Францияның Пиреней-Атлантика департаменті

Department of France

Pyrénées Atlantiques (pi.ʁe. nez‿at. lɑ̃. tik; Gascon Occitan: Pirenèus Atlantics; or Pirinio Atlantikoak) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean, it covers the French Basque Country and the Béarn. Its prefecture is Pau. In 2019, it had a population of 682,621.

Originally named Basses Pyrénées, it is one of the first 83 departments of France created during the French Revolution, on 4 March 1790. It was created out of parts belonging to the former greater province of Guyenne and Gascony, as well as the Béarn Navarre (still, at least nominally, Kingdom of Navarre), meaning the Basques provinces of Basse Navarre, Labourd, Bayonne (detached a few years before from Labourd) and Soule, as well as Béarn. The 1790 administrative design brought about the end of native institutions and laws. All Basque estates representatives from Labourd overtly opposed the new administrative layout since it suppressed their institutions and laws. The representatives of Lower Navarre refused to vote in Paris arguing that they were not part of the Kingdom of France; those of Soule voted against. The brothers Garat, representing Labourd, eventually voted yes, thinking that it would give them a say in upcoming political decisions. On 10 October 1969, Basses Pyrénées was renamed Pyrénées Atlantiques.

Pyrénées Atlantiques is part of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. It is bordered by the Landes, Hautes Pyrénées, Gers departments and the Bay of Biscay. It also borders Spain to the south by the provinces of Huesca, Navarre and Gipuzkoa along a coastline with the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Lac Gentau is located in Pyrénées Atlantiques, as are the Lacs de Carnau.

Pyrénées Atlantiques, a border department, has cultivated a number of economic and cultural links with Spain. Two urban concentrations exist in the east and west of the department: Pau, which has 145,000 inhabitants and 344,000 workers in the local area; and Bayonne Anglet Biarritz which has 166,400 inhabitants and 235,000 workers in the local area.

The parts of the department that were part of Guyenne and Gascony, as well as Béarn, have a culture heavily influenced by the Basques, but clearly different identities. Both the Gascon Bearnese variant and Basque language are indigenous to the region in their respective districts. Gascon in turn is a dialect of Occitan, formerly the main language of southern France. It is more closely related to Catalan than it is to French. Basque is a language isolate, not related to any known language. Today, French, the sole official language of the French Republic, is the predominant native language and is spoken by virtually all inhabitants. Pyrénées Atlantiques is also home to a number of professional sports teams, including rugby union football clubs Aviron Bayonnais, Biarritz Olympique and Section Paloise; basketball club Élan Béarnais Pau Orthez; and association football club Pau FC. The Pau Grand Prix, an auto race first held in 1901, has hosted the World Touring Car Championship, British Formula Three, Formula 3 Euro Series and FIA European Formula 3 Championship.

Pyrénées Atlantiques is a stronghold of the centrist Democratic Movement (MoDem). Its founder and president, François Bayrou, has served as Mayor of Pau since 2014.

The Departmental Council of Pyrénées Atlantiques has 54 seats. Its president has been Jean Jacques Lasserre of the Democratic Movement since 2015.