Haute-Vienne

**Haute-Vienne** () is a department of France in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is named after the Vienne river that flows through the department.

## History

Haute-Vienne is one of the 83 French departments made during the French revolution, on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the old province of Limousin, its southern half, and of the county of Marche, its northern half, as well as some parts of Angoumois and Poitou.

The new department had six districts: Limoges, Le Dorat, Bellac, Saint-Junien, Saint-Yrieix and Saint-Léonard. The capital (now prefecture) was Limoges.

In 1800, with the creation of the _arrondissements_ in France, the six districts were changed into four _arrondissements_: Limoges, Bellac, Rochechouart and Saint-Yrieix.

On 10 September 1926, the _arrondissement_ of Saint-Yrieix was eliminated.

## Geography

Haute-Vienne is part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It has an area of .

The department is bordered by 6 departments of 2 regions:
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine
    - Charente
    - Corrèze
    - Creuse
    - Dordogne
    - Vienne
- Centre-Val de Loire region
    - Indre

The department is in the nortwestern border of the Massif Central. Its altitude is  high; the lowest point is in the valley of the Vienne river and the highest is in the mountains near the _Vassivière_ lake. The highest point in the department is Puy de Crozat (), that is  high.

The main rivers in the department are the Vienne, that gives its name to this the deparment and to Vienne, and the Gartempe, a tributary of the Creuse river.

### Climate

The climate of Limoges is an oceanic climate with template summers, **Cfb** (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification.

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Limoges is . The month with the most precipitation on average is October with  of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of .

The average temperature for the year in Limoges 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 .

## Administration

The department is managed by the _Departamental Council of the Haute-Vienne_ in Limoges. Haute-Vienne is part of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

### Administrative divisions

There are 3 _arrondissements_ (districts), 21 _cantons_ and 200 _communes_ (municipalities) in Haute-Vienne.

|INSEE code !!Arrondissement !! Capital !! Population <small>(2014)</small> !! Area <small>(km²)</small> !! Density <small>(Inh./km²)</small> !! _Communes_|||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|871|Bellac|Bellac|39,744|1,779.9||62|
|872|Limoges|Limoges|298,578|2,944.8||108|
|873|Rochechouart|Rochechouart|37,877|795.4||30|

The following is a list of the 21 **cantons of the Haute-Vienne department**, in France, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:

1. Aixe-sur-Vienne <small>(8701)</small>
1. Ambazac <small>(8702)</small>
1. Bellac <small>(8703)</small>
1. Châteauponsac <small>(8704)</small>
1. Condat-sur-Vienne <small>(8705)</small>
1. Couzeix <small>(8706)</small>
1. Eymoutiers <small>(8707)</small>
1. Limoges-1 <small>(8708)</small>
1. Limoges-2 <small>(8709)</small>
1. Limoges-3 <small>(8710)</small>
1. Limoges-4 <small>(8711)</small>
1. Limoges-5 <small>(8712)</small>
1. Limoges-6 <small>(8713)</small>
1. Limoges-7 <small>(8714)</small>
1. Limoges-8 <small>(8715)</small>
1. Limoges-9 <small>(8716)</small>
1. Panazol <small>(8717)</small>
1. Rochechouart <small>(8718)</small>
1. Saint-Junien <small>(8719)</small>
1. Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat <small>(8720)</small>
1. Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche <small>(8721)</small>

## Demographics

The inhabitants of Haute-Vienne are known, in French, as _Haut-Viennois_ (women: _Haut-Viennoises_).

Haute-Vienne has a population, in 2013, of 376,199, for a population density of  inhabitants/km<sup>2</sup>. The _arrondissement_ of Limoges, with 298,578 inhabitants, is by far the largest. The other two, Bellac and Rochechouart, have respectively 39,744 and 37,877 inhabitants.

**Evolution of the population in Haute-Vienne**

The 10 most important cities in the department are:

|City|Population <small>(2014)</small>|Arrondissement|
| --- | --- | --- |
|Limoges|134,577|Limoges|
|Saint-Junien|11,196|Rochechouart|
|Panazol|10,734|Limoges|
|Couzeix|8,955|Limoges|
|Isle|7,520|Limoges|
|Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche|6,848|Limoges|
|Feytiat|6,147|Limoges|
|Le Palais-sur-Vienne|6,069|Limoges|
|Aixe-sur-Vienne|5,771|Limoges|
|Ambazac|5,628|Limoges|

## Related pages

- Arrondissements of the Haute-Vienne department

## Other websites

- General Council website
- Prefecture website
- Tourism office of Haute-Vienne

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Haute-Vienne
- **type**: Departments of France, Department
- **image skyline**: Préfecture de la Haute-Vienne.jpg
- **image alt**: Prefecture building of the Haute-Vienne department, in Limoges
- **image caption**: Prefectures in France, Prefecture building of the Haute-Vienne department, in Limoges
- **image flag**: Drapeau fr département Haute-Vienne.svg
- **image shield**: Blason département fr Haute-Vienne.svg
- **shield alt**: Coat of arms
- **image map**: Haute-Vienne-Position.svg
- **map caption**: Location of Haute-Vienne in France
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**: France
- **subdivision type1**: Regions of France, Region
- **subdivision name1**: Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- **established title**: Département
- **established date**: 4 March 1790
- **seat type**: Prefectures in France, Prefecture
- **seat**: Limoges
- **parts type**: Prefectures in France, Subprefectures
- **parts style**: para
- **p1**: Bellac
- **p2**: Rochechouart
- **leader title**: President of the Departmental Council, President
- **leader name**: Jean-Claude Leblois
- **unit pref**: Metric
- **area total km2**: 5520.1
- **population total**: 376199
- **population as of**: 2014
- **population density km2**: auto
- **population demonym**: Haut-Viennois
- **blank name sec2**: Arrondissements of France, Arrondissements
- **blank info sec2**: 3
- **blank1 name sec2**: Cantons of France, Cantons
- **blank1 info sec2**: 21
- **blank2 name sec2**: Communes in France, Communes
- **blank2 info sec2**: 200
- **timezone1**: Central European Time, CET
- **utc offset1**: +1
- **timezone1 dst**: Central European Summer Time, CEST
- **utc offset1 dst**: +2
- **iso code**: FR-87
- **website**: [http://www.haute-vienne.fr/accueil.html www.haute-vienne.fr]