The modern department was created early during theFrench Revolution on 9 February 1790 under the name ofRoussillon, also the name of the pre-Revolutionaryprovince ofRoussillon to which it almost exactly corresponds, although the department also includesFenouillèdes, a small piece of territory which had formerly been on the southern edge ofLanguedoc. The name therefore changed, on 26 February 1790, toPyrénées-Orientales.[7]
Invaded by Spain in April 1793, the area was recaptured thirteen months later during theWar of the Roussillon.
During the nineteenth century, Pyrénées-Orientales proved one of the most consistently republican departments in France. The intellectual and republican politicianFrançois Arago, who, during the early months of theshort-lived Second Republic in 1848, was brieflyde facto Head of state, came fromEstagel in the east of the department.
View looking east from the border with Ariège across mountains and lakes of the Pyrénées-Orientales.TheThemis Solar Power tower
Pyrénées-Orientales has an area of 4,115 km2. It consists of three river valleys in thePyrenees mountain range – from north to south, those of theAgly,Têt andTech – and the eastern Plain of Roussillon into which they converge. Most of the population and agricultural production are concentrated in the plain, with only 30% of the area. There is one water reservoir atLac de Matemale. There is also a lake,Casteilla.
The upper Têt valley comprises the department's westernmost third, with just over a tenth of the total population. To the south-east, the Tech valley and theCôte Vermeille contain nearly 100,000 inhabitants. The Agly basin in the north-east has much in common with neighboring areas of Aude.Llívia is a town ofCerdanya, province ofGirona,Catalonia,Spain, that forms a Spanish exclave surrounded by French territory.
The most populous commune isPerpignan, the prefecture, home to about one-quarter of the inhabitants of Pyrénées-Orientales. As of 2019, there were seven communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:[6]
The city ofPerpignan (122,000 inhabitants) constitutes more than a quarter of the department's population by itself, and more than half if one includes its suburbs. It is the only important town, and only the towns ofCanet-en-Roussillon,Saint-Estève,Saint-Cyprien,Argelès-sur-Mer,Cabestany andSaint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque exceed 10,000 inhabitants. Other important towns areRivesaltes,Bompas,Pia,Thuir,Céret,Elne,Le Soler,Prades andToulouges, each with between 6,500 and 10,000 inhabitants. The arrondissement ofPerpignan, with 289,110 inhabitants in 2020, is the one with the most inhabitants in the department. Indeed, the other two, the arrondissements ofCéret andPrades, have respectively 133,405 inhabitants and 60,250 inhabitants.
The distribution by age groups shows a relatively high number of people aged 60 and over (29% of the population compared to 21.3% for the whole ofFrance).
This aging of the population results in a mortality rate higher than that of births. However, the population has been increasing steadily for several decades thanks to a clearly positive migratory balance. The department particularly attracts retirees thanks to its pleasant climate, which contributes to both the increase in the population and its aging.
French is spoken by almost the entire population. Minority languages in the region areCatalan andOccitan, which between them are estimated to be spoken by 34% of the population and understood by an additional 21%.
On 10 December 2007, theDepartmental Council of Pyrénées-Orientales recognized Catalan as a regional language of the department, though French is still the only official language in France, according to the Constitution.[10]
There is a debate in the departement around its renaming due to the lack of identification with the Catalan identity of the territory on its current name, as well as the geographic ambiguity that expresses. The Departamental Council will hold a consultation in November 2025 to ask the population about different options of rename it, the most popular among them being "Pays Catalan" and "Pyrénées Catalanes", according to an online poll.[12]
The cuisine of Pyrénées-Orientales draws naturally from the historical Catalan presence in the area,[13] so dishes likepaella,[14]caragols a la llauna andcalçots are prevalent in the restaurants, especially at important dates such as the various saints' feast days and cultural festivals.[15]
The area is famous for its wine with the predominantly red grape varieties grown all over the department, regional specialities such asmuscat de Rivesaltes andBanyuls are sold everywhere in the department.
The geography of the area leads to a distinct divide in the cuisine of P-O. The mountainous area to the south has dishes using ingredients that grow naturally there, products such as olives andgoat's cheese.
Fish are also very popular in the region, withCollioure being famous for itsanchovies. However, fishing has declined due to the overall reduction of the fish stock in the Mediterranean sea.
Mann, Jane; Hareng, Kate (2010).Absolutely Almost all you need to know about the Pyrénées-Orientales. Saint-Estève (Pyrénées-Orientales): Presses littéraires.ISBN978-2-35073-368-5.OCLC667612113.
Cárdenas, Fabricio (2014).66 petites histoires du Pays Catalan [66 Little Stories of Catalan Country] (in French). Perpignan: Ultima Necat.ISBN978-2-36771-006-8.OCLC893847466.
^McPhee, Peter (1980). "A Case-Study of Internal Colonization: The Francisation of Northern Catalonia".Review (Fernand Braudel Center).3 (3):398–428.JSTOR40240842.
^Cárdenas, Fabricio (2014).66 petites histoires du Pays Catalan [66 Little Stories of Catalan Country] (in French). Perpignan: Ultima Necat.ISBN978-2-36771-006-8.OCLC893847466.
