Lot (department)

Lot
Department
Prefecture building of the Lot department in Cahors

Flag
Coat of arms

Location of Lot in France
Coordinates: 44°35′N 01°35′E / 44.583°N 1.583°E / 44.583; 1.583Coordinates: 44°35′N 01°35′E / 44.583°N 1.583°E / 44.583; 1.583
Country France
Region Occitanie
Prefecture Cahors
Subprefectures Figeac
Gourdon
Government
 • President of the General Council Gérard Miquel
Area1
 • Total 5,217 km2 (2,014 sq mi)
Population (2013)
 • Total 173,758
 • Rank 92nd
 • Density 33/km2 (86/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number 46
Arrondissements 3
Cantons 17
Communes 320
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Lot (French pronunciation: ​[lɔt]; Occitan: Òlt [ɔl]) is a department in the Occitanie region of France. Named after the Lot River, it lies in the southwestern part of the country and had a population of 173,758 in 2013.

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 Quercy. 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 Occitanie 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 - The prefecture (capital) of the department, Cahors is a medieval cathedral town known internationally for its production of Cahors wine. It lies in a wide loop of the Lot River and is famous for its medieval bridge, the Pont Valentre.
  • Figeac - a medieval town where Champollion, the first translator of Egyptian hieroglyphics, was born. Figeac is a sub-prefecture of the department.
  • Gourdon - a medieval hilltop town with a well preserved centre. There are many prehistoric painted caves nearby, notably the Grottes de Cougnac. Gourdon is also a sub-prefecture of te department.

Tourism

See also

  • 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
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