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Quercy (pronounced in 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....
; ) (Occitan: Carcin, pronounced , locally ) is a former province of France located in the southwest of France, bounded on the north by Limousin
Limousin (région)

Limousin is one of the 26 Regions of France of France. It is composed of three d?partements; Corr?ze , Creuse and the Haute-Vienne....
, on the west by Périgord
Périgord

The P?rigord is a Provinces of France of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne d?partement in France, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine r?gion in France....
 and Agenais
Agenais

Agenais, or Agenois, was a provinces of France of France located in southwest France south of P?rigord.In ancient Gaul the region was the country of the Nitiobroges with Agen for their capital, which in the fourth century was the Civitas Agennensium, which was a part of Aquitania and which formed the diocese of Agen....
, on the south by 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 ....
 and Languedoc
Languedoc

Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day List of regions in France of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyr?n?es in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyr?n?es....
, and on the east by Rouergue
Rouergue

Rouergue is a former provinces of France, bounded on the north by Auvergne , on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by G?vaudan and on the west by Quercy....
 and Auvergne
Auvergne (province)

Auvergne was a historic province of France in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the List of rulers of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
.

Today, Quercy is divided between the département of Lot
Lot (département)

Lot is a departments of France in the southwest of France named after the Lot River....
 (which it makes up in its entirety) and the northern half of the département of Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne

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






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Blason46
Quercy (pronounced in 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....
; ) (Occitan: Carcin, pronounced , locally ) is a former province of France located in the southwest of France, bounded on the north by Limousin
Limousin (région)

Limousin is one of the 26 Regions of France of France. It is composed of three d?partements; Corr?ze , Creuse and the Haute-Vienne....
, on the west by Périgord
Périgord

The P?rigord is a Provinces of France of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne d?partement in France, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine r?gion in France....
 and Agenais
Agenais

Agenais, or Agenois, was a provinces of France of France located in southwest France south of P?rigord.In ancient Gaul the region was the country of the Nitiobroges with Agen for their capital, which in the fourth century was the Civitas Agennensium, which was a part of Aquitania and which formed the diocese of Agen....
, on the south by 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 ....
 and Languedoc
Languedoc

Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day List of regions in France of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyr?n?es in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyr?n?es....
, and on the east by Rouergue
Rouergue

Rouergue is a former provinces of France, bounded on the north by Auvergne , on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by G?vaudan and on the west by Quercy....
 and Auvergne
Auvergne (province)

Auvergne was a historic province of France in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the List of rulers of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
.

Today, Quercy is divided between the département of Lot
Lot (département)

Lot is a departments of France in the southwest of France named after the Lot River....
 (which it makes up in its entirety) and the northern half of the département of Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne

Tarn-et-Garonne is a French departments of France in the southwest of France....
. The traditional capital of Quercy is Cahors
Cahors

Cahors is the capital of the Lot Departments of France in southwestern France.Its site is dramatic being contained on three sides within an udder shaped twist in the river Lot River known as a 'presqu'?le' or peninsula....
, now préfecture
Prefecture

Prefecture indicates the office, seat, territorial circumscription of a Prefect. The term prefecture is also used to refer to offices analogous to prefectures....
 (capital) of the Lot département. The largest town of Quercy is Montauban
Montauban

Montauban is a town and Communes of France of southwestern France, Prefectures in France of the Tarn-et-Garonne Departments of France, north of Toulouse....
, préfecture of Tarn-et-Garonne. However, Montauban lies at the traditional border between Quercy and Languedoc, in an area very different from the rest of Quercy, and it is closer historically and culturally to 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 the rest of Languedoc, therefore it should be considered a special case, not totally part of Quercy. Also distinct from the rest of the region is the Quercy Blanc lying between Cahors and the southern boundary of the Lot, characterised by its white limestone buildings.

Like Périgord, the area is noted for its cuisine
Cuisine

Cuisine is a specific set of cooking traditions and practices, often associated with a specific culture. A cuisine is primarily influenced by the ingredients that are available locally or through trade....
, more particularly the duck
Duck

Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article; they do not represent a clade but a form taxon, being the Anatidae not considered swans and goose....
 dishes, confit de canard and magret de canard and the dark red wines of Cahors
Cahors

Cahors is the capital of the Lot Departments of France in southwestern France.Its site is dramatic being contained on three sides within an udder shaped twist in the river Lot River known as a 'presqu'?le' or peninsula....
 and, further south, Coteaux de Quercy.

Quercy has a land area of 6,987 km² (2,698 sq. miles). At the 1999 census there were 275,984 inhabitants on the territory of the former province of Quercy, which means a density of 40 inh. per km² (102 inh. per sq. mile). However, if Montauban is not included inside Quercy, then the total population of Quercy in 1999 was 224,129 inhabitants, and the density was only 33 inh. per km² (85 inh. per sq. mile). The largest urban areas in Quercy are Montauban, with 51,855 inhabitants in 1999, Cahors, with 23,128 inhabitants in 1999, Moissac
Moissac

Moissac is a town and communes of France of the Tarn-et-Garonne Departments of France, in southwestern France. It is on the ancient pilgrimage route of Santiago de Compostela....
, with 12,321 inhabitants in 1999, and Figeac
Figeac

Figeac is a Communes of France in the Lot Departments of France in southwestern France.Figeac is a Subprefectures in France of the department....
, with 9,991 inhabitants in 1999.

Famous Personalities from Quercy

  • John XXII, pope (1316-1332)
  • Jean Le Parisot de La Valette
    Jean Parisot de la Valette

    Jean Parisot de Valette was born into a nobility family in Quercy. He was a Knight of St. John, joining the order in the Langue de Provence, and fought with distinction against the Ottoman Empires at Rhodes....
     (1494-1568), Grand Master of the Order of Malta
  • Clément Marot
    Clément Marot

    Cl?ment Marot , was a French poet of the Renaissance period....
    , poet (1496-1544)
  • Olivier de Magny, poet (1529-1561)
  • Etienne Henri d'Escayrac Lauture (1747-1791), Counter Revolutionary
  • André Étienne d'Audebert de Férussac
    André Étienne d'Audebert de Férussac

    Baron Andr? ?tienne Justin Pascal Joseph Fran?ois d'Audebert de F?russac was a France naturalist best known for his studies of Mollusca. He was born in Chartron, near Lauzerte in the province of Quercy , the son of Jean Baptiste Louis d'Audibert de F?russac and Marie Catherine Jos?phe de Rozet, and was professor of geography and statistics...
     (1786-1836), naturalist
  • Stanislas d'Escayrac Lauture (1822-1868), explorer
  • Léon Gambetta
    Léon Gambetta

    L?on Gambetta was a France statesman prominent after the Franco-Prussian War....
    , politician
  • Francis Maratuech, writer and poet
  • Philippe Gaubert
    Philippe Gaubert

    Philippe Gaubert was a French people musician who was a distinguished performer on the flute, a respected conducting, and a composer, primarily for the flute....
    , conductor and composer
  • Alfred Roques, rugby player
  • Fabien Galthié
    Fabien Galthié

    Fabien Galthi? is a French people rugby union coach and former player. His usual position was at scrum-half. He played much of his club rugby for US Colomiers, and later on in his career, Stade Fran?ais Paris....
    , rugby player
  • Christian Signol, writer


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