Aude
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| Aude | |
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| The Aude coat of arms | |
| Location | |
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| Administration | |
| Département number: | 11 |
| Région: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Préfecture: | Carcassonne |
| Sub-Préfectures: | Limoux Narbonne |
| Arrondissements: | 3 |
| Cantons: | 35 |
| Communes: | 438 |
| Conseiller Général: | Marcel Rainaud |
| Statistics | |
| Population | Ranked 71st |
| -1999 | 309,770 |
| Population density: | 50/km² |
| Land area¹: | 6139 km² |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km². | |
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Aude is a département in south-central France named after the Aude River. The local council also calls the departement "Cathar Country".
Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine and mother of Saint Hubertus's brother Eudo.
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[edit] History
The Roman road Via Domitia crossed Aude in classical times.
Aude was the center of the Cathars, a 10th-century dualistic and Gnostic Christian sect.
The present department was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.
[edit] Geography
Aude is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees mountains.
It is part of the current region of Languedoc-Roussillon. It is surrounded by the departments of Pyrénées-Orientales, Ariège, Haute-Garonne, Tarn, and Hérault, with the Golfe du Lion on the east.
[edit] Tourism
Carcassonne has been restored to much of its medieval glory. Narbonne attracts many tourists to its Roman ruins.
[edit] See also
- Cantons of the Aude département
- Communes of the Aude département
- Arrondissements of the Aude département
[edit] External links
- Conseil Général website (in French)
- Prefecture website (in French)
- The Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales Online resource for the Aude & Pyrénées-Orientales departments of the Languedoc-Roussillon.
- Unofficial site on the Aude département and Languedoc-Roussillon région
- Private accommodation in the Aude
- Cultural activities in the Aude
