Lot (department)

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Lot
Department
Prefecture building of the Lot department, in Cahors
Prefecture building of the Lot department, in Cahors
Coat of arms of Lot
Coat of arms
Location of Lot in France
Location of Lot in France
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Country France
Region Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Prefecture Cahors
Subprefectures Figeac
Gourdon
Government
 • President of the General Council Gérard Miquel
Area1
 • Total 5,217 km2 (2,014 sq mi)
Population (2007)
 • Total 171,173
 • Rank 90th
 • Density 33/km2 (85/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Department number 46
Arrondissements 3
Cantons 17
Communes 340
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Lot (French pronunciation: ​[lɔt]; Occitan: Òlt) is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot River.

History

Lot is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Languedoc. In 1808 some of the original southeastern cantons were separated from it to form the department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It originally extended much farther to the south and included the city of Montauban.

Geography

Lot is part of the region of Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées and is surrounded by the departments of Corrèze, Cantal, Aveyron, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne, and Dordogne.

Communes in Lot

For a full list, see Communes of the Lot department. Settlements in the Lot include:

  • Cahors - a large town known internationally for its production of Cahors wine
  • Figeac - a medieval town where Champollion, the first translator of Egyptian hieroglyphics, is born
  • Frayssinet-le-Gélat - a small village close to Prayssac
  • Prayssac - a town of approximately 3,000 residents

Tourism

See also

Lot in popular culture

  • French singer-songwriter Léo Ferré lived in the Lot for a while.
  • At Home in France, by Ann Barry; a humorous account of owning a vacation cottage in Lot

External links