Réquista

In Occitan, the commune is called Requistar. The name comes from the term ric estar which means "rich place".

The population has been known through Census and has been carried through since 1793. As of 2006, the legal population of communes are published annually by INSEE. The census is now based on an annual collection of information, successively covering all municipal territories over a period of five years. For municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants, a census survey of the whole population is carried out every five years, with legal population of the intermediate years being estimated by interpolation or extrapolation.[4] For the municipality, the first comprehensive census within the new system's framework was carried out in 2004.[5]

In 2015, the municipality had 2,005 inhabitants, a decrease of 1.04% compared to 2010 (Aveyron: +0.85%, France excluding Mayotte: +2.44%).

Progression of population

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851
2,734	2,546	3,663	3,709	3,547	4,025	4,185	3,874	4,380

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
4,354	4,207	4,017	4,330	3,751	3,387	3,347	3,334	2,821

1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
2,776	2,884	2,655	2,606	2,562	2,500	2,587	2,604	2,583

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2004	2009	2014
2,405	2,482	2,625	2,512	2,243	2,060	2,099	2,037	2,013

2015	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2,005	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

1962 to 1999: population without double counting; for the following dates: municipal population.

(Sources: Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1999[6] then INSEE from 2006.[7])

Histogram of the demographic progression

Statue of a sheep and its lamb in front of the town hall of Réquista. The sheep being the symbol of the city.

Since Réquista is the first sheep canton in Europe, a sheep festival is organized every year on the first Sunday of June. A statue of a sheep and its lamb is also erected in front of the town hall. Every Monday morning (or Tuesday morning if Monday happens to be a holiday), the sheep market attracts breeders from the region as well as many buyers from neighboring departments. It begins at 9:00am with gray lambs, continues with lamb exports at 9:30am, cull ewes at 10:00am and lambs at 10:30am. The introduction of this market in 1992 necessitated the construction of a area big enough to fit an annual volume of 120,000 people (4,400m²). Quotations are recorded weekly and serve as reference to the national plan.[8]

• Ovine market every Monday (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday)
• Weekly market in the covered hall from 7:30am to 12:30pm every Saturday
• Monthly fair the second Thursday of the month from 8:30am to 12:00pm
• Estofinado at the end of March
• Feast of the sheep every year on the first Sunday of June
• Bellegarde Hospital Festival the penultimate weekend of June
• Flea market garage sale gourmet market during Lincou weekend after July 14
• Lincou Festival the first weekend of August
• Large flea market in Réquista the 3rd weekend of September
• Christmas market on the last Sunday of November
• Medieval day at the college Céléstin Sourrèzes organized by 5th year students
• Feast of Saint-Julien (municipality of Réquista) with a lottery (Friday), meal and prom musette (Saturday) and bodega (Sunday) penultimate weekend of August
• Fair at the flea market and exhibition of vintage cars the 3rd weekend of September
• Fireworks at Lincou and votive festival the first weekend of August
• Lottery numbers in Réquista and around
• Wine tasting at the company of chiais
• Festival of trout August 15 organized by Lévezou Ségala Aveyron XV
• Votive festival in Lebous the 2nd weekend in September

• The motorcycle club Réquista has a cross field.
• National petanque.
• Dance Gala with students Josiane Nespoulous.
• Commercial Fortnight (last week of July and first of August) organized by the Union of Traders and Craftsmen of Réquista

Nadalet de Réquista is a song in Occitan written by Paul Bonnefous in 1864. It is sung every year at the Mass on December 24 by the choir of the church of Réquista.