Toulouse

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 second 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 Koppen 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
Dusseldorf, Germany
Hanoi, Vietnam
N'Djamena, Chad
Saint-Louis, Senegal
Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil
Zaragoza, Spain
In addition, Toulouse has an adoption city:
Campia Turzii, Romania
Museum
Toulouse welcomes the Cite de l'espace dedicated to space exploration and Aeroscopia dedicated to aviation.
Education
Airbus Training Centre Europe
E-Artsup
Ecole nationale de l'aviation civile
Ecole nationale de la meteorologie
Ecole nationale superieure d'electrotechnique, d'electronique, d'informatique, d'hydraulique et des telecommunications
Ecole nationale superieure des ingenieurs en arts chimiques et technologiques
Institut polytechnique des sciences avancees
Institut superieur europeen de gestion group
Ecole pour l'informatique et les techniques avancees
Ecole pour l'informatique et les nouvelles technologies
Institut catholique d'arts et metiers
Institut national polytechnique de Toulouse
Institut national des sciences appliquees de Toulouse
Institut superieur de l'aeronautique et de l'espace
Institut superieur europeen 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 Mexes, footballer
David Skrela, French rugby union player.
Fabien Pelous, rugby player
Frederic Michalak, rugby player
Patrice Carmouze, journalist
Anne Munaretto, lacrosse player
Jean-Louis Debre, politician
Laetitia Barlerin, veterinarian
Claude Nougaro, parolier, writer and singer, passionate about jazz and language
Solene Jambaque, 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 aeronautique
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