pierre de Fermat, lawyer and mathematician
 Carlos Gardel, singer, composer
 Christine Albanel, politician
 Philippe Mexès, footballer
 David Skrela, French rugby union player.
 Fabien Pelous, rugby player
 Frédéric Michalak, rugby player
 Patrice Carmouze, journalist
 Anne Munaretto, lacrosse player
 Jean-Louis Debré, politician
 Laetitia Barlerin, veterinarian
 Claude Nougaro, parolier, writer and singer, passionate about jazz and language
 Solène Jambaqué, alpine skier with hemiplegia, multi-medal winner at the Winter Paralympic Games
 Pierre Seel, persecuted homosexual during the Holocaust
 Marine Delterme, actress
 Laurent Wolf, DJ
 Gael Clichy, footballer

Events
 Salon du livre aéronautique

Related pages
 Toulouse F.C.
 Arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens
 Communes of the Haute-Garonne department

References

Other websites

 City Council website 

Departmental capitals in France
Regional capitals in France