All Topics  
Gers

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Gers
 
 
  Topics Gers Topic Home

The Gers (French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
: le Gers, Occitan: Gers) is a department in the Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées

Midi-Pyr?n?es is the largest Regions of France of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyr?n?es has no historical or geographical unity....
 region
Régions of France

France is divided into 26 regions or r?gions , of which 21 are in continental metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, and four lie overseas....
 in the southwest of France
South West France (wine region)

South West France or in French language Sud-Ouest, is a wine region in France covering several wine-producing areas situated respectively inland from, and south of, the wine region of Bordeaux wine....
 named after the Gers River
Gers River

The Gers is a 178 km long river in southern France, left tributary of the Garonne.Its source is in the foothills of the Pyrenees, near Lannemezan....
.

he Middle Ages
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
, the Lordship of L'Isle-Jourdain
Lordship of L'Isle-Jourdain

L'Isle-Jourdain was a lordship and then county near Gers in Gascony during the High Middle Ages. It took its name, Jourdain, from its crusading baron who was baptised in the River Jordan on the First Crusade....
 was nearby.

The Gers is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution
French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudalism for the aristocracy and Roman Catholic Church clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Age of Enlightenment principles of cit...
 on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces
Provinces of France

The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the d?partement in France system superseded provinces....
 of Guyenne and Gascony
Gascony

Gascony is an area of southwest France that constituted a Provinces of France prior to the French Revolution. In historic references dating from the beginning of the Roman era, it was part of Gaul and became part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the conquests of Clovis I ....
.

The inhabitants of the department are called les Gersois.

The culture is largely agricultural, with great emphasis on the local gastronomical
Gastronomy

Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between culture and food. It is often thought erroneously that the term gastronomy refers exclusively to the art of cooking , but this is only a small part of this discipline; it cannot always be said that a cook is also a gourmet....
 specialties such as:



Also, some prominent cultivated crops are corn
Maize

Maize , known as corn in some countries, is a cereal domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents....
, colza, sunflowers and grain
GRAIN

GRAIN is an international non-governmental organization based in Barcelona, Spain, which works toward sustainable agriculture. It was formed upon the realization that the genetic diversity of the world's food crops are being drastically eliminated....
.

The Gascon language
Gascon language

Gascon is a dialect of the Occitan language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and B?arn . It has about 250,000 speakers worldwide.Only Aranese language, a southern Gascon variety, is spoken in Spain....
 is a dialect of Occitan, but it is not widely spoken.

There has been a heavy influence of waves of both British and Spanish immigrants.

Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, père

Alexandre Dumas, p?re , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world....
 created the famous Gersois d'Artagnan
D'Artagnan

Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan served Louis XIV of France as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War....
, the fourth musketeer
Musketeer

A musketeer was an early modern type of infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern armies, particularly in Europe....
 of The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, p?re. It recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to become a Musketeers of the Guard....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Gers'
Start a new discussion about 'Gers'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Gers (French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
: le Gers, Occitan: Gers) is a department in the Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées

Midi-Pyr?n?es is the largest Regions of France of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyr?n?es has no historical or geographical unity....
 region
Régions of France

France is divided into 26 regions or r?gions , of which 21 are in continental metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, and four lie overseas....
 in the southwest of France
South West France (wine region)

South West France or in French language Sud-Ouest, is a wine region in France covering several wine-producing areas situated respectively inland from, and south of, the wine region of Bordeaux wine....
 named after the Gers River
Gers River

The Gers is a 178 km long river in southern France, left tributary of the Garonne.Its source is in the foothills of the Pyrenees, near Lannemezan....
.

History and culture

In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
, the Lordship of L'Isle-Jourdain
Lordship of L'Isle-Jourdain

L'Isle-Jourdain was a lordship and then county near Gers in Gascony during the High Middle Ages. It took its name, Jourdain, from its crusading baron who was baptised in the River Jordan on the First Crusade....
 was nearby.

The Gers is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution
French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudalism for the aristocracy and Roman Catholic Church clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Age of Enlightenment principles of cit...
 on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces
Provinces of France

The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the d?partement in France system superseded provinces....
 of Guyenne and Gascony
Gascony

Gascony is an area of southwest France that constituted a Provinces of France prior to the French Revolution. In historic references dating from the beginning of the Roman era, it was part of Gaul and became part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the conquests of Clovis I ....
.

The inhabitants of the department are called les Gersois.

The culture is largely agricultural, with great emphasis on the local gastronomical
Gastronomy

Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between culture and food. It is often thought erroneously that the term gastronomy refers exclusively to the art of cooking , but this is only a small part of this discipline; it cannot always be said that a cook is also a gourmet....
 specialties such as:

  • Armagnac
    Armagnac (drink)

    Armagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy or eau de vie produced in the Armagnac in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Ugni Blanc, Colombard, and Baco Blanc, using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of Cognac ....
     brandy,
  • Côtes de Gascogne
    Côtes de Gascogne

    C?tes de Gascogne is a wine-growing district in Gascony producing principally white wine. It is mainly located in the Departments of France Gers in the French region Midi-Pyr?n?es, and it belongs to the wine region South West France ....
    ,
  • Floc de Gascogne
    Floc de Gascogne

    The Floc de Gascogne is a regional ap?ritif from the C?tes de Gascogne and Armagnac regions of South West France of France. It is a vin de liqueur Fortified wine with Armagnac , the local brandy....
    ,
  • foie gras
    Foie gras

    Foie gras is a food product made of the liver of a Domestic duck or Domestic goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through Force-feeding corn, according to French law, though outside of France it is also produced using natural feeding....
    ,
  • and wild mushrooms.


Also, some prominent cultivated crops are corn
Maize

Maize , known as corn in some countries, is a cereal domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents....
, colza, sunflowers and grain
GRAIN

GRAIN is an international non-governmental organization based in Barcelona, Spain, which works toward sustainable agriculture. It was formed upon the realization that the genetic diversity of the world's food crops are being drastically eliminated....
.

The Gascon language
Gascon language

Gascon is a dialect of the Occitan language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and B?arn . It has about 250,000 speakers worldwide.Only Aranese language, a southern Gascon variety, is spoken in Spain....
 is a dialect of Occitan, but it is not widely spoken.

There has been a heavy influence of waves of both British and Spanish immigrants.

Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, père

Alexandre Dumas, p?re , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world....
 created the famous Gersois d'Artagnan
D'Artagnan

Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan served Louis XIV of France as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War....
, the fourth musketeer
Musketeer

A musketeer was an early modern type of infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern armies, particularly in Europe....
 of The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, p?re. It recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to become a Musketeers of the Guard....
. A museum to d'Artagnan is found in the Gersois village of Lupiac
Lupiac

Lupiac is a Communes of France in the Gers Departments of France in southwestern France.D'Artagnan was born here, if you are in the neighbourhood a visit to his museum is a must....
.

André Boingnères, former mayor of Termes-d'Armagnac
Termes-d'Armagnac

Termes-d'Armagnac is a Communes of France in the Gers Departments of France in southwestern France....
 in the 1960s.

Geography and demography

Located in southwestern
South West France (wine region)

South West France or in French language Sud-Ouest, is a wine region in France covering several wine-producing areas situated respectively inland from, and south of, the wine region of Bordeaux wine....
 France, the Gers is part of the Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées

Midi-Pyr?n?es is the largest Regions of France of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyr?n?es has no historical or geographical unity....
 region. It is surrounded by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées

Hautes-Pyr?n?es is a departments of France in southwestern France. It is part of the Midi-Pyr?n?es region....
, Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne

Haute-Garonne is a departments of France in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse....
, Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne

Tarn-et-Garonne is a French departments of France in the southwest of France....
, Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne

Lot-et-Garonne is a departments of France in the southwest of France named after the Lot River and Garonne rivers....
, Landes, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques is a departments of France in the southwest of France which takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean....
. The Gers is often referred to as amongst the least densely populated, or most rural, areas in all of Western Europe
Western Europe

Western Europe refers to the countries in the western most half of Europe. This concept has had different meanings, political and cultural as well as geographical issues have influenced the area....
.

List of the 10 most important cities of the departement:

Climate


The annual rain varies from more than 900 mm in the south-west of the department, to less than 700 mm in the North-East (Auch
Auch

Auch is a communes of France in southwestern France. Located in the Regions of France of Midi-Pyr?n?es, it is the capital of the Gers departments of France....
, Condom
Condom

A condom is a device most commonly used during sexual intercourse. It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner....
, Lectoure
Lectoure

Lectoure is a Communes of France in the Gers Departments of France in the Midi-Pyr?n?es in southwestern France. It is located north of Auch, the capital of the department, south of Agen and approximately northwest of Toulouse....
).

The winters vary, with often negative temperatures, but the climate remains soft all the same and dry, the department is one of sunniest of France.

The summers are very hot and dry, the temperatures often is exceeding 40°. Auch
Auch

Auch is a communes of France in southwestern France. Located in the Regions of France of Midi-Pyr?n?es, it is the capital of the Gers departments of France....
 is together with Toulouse
Toulouse

Toulouse is a commune of France in southwest France on the banks of the Garonne, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea....
 and Millau
Millau

Millau is a Communes of France in the Aveyron Departments of France in southern France. It is located at the confluence of the Tarn River and Dourbie rivers....
 one of the hottest cities of France, with often more than 300 sunny days in the year.

Tourism


According to recent data tourism represents annually:
  • 610 000 tourists,
  • 5.900.000 nights,
  • 22.100 commercial beds,
  • 2 400 paid employment related to tourism,
  • the tourist represent an equivalent of 17.100 permanent inhabitants,
  • their estimated expenditure is 141.000.000 €.


See also

  • Cantons of the Gers department
  • Communes of the Gers department
  • Arrondissements of the Gers department
  • André Boingnères


External links

http://www.gers-gascogne.com/fr/default.asp
  • Welcome to the Gers in Gascony http://www.tourisme-gers.com/gers-vacances/uk/home.asp