Mirande

Mirande () is a commune in the Gers department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the Occitanie region, southwestern France. It is the administrative center of the arrondissement of Mirande and of the canton of Mirande-Astarac.

History
Mirande was founded in 1281 near the village of Saint-Jean de Lezian by the abbot Berdoues and by Bernhard IV, Count of Astarac. The town was built as a bastide (a fortified town). Miranda became, in 1297, the capital of the County of Astarac.

Mirande was surrounded by a wall with four city gates; the wall was destroyed during the 19th century.

Since 17 February 1800, Mirande is the capital of the arrondissement of Mirande.

Geography
Mirande is a commune found along the Baïse river in the Astarac, a natural region that is part of Gascony.

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

Mirande is at  from Auch,  from Toulouse,  from Tarbes and  from Lourdes.
+ Mirande and its neighboring communes 350px|Map of the commune de Mirande

Mirande is surrounded by the following communes, all of them part of the arrondissement of Mirande: Estipouy and Mouchès to the north, Miramont-d'Astarac to the northeast, Idrac-Respaillès to the east, Saint-Médard to the southeast, Berdoues to the south, Saint-Martin and Monclar-sur-Losse to the west and Montesquiou to the northwest.

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

Population
The inhabitants of Mirande are known, in French, as Mirandais (women: Mirandaises).

With a population of 3,527 (2014), Mirande has a population density of  inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Mirande

Gallery

Sister cities
Mirande is twinned with:
  Korntal-Münchingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
  L'Eliana, Valencia, Spain
  San Mauro Torinese, Piedmont, Italy
  Tubize, Walloon Brabant, Belgium

Related pages
 Arrondissement of Mirande
 Communes of the Gers department

References

Other websites

 City Council website 
 Office de Tourisme - Miranda

Category:Subprefectures in France
Category:Communes in Gers