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Commune of Mèze |
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| Location | |
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Department | Hérault |
| Arrondissement | Montpellier |
| Canton | Mèze |
| Intercommunality | Communauté de communes du Nord du Bassin de Thau |
| Mayor | Henry Fricou (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 0 m–75 m (avg. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon ( Occitan: Lengadòc-Rosselhon; Catalan: Llenguadoc-Rosselló) is one of the 26 regions of France. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Hérault ( Occitan: Erau) is a department in the southwest of France named after the Hérault river. The 100 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The arrondissement of Montpellier is an arrondissement of France located in the Hérault département, in the Languedoc-Roussillon The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 341 arrondissements and 100 departments. The Canton of Mèze is a subdivision of the French department of Hérault, and its subdivision the Arrondissement of Montpellier. The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. The Communauté de communes du Nord du Bassin de Thau is an intercommunal government structure, in the Hérault département of the Languedoc-Roussillon A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. 20 m) |
| Land area¹ | 34. 59 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
7,630 |
| - Density | 220/km² (1999) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 34157/ 34140 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0. As of January 1, 2008, 64473140 people live in the French Republic. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume The INSEE code is a numerical indexing code used by the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE to identify various entities including communes Postal codes were introduced in France in 1972, when La Poste introduced automated sorting. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. C D E | |
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Mèze (Phoenecian: Mesua, in occitan Mesa) is a French commune, in the département of Hérault and the région of Languedoc-Roussillon. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Hérault ( Occitan: Erau) is a department in the southwest of France named after the Hérault river. France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon ( Occitan: Lengadòc-Rosselhon; Catalan: Llenguadoc-Rosselló) is one of the 26 regions of France. Its inhabitants are called Mézois.
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Geography
Situated on the étang de Thau, Mèze shares with Bouzigues its historic role as the oyster capital of the area. Étang de Thau or Bassin de Thau is the largest of a string of étangs ( Lakes that stretch along the Languedoc-Roussillon, French Bouzigues is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of Bivalve Mollusks most of which live in marine habitats or Brackish water. Almost a third of its inhabitants depend on the fishing industry for their livelihood. In recent years, tourism and transport have become increasingly central to the local economy.
History
An important port since Phoenician times, Mèze has always primarily been a fishing town. During the Roman Empire, the town lay on the main Southern route from Italy to Spain - the 'Via Domitia'. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Via Domitia was the first Roman road built in Gaul, to link Italy and Hispania through Gallia Narbonensis, across what is The Romans brought wine to the area and left a legacy of architecture including two of the town's churches. The production of shellfish, especially oysters, has been the mainstay of the Mèze economy for almost a century and the whole Basin de Thau area has built an international reputation for the quality of its seafood.
Administration
| Term | Mayor of Mèze | Party |
|---|---|---|
| 1807-1815 | Michel Privat | |
| 1815-1817 | Charles de Borie | |
| 1817-1820 | Pierre Ronzier | |
| 1820-1828 | Louis Charamaule | |
| 1828-1840 | François Bouliech | |
| 1840-1848 | de Borie | |
| 1848-1848 | Santy | |
| 1848-1849 | Hippolyte Bouliech | |
| 1849-1849 | Frédéric de Girard | |
| 1849-1850 | Jules Molinier | |
| 1850-1851 | François Besse | |
| 1851-1851 | Sylla Lacroix | |
| 1851-1859 | Constantin Bouliech | |
| 1859-1865 | Adrien Lonjon | |
| 1865-1870 | Gustave Privat | |
| 1870-1874 | Antonin Bouliech | |
| 1874-1876 | Emile Molinier | |
| 1876-1876 | Jean-Baptiste Allègre | |
| 1876-1878 | Jean-François Besse | |
| 1878-1878 | Benjamin Durand | |
| 1878-1880 | Jean-Baptiste Allègre | |
| 1880-1882 | Emile Beaumadier | |
| 1882-1885 | Jean-Baptiste Allègre | |
| 1885-1885 | Vincent Germain | |
| 1885-1887 | Jean-Baptiste Allègre | |
| 1887-1892 | Guillaume Gros | |
| 1892-1901 | Paulin Arnaud | |
| 1901-1904 | Paul Enteric | |
| 1904-1912 | Baptiste Guitard | |
| 1912-1921 | Paul Enteric | |
| 1921-1922 | Louis Brun | |
| 1922-1923 | Camille Fraisse, Charles Poujol, François Vailhe |
délégation spéciale |
| 1923-1925 | Julien Granal | |
| 1925-1941 | Méril Poujade | |
| 1941-1944 | Thomas Bessiere | délégation spéciale |
| 1944-1947 | Henri Bessède | |
| 1947-1971 | André Montet | |
| 1971-1977 | Georges Jean | |
| 1977-2001 | Yves Pietrasanta | Greens |
| 2001-2001 | Yvon Pibre | |
| 2001-- | Henry Fricou |
Demography
| Census Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 4546 |
| 1968 | 5005 |
| 1975 | 5508 |
| 1982 | 5742 |
| 1990 | 6502 |
| 1999 | 7630 |
Places of Interest
- Old village center
- Port Mèze: both a working fishing harbor and a port for recreational boating.
- Lagunage ecological site
- Dinosaur Plain' palenthology museum.
- Eglise Saint Hilaire
- La Chapelle des Pénitents (XIIth century)
- Le château de Girard (end of XVIIth century)
- Remains of city walls
- St-Jean-de-la-Garrigue, former parish church, built in romanesque style. Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture|Romanesque art Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which
Famous residents
The singers Pierre Vassiliu and Christian Delagrange lived for many years in Mèze.
Festivals
- Music Festival de Thau (annual),
- A festival of traditional Boat Jousting is held each summer.
Traditions
- The legendary bœuf de Mèze has become the animal symbol of the town.
- The Balle au tambourin ball game.
External links
- (French) Mèze sur le site de l'Institut géographique national
- (French) Mèze sur le site de l'Insee
- (French) Mèze sur le site du Quid
- (French) Localisation de Mèze sur une carte de France et communes limitrophes
- (French) Plan de Mèze sur Mapquest
- (French) Site officiel de la ville
- (French) Festival de Thau
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