Le Pouget (French pronunciation: [lə puʒɛ]; Occitan: Lo Poget) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It contains the Gallardet dolmen.

Le Pouget
The church of Sainte-Catherine
The church of Sainte-Catherine
Coat of arms of Le Pouget
Location of Le Pouget
Map
Le Pouget is located in France
Le Pouget
Le Pouget
Le Pouget is located in Occitanie
Le Pouget
Le Pouget
Coordinates: 43°35′36″N 3°31′32″E / 43.5933°N 3.5256°E / 43.5933; 3.5256
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentHérault
ArrondissementLodève
CantonGignac
IntercommunalityVallée de l'Hérault
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Thibaut Barral[1]
Area
1
13.91 km2 (5.37 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
2,099
 • Density150/km2 (390/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
34210 /34230
Elevation25–161 m (82–528 ft)
(avg. 95 m or 312 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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Le Pouget is situated on the sides of two valleys, Aumelas and Clermont L'Hérault. The centre of the commune is at the entrance to the medieval circulade. The clay soil favours viticulture. The river Hérault is 2 km from the centre.

Climate

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Le Pouget has a mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa). The average annual temperature in Le Pouget is 14.6 °C (58.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 680.8 mm (26.80 in) with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 23.6 °C (74.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 6.9 °C (44.4 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Le Pouget was 45.2 °C (113.4 °F) on 28 February 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −15.6 °C (3.9 °F) on 16 January 1985.

Climate data for Le Pouget (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1980−2019)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 22.2
(72.0)
25.8
(78.4)
30.5
(86.9)
33.5
(92.3)
34.9
(94.8)
45.2
(113.4)
41.0
(105.8)
41.5
(106.7)
37.5
(99.5)
33.9
(93.0)
25.5
(77.9)
21.5
(70.7)
45.2
(113.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 11.2
(52.2)
12.4
(54.3)
16.0
(60.8)
18.5
(65.3)
22.5
(72.5)
27.2
(81.0)
30.5
(86.9)
29.9
(85.8)
25.6
(78.1)
20.2
(68.4)
14.5
(58.1)
11.4
(52.5)
20.0
(68.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 6.9
(44.4)
7.5
(45.5)
10.5
(50.9)
13.0
(55.4)
16.7
(62.1)
20.7
(69.3)
23.6
(74.5)
23.2
(73.8)
19.4
(66.9)
15.4
(59.7)
10.2
(50.4)
7.3
(45.1)
14.6
(58.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.5
(36.5)
2.6
(36.7)
5.1
(41.2)
7.4
(45.3)
10.9
(51.6)
14.2
(57.6)
16.8
(62.2)
16.5
(61.7)
13.2
(55.8)
10.6
(51.1)
5.8
(42.4)
3.2
(37.8)
9.1
(48.4)
Record low °C (°F) −15.6
(3.9)
−10.1
(13.8)
−10.1
(13.8)
−2.0
(28.4)
2.4
(36.3)
5.2
(41.4)
8.2
(46.8)
6.8
(44.2)
3.5
(38.3)
−2.1
(28.2)
−8.0
(17.6)
−9.1
(15.6)
−15.6
(3.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 61.2
(2.41)
52.3
(2.06)
38.5
(1.52)
53.5
(2.11)
53.2
(2.09)
37.0
(1.46)
24.3
(0.96)
36.9
(1.45)
69.4
(2.73)
101.7
(4.00)
75.8
(2.98)
77.0
(3.03)
680.8
(26.80)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5.8 5.0 4.8 5.8 5.9 4.0 2.2 3.6 4.3 6.6 6.1 5.8 59.9
Source: Meteociel[3]

History

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The village was known for its circulade in the Middle Ages in the time of Louis XIV. The prehistoric dolmen Gallardet (or dolmen de Pouget) is a notable sight in the village.

Population

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Inhabitants are called Pougétois in French.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 1,077—    
1975 934−2.01%
1982 987+0.79%
1990 1,103+1.40%
1999 1,347+2.25%
2007 1,782+3.56%
2012 1,823+0.46%
2017 2,054+2.41%
Source: INSEE[4]

Sights

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  • Église Saint-Jacques, Romanesque church (now the Chapelle des pénitents blancs)
  • Église Sainte-Catherine, Gothic church (now the parish church)
  • Dolmen
  • Saint-Amant fountain
  • The circulade
  • Château de l'Estang (private property).

Personalities

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Normales et records pour Le Pouget (34)". Meteociel. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  4. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
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