Pyrénées-Orientales (English: Eastern Pyrenees, Catalan: Pirineus Orientals, Occitan: Pirenèus Orientals) is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea.

History

Prior to the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, most of the present department was part of the former Principality of Catalonia, within the Crown of Aragon, so the majority of it has historically been Catalan-speaking, and it is still sometimes referred to (mainly by Catalans) as Northern Catalonia. Pyrénées-Orientales also corresponds almost exactly to the pre-Revolutionary province of Roussillon. See also: French Cerdagne.

Invaded by Spain in April 1793, the area was recaptured thirteen months later.

Administration

Pyrénées-Orientales is grouped with neighbouring Aude and three other departments to the north-east in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Geography

Pyrénées-Orientales has an area of 4115 km². and a population of 422,000, of whom just over a quarter live in the capital, Perpignan. Other towns include Argelès-sur-Mer, Thuir, Elne (the ancient Illiberis) and Prades, each of 6-10,000 inhabitants.

Pyrénées-Orientales consists of three river valleys in the Pyrenees mountain range - from north to south, those of the Agly, Têt and Tech - and the eastern Plain of Roussillon into which they converge. Most of the population and agricultural production are concentrated in the plain, with only 30% of the area.

The upper Tech valley comprises the departments westernmost third, with just over a tenth of the total population. To the south-east, the Têt valley and the Côte Vermeille contain nearly 100,000 inhabitants. The Agly basin in the north-east has much in common with neighboring areas of Aude.