The department is named after the riverGardon. In recent decades of the twenty-first century, local administration and French speakers have returned to the originalOccitan name of the river, Gard (Occitan pronunciation:[gaɾ]). It is part of a revival of Occitan culture.
In classical times the Gard area was settled byRomans and their allies. They built theVia Domitia across the region in 118 BC. Centuries later, on 4 March 1790, the Gard was one of the original 83 departments created during theFrench Revolution. It comprised theancient province ofLanguedoc.
Originally this department was to include the canton ofGanges, but Ganges was transferred to the neighbouring department ofHérault. In return, the Gard was assigned the fishing port ofAigues Mortes, which gave the department its own outlet to theGulf of Lion on the Mediterranean Sea.
During the middle of the nineteenth centurythe prefecture, traditionally a centre of commerce with a manufacturing sector focused on textiles, was an early beneficiary of railway development, becoming an important railway junction. Several luxurious hotels were built, and the improved market access provided by the railways also encouraged, initially, a rapid growth in wine growing. But many winegrowers were ruined when the vineyards were infected withphylloxera in 1872.
In the first quarter of the 21st century, the department has suffered seriousflooding. The region has also been subject to some of the highest recorded temperatures in France's history as climate change alters summer heat.[4]
The inhabitants of the Gard are called"Gardois". The most populous commune isNîmes, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are eight communes that have more than 10,000 inhabitants each:[3]
The Gard is also home to the source ofPerrier, a carbonated mineral water sold both in France and internationally on a large scale. The spring and facility are located just south-east of the commune ofVergèze.
