Tarbes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (July 2009)
Click [show] on the right to read important instructions before translating.
|
| Tarbes | ||
|---|---|---|
 Tarbes, Musée des Beaux-Arts |
||
|
||
 Tarbes
|
||
|
Location within Midi-Pyrénées region
Tarbes
|
||
| Coordinates: 43°14′N 0°04′E / 43.23°N 0.07°ECoordinates: 43°14′N 0°04′E / 43.23°N 0.07°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Midi-Pyrénées | |
| Department | Hautes-Pyrénées | |
| Arrondissement | Tarbes | |
| Canton | Chief town of 5 cantons | |
| Intercommunality | Grand Tarbes | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (From 2001) | Gérard Trémège (PR) | |
| Area1 | 15.33 km2 (5.92 sq mi) | |
| Population (2011)2 | 48,166 | |
| • Density | 3,100/km2 (8,100/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 65440 / 65000 | |
| Elevation | 284–326 m (932–1,070 ft) (avg. 304 m or 997 ft) |
|
|
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
||
Tarbes (French pronunciation: [taʁb]) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France. It was known as Turba or Tarba in Roman times.[1]
It is part of the historical region of Gascony. It is the second largest metropolitan area of Midi-Pyrénées, with 110,000 inhabitants.
It is the seat of the diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes. The 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment and 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment are stationed in Tarbes.
Contents
Geography[edit]
To the south of Tarbes is the pilgrimage town of Lourdes and the border with Spain. The Pyrenees mountains, lying along the border between France and Spain, can be seen from the town.
Climate[edit]
Tarbes features an oceanic climate (Cfb), with relatively hot summers, mild winters and abundant rainfall.
| Climate data for Tarbes, France (altitude 360m, 1981–2010) (Source: Météo-France, Infoclimat.fr) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.6 (72.7) |
29.2 (84.6) |
28.9 (84) |
27.6 (81.7) |
31.8 (89.2) |
36.8 (98.2) |
38.2 (100.8) |
38.1 (100.6) |
35.8 (96.4) |
33.8 (92.8) |
27.6 (81.7) |
26.1 (79) |
38.2 (100.8) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 10.3 (50.5) |
11.3 (52.3) |
14.2 (57.6) |
15.8 (60.4) |
19.5 (67.1) |
22.8 (73) |
25.1 (77.2) |
25.2 (77.4) |
22.8 (73) |
19.0 (66.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
11.0 (51.8) |
17.6 (63.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) |
1.5 (34.7) |
3.7 (38.7) |
5.6 (42.1) |
9.5 (49.1) |
12.8 (55) |
14.9 (58.8) |
14.9 (58.8) |
11.9 (53.4) |
8.7 (47.7) |
4.3 (39.7) |
1.8 (35.2) |
7.6 (45.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.9 (−0.2) |
−14.4 (6.1) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
5.9 (42.6) |
5.3 (41.5) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−2.2 (28) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
−17.9 (−0.2) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 95.0 (3.74) |
81.1 (3.193) |
87.0 (3.425) |
111.7 (4.398) |
111.6 (4.394) |
78.0 (3.071) |
56.0 (2.205) |
68.1 (2.681) |
71.6 (2.819) |
88.1 (3.469) |
102.5 (4.035) |
96.7 (3.807) |
1,047.4 (41.236) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 11 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 120 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 118 | 129 | 169 | 170 | 189 | 198 | 205 | 206 | 190 | 151 | 117 | 109 | 1,951 |
| Source #1: climat.meteofrance.com[2] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: infoclimat.fr[3] | |||||||||||||
Sports and recreation[edit]
2006 Tour de France stage held in Tarbes with a large turn out
- Tarbes Gespe Bigorre, the main sporting team of the town, is a female basketball team which participates in the French League (LFB) and European competitions (FIBA EuroLeague Women, Ronchetti Cup – won in 1996 – and FIBA EuroCup Women).
- The city also has a rugby union team – Tarbes Pyrénées Rugby.
- One of the stages of the 2006 Tour de France departed from Tarbes.
- The 2001 Tour de France included Tarbes as part of its route.
- The 2009 Tour de France included Tarbes as part of its route.
- Tarbes-based Petits As is a major international tennis competition for 12–14 year old juniors that has been won by future global stars including Rafael Nadal, Martina Hingis, and Kim Clijsters.
Transport[edit]
The Gare de Tarbes railway station offers direct connections with Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bayonne and several regional destinations. The A64 motorway connects Tarbes with Bayonne and Toulouse. It is also served by the small Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport situated 10 kilometers away of the city centre.
People[edit]
- Olivier Azam, rugby union player
- Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac, member of the French National Convention
- Lionel Beauxis, rugby union player
- Marianne Dissard, singer and film-maker
- Céline Dumerc, basketball player
- Ferdinand Foch, commander-in-chief of Allied forces in World War I
- David Fray, pianist
- Théophile Gautier, writer
- Henri Génès, actor and singer
- Bernard Lapasset, International Rugby Board chairman
- Nicolas Lopez, sabre fencer
- Pierre Koffmann, chef
- Cécile Ousset, pianist
- Adrien Théaux, alpine skier
International relations[edit]
Tarbes is twinned with:
- Huesca, Spain
- Altenkirchen, Germany
See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tarbes. |
- Guide of Tarbes
- Tourism office website (in French)
|
||||||
