Biscarrosse | |
|---|---|
 Biscarrosse elm in January; died 2010. | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Biscarrosse  | |
  Biscarrosse  Biscarrosse | |
| Coordinates:44°23′39″N1°09′46″W / 44.3942°N 1.1628°W /44.3942; -1.1628 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Landes |
| Arrondissement | Mont-de-Marsan |
| Canton | Grands Lacs |
| Intercommunality | Grands Lacs |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Hélène Larrezet[1] |
Area 1 | 160.48 km2 (61.96 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 15,412 |
| • Density | 96.037/km2 (248.73/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 40046 /40600 |
| Elevation | 0–78 m (0–256 ft) (avg. 26 m or 85 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Biscarrosse (French pronunciation:[biskaʁɔs];Occitan:Biscarròssa) is acommune in theLandesdepartment inNouvelle-Aquitaine in southwesternFrance.[3] It is located 65 km (40 mi) southwest ofBordeaux, and 10 km (6.2 mi) inland from the seaside resort of Biscarrosse-Plage on theAtlantic coast.
Near Biscarrosse is theCEL (national test centre) from which numerousFrench military rockets have been launched for test purposes. Likewise, the CEL has facilities for launching civilian rockets to study the upperatmosphere.
Near the town centre, outside theCafé de l'orme, there was what is believed to have been the oldestelm tree in Europe. Planted in 1350, this Field ElmUlmus minor died in 2010 after finally succumbing toDutch elm disease.[4] Legend has it that girls deemed promiscuous were forced to stand naked upon a barrel beneath the tree for a day. One unfortunate, unjustly accused, died of shame, the tree annually producing a corona of blanched leaves in her memory.
The commune has an airport, calledBiscarrosse - Parentis Airport.
The toponymBiscarrosse derives from theAquitanian language[5] or directly from theBasque wordbizkar, meaning 'low ridge' or 'prominence'[6] followed by the Aquitanian suffix-ossum/-os,[5] that was used to mark presence.[6] Related toponyms areBiscay andBiscarrués.
| Climate data for Biscarrosse (1991–2020 averages) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 23.0 (73.4) | 24.8 (76.6) | 27.7 (81.9) | 30.8 (87.4) | 35.1 (95.2) | 41.7 (107.1) | 42.6 (108.7) | 41.1 (106.0) | 37.4 (99.3) | 34.5 (94.1) | 27.7 (81.9) | 24.2 (75.6) | 42.6 (108.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.4 (52.5) | 12.4 (54.3) | 15.1 (59.2) | 16.9 (62.4) | 20.3 (68.5) | 23.1 (73.6) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 23.5 (74.3) | 19.9 (67.8) | 15.0 (59.0) | 12.0 (53.6) | 18.4 (65.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) | 8.7 (47.7) | 11.1 (52.0) | 13.0 (55.4) | 16.3 (61.3) | 19.2 (66.6) | 21.2 (70.2) | 21.5 (70.7) | 19.2 (66.6) | 16.1 (61.0) | 11.6 (52.9) | 8.9 (48.0) | 14.6 (58.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.0 (41.0) | 5.0 (41.0) | 7.1 (44.8) | 9.1 (48.4) | 12.4 (54.3) | 15.3 (59.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.5 (63.5) | 14.9 (58.8) | 12.3 (54.1) | 8.2 (46.8) | 5.8 (42.4) | 10.8 (51.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −13.6 (7.5) | −7.8 (18.0) | −7.0 (19.4) | −0.6 (30.9) | 2.9 (37.2) | 5.2 (41.4) | 8.1 (46.6) | 9.2 (48.6) | 5.8 (42.4) | −0.2 (31.6) | −3.6 (25.5) | −8.4 (16.9) | −13.6 (7.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 86.6 (3.41) | 64.5 (2.54) | 57.9 (2.28) | 65.7 (2.59) | 64.0 (2.52) | 61.2 (2.41) | 40.8 (1.61) | 56.4 (2.22) | 72.7 (2.86) | 77.9 (3.07) | 115.2 (4.54) | 88.6 (3.49) | 851.5 (33.52) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.6 | 10.4 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 9.4 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 9.1 | 10.7 | 13.2 | 12.5 | 121.3 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 96.7 | 119.7 | 179.8 | 197.7 | 231.5 | 243.0 | 260.7 | 252.2 | 212.4 | 150.4 | 104.4 | 88.7 | 2,137.2 |
| Source:Meteociel[7] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 7,159 | — |
| 1975 | 8,058 | +1.70% |
| 1982 | 8,065 | +0.01% |
| 1990 | 9,054 | +1.46% |
| 1999 | 9,281 | +0.28% |
| 2007 | 12,209 | +3.49% |
| 2012 | 13,391 | +1.87% |
| 2017 | 14,182 | +1.15% |
| Source: INSEE[8] | ||
Nearby Hourtiquet once hosted an importantseaplane base, serving the builderLatécoère and airlinesAéropostale and its successorAir France. Aseaplane museum exists at the shores of theLac de Biscarrosse et de Parentis.
DuringWorld War II the base served German military seaplanes; twoDornier 24 flying boats were recovered from the lake in 1980 and 1981.[9]
Since 1991, the lake has seen bi-annual seaplane fly-ins.[10]
After the demise of seaplanes after World War II, the lake gained new interest at the discovery of petroleum. It has the greatest reserve in France. Petroleum exploitation is situated on the shores of the lake, in the commune ofParentis.
 | This Landes geographical article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
