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Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire | |
|---|---|
 Church of Saint-Pierre | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire | |
  Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire  Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire | |
| Coordinates:43°54′38″N5°43′00″E / 43.9106°N 5.7167°E /43.9106; 5.7167 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Arrondissement | Forcalquier |
| Canton | Reillanne |
| Intercommunality | Haute-Provence-Pays de Banon |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Jean-Paul Grosso[1] |
Area 1 | 27.78 km2 (10.73 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 1,278 |
| • Density | 46.00/km2 (119.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04192 /04870 |
| Elevation | 386–767 m (1,266–2,516 ft) (avg. 543 m or 1,781 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire (French pronunciation:[sɛ̃miʃɛllɔpsɛʁvatwaʁ];Occitan:Sant Miquèu de l'Observatòri) is acommune in theAlpes-de-Haute-Provencedepartment in southeastern France. It was the death place of 18th-century botanistJean-Paul de Rome d'Ardène andTaos Amrouche, the French-speaking Algerian writer, singer ofKabyle music, and activist for women's causes.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 499 | — |
| 1975 | 617 | +3.08% |
| 1982 | 713 | +2.09% |
| 1990 | 844 | +2.13% |
| 1999 | 904 | +0.77% |
| 2009 | 1,142 | +2.36% |
| 2014 | 1,224 | +1.40% |
| 2020 | 1,230 | +0.08% |
| Source: INSEE[3] | ||
Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire is the "host town" of theHaute-Provence Observatory, a nationally ranked facility. It is considered, by many astronomers, to be the best European low-altitude (400 meters) observatory in operation. There is also an astronomy center for educational purposes. It hosts students of elementary schools for brief stays (1–2 weeks) during the year and organizes theme nights of combined sky observations and expositions/debates on different themes.
St. Michael was chosen as the location of the Haute-Provence Observatory site, about 600 meters north. The village is located 543m altitude. The rock Guerin rises to 767 meters in the municipality.
The neighboring towns of Saint-Michel-Observatoire areRevest des Brousses,Mane, Dauphin,Saint-Martin-les-Eaux,Villemus,Reillane andAubenas-les-Alpes.
The village is located in the Regional Natural Park ofLuberon. The town is one of the seventy-seven Member States of the Regional Natural Park of the Luberon Park, which extends fromCavaillon in the west to the eastDurance, two departments and eighty-five towns and 185,145 hectares. To the south, it overlooks the Luberon Durance basin and the county of Aigues.
The town has two main villages, Saint-Michel andLincel and several hamlets including the Craux, and quite a few differences.
The commune is twinned with:
Monte Porzio Catone, Italy
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