What you need to know about the Gard department
Indeed, the department 30 of France, named Gard, is a department in the southern zone of the country. It is part of the Occitanie region. Currently, its population is 742,006 inhabitants and its area is 130 inhabitants.
This makes it the 32nd most populated department in the country. The name Gard comes from the name of an Occitan river that runs through it. There is a very important mountain in the Gard department called Mont Aigoual, which is also the highest point of the said department.
Currently, its capital and prefecture is called Nîmes, and its sub-prefectures are Alès and Le Vigan. This department is divided into several zones including 3 arrondissements, 23 cantons, and 351 communes.
What are the neighboring departments of the Gard department?
First, since the Gard department is part of the Occitanie region, its neighboring departments are Lozère, Hérault, Aveyron, Vaucluse, the Bouches-du-Rhône, and finally Ardèche.
What is the climate like in the Gard department?
Overall, the climate of Gard is considered to be Mediterranean. The precipitation in this department amounts to about 600 to 800 mm annually, and there are 3 climatic variations depending on the geographical location:
First, there is the southern part: this area extends from the coastal zones to the Costières. There, winters are quite mild and summers are dry with precipitation not exceeding 500 to 600 mm annually.
Next, there is the central and eastern section of the department: in this zone, the climate is characterized by mild winters and sunny summers, although some stormy precipitation can occur. During the autumn and spring seasons, there are significant rains, which is the case in Nîmes, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, and Alès.
In the northwest zone, there is a Mediterranean-type climate strongly influenced by the oceanic climate. That means precipitation is high here, reaching up to 1000 mm annually. However, winters are mild, and in the slightly elevated areas, there is significant snowfall, especially on Mont Aigoual. In this zone, spring and autumn may be influenced by severe precipitation that could cause flooding. Conversely, summer periods may experience strong and frequent thunderstorms.
In the section facing the Mediterranean part, there is first a Mediterranean-type climate. However, in the section facing the Atlantic, the climate is similar to what can be found in Aveyron, that is, a mountain oceanic climate.
What are the best cities in the Gard department?
To make this ranking, we categorized the cities that are the best in terms of tourist visits:
- Uzès
- Nîmes
- Alès
- Bagnols-sur-Cèze
- Saint-Gilles
- Les Angles
- Aigues-Mortes
- Vauvert
- Pont-Saint-Esprit
- Puechredon
What are the most important communes in the Gard department?
Here are the most important municipalities in the Gard department ranked by largest area in terms of surface:
- Nîmes
- Vauvert
- Beaucaire
- Lanuéjols
- Aigues-Mortes
- Saint-Gilles
- Saint-Laurent-d’Aigouze
- Val-d’Aigoual
- Dourbies
- Le Grau-du-Roi
We have ranked these municipalities of Gard from most populated to least populated, that is, according to the population density per km2:
- Brest
- Concarneau
- Douarnenez
- Guipavas
- Plouzané
- Quimper
- Morlaix
- Landerneau
- Plougastel-Daoulas
- Quimperlé
