Poitiers

commune in Vienne, France

Poitiers is a city in France, the prefecture of the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The town is picturesque; and its streets are interesting for their remains of ancient architecture, especially of the Romanesque period, and the memories of great historical events.

Poitiers
The old town center.
The old town center.
Coat of arms of Poitiers
Location of Poitiers
Map
Poitiers is located in France
Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Poitiers
Poitiers
Coordinates: 46°21′20″N 0°12′04″E / 46.3555°N 0.2010°E / 46.3555; 0.2010
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentVienne
ArrondissementPoitiers
CantonCapital of 5 cantons
IntercommunalityGrand Poitiers
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Alain Claeys[1]
Area
1
42.11 km2 (16.26 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)
87,435
 • Density2,100/km2 (5,400/sq mi)
DemonymPoitevins
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
86194 /86000
Elevation65–144 m (213–472 ft)
(avg. 105 m or 344 ft)
Websitewww.poitiers.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The city itself is very old. It already existed as a Gaulish fort in the time when Julius Caesar came to Gaul. It was the capital of the Pictones tribe.

Geography

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Poitiers is in the centre of the Vienne department, between the valleys of the Boivre and the Clain rivers. The old town is on the slopes and the summit of a plateau which rises 130 feet (40 m) above the streams which surround it on three sides.

Poitiers is at about 220 km (140 mi) from Bordeaux, 340 km (210 mi) from Paris, 130 km (81 mi) from Limoges and 180 km (110 mi) from Nantes.

The commune has an area of 42.1 km2 (16.3 sq mi).[2] Its average altitude is 105 m (344 ft); at the city hall, the altitude is 116 m (381 ft).[3]

 

The commune of Poitiers is surrounded by the communes:

Climate

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The climate of Poitiers, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers.

Population

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The inhabitants of Poitiers are known, in French, as Pictaviens (women: Pictaviennes).[4]

With a population of 87,435,[5] Poitiers has a population density of 2,076 inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Poitiers

Poitiers forms, with seven other communes, the urban area of Poitiers with a population of 128,111 inhabitants (2013) and an area of 172.3 km2 (66.5 sq mi).[6] This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Poitiers, formed by 97 communes, with a population of 257,233 inhabitants (2013) and an area of 2,303.4 km2 (889.3 sq mi).[7]

Administration

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Poitiers is the prefecture of the Vienne department, the capital of the arrondissement of Poitiers and the administrative centre (French: chef-lieu) of five canton:

It is part of the intercommunality Grand Poitiers (French: Communauté d'agglomération Grand Poitiers).

Sister cities

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Poitiers is twinned with:[8]

Notable people

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This is a list of people of interest who were born or resided in Poitiers:

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References

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  1. "Le Maire et ses adjoints" (in French). Ville de Poitiers. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  2. "Commune de Poitiers (86194)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  3. "Poitiers". Map-France.com. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  4. "Vienne (86)" (in French). habitants.fr. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  5. "Régions, départements, arrondissements, cantons et communes" (PDF). Populations légales 2014 (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  6. "Unité urbaine de Poitiers (86601)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  7. "Aire urbaine de Poitiers (039)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  8. "Poitiers et ses villes jumelles" (in French). Ville de Poitiers. Retrieved 18 April 2017.

Other websites

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