Midi-Pyrénées (Occitan: Miègjorn-Pirenèus or
Mieidia-Pirenèus) is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than
the Netherlands
or Denmark
.
Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity.
It is one of the
regions of France created artificially in the late 20th century to
serve as a hinterland and zone of
influence for its capital, Toulouse
, one of a
handful of so-called "balancing metropolises" (métropoles
d'équilibre)¹. Another example of
this is the region of Rhône-Alpes
which was created as the region for Lyon
.
The name chosen for the new region was decided by the French
central government without reference to the historical provinces
(too many of them inside the region) and based purely on geography:
Midi (i.e.
"southern regions") -
Pyrénées (Pyrénées
mountains
that are the southern limit of the region). The French
adjective and name of the inhabitants of the region is:
Midi-Pyrénéen.
Geographical make-up
Historically, Midi-Pyrénées is made up of several former
French provinces:
- 24.2%
of Midi-Pyrénées is Gascony
: western
half of Haute-Garonne
department,
southwest of Tarn-et-Garonne
, Gers
in its
entirety, extreme north of Hautes-Pyrénées
. Gascony here includes the province of
Comminges, which historically was a
Pyrenean province,
but later expanded all the way north to Muret
in the
southern suburbs of Toulouse, then was fragmented, and became an
eastern fringe of Gascony. Gascony also extends over the Aquitaine
region.
- 23.4%
of Midi-Pyrénées is Languedoc: eastern
half of Haute-Garonne, southeast of Tarn-et-Garonne, Tarn
in its entirety, northwest and northeast of
Ariège
.
Languedoc
includes the sub-province of Albigeois
(Tarn department), which is sometimes considered as
a province separate from Languedoc. Languedoc also
extends over the Languedoc-Roussillon
region.
- 19.9%
of Midi-Pyrénées is Rouergue: Aveyron
department in its entirety, and extreme east of
Tarn-et-Garonne. The province of Rouergue is entirely
contained inside Midi-Pyrénées.
- 15.4%
of Midi-Pyrénées is Quercy: department of
Lot
in its entirety, and northern half of
Tarn-et-Garonne. The province of Quercy is entirely
contained inside Midi-Pyrénées.
- 16.6% of Midi-Pyrénées is a collection of small Pyrenean
provinces, from east to west: County of
Foix (eastern half of Ariège), Couserans (western half of Ariège), Nébouzan (extreme south of Haute-Garonne and
extreme east of Hautes-Pyrénées), Quatre-Vallées (i.e. "Four Valleys")
(east of Hautes-Pyrénées), and Bigorre (west
and center of Hautes-Pyrénées). All these provinces are entirely
contained inside Midi-Pyrénées.
- 0.5% of Midi-Pyrénées is Agenais:
extreme west of Tarn-et-Garonne. Agenais extends essentially over
the Aquitaine region.
The historical make-up of Midi-Pyrénées is even more complex, as
the provinces listed here are further subdivided into
pays
(i.e.
"countries"), with each their peculiarities
and particular identities, such as Armagnac, Astarac, or Lomagne inside
the Gascogne part of Midi-Pyrénées, Lauragais
or Volvestre inside the
Languedoc part of Midi-Pyrénées, Bonezan
inside County of Foix, Lavedan inside
Bigorre, and so on.
The Pyrenean provinces of Couserans, Nébouzan, Quatre-Vallées, and
Bigorre (but not County of Foix) are sometimes considered to be
part of Gascony. These Pyrenean provinces were all born out of the
old
Roman province of
Novempopulana, later known as
Vasconia (because of the
Basque influence), and later as Gascony, from
which they seceded over time.
Furthermore, after the 16th century these
Pyrenean provinces were made part of the military region of
Gascony, and later in the 18th century they were ruled from
Auch
by the intendant of Auch,
as with the rest of Gascony. If these Pyrenean provinces are
included inside Gascony, then 35.4% of Midi-Pyrénées is Gascony,
outweighing Languedoc and its 23.4%.
This point is still a matter of debate. The Pyrenean provinces
developed strong peculiarities over time, protected by their
isolated valleys, and they looked quite distinct from the rest of
Gascony. What's more, Bigorre, Quatre-Vallées, Nébouzan, and even
Comminges kept their provincial states until the
French Revolution, while Gascony had no
provincial states. These Pyrenean provinces sent their
representatives to the
Estates-General of 1789 in
Versailles at the beginning of the Revolution, whereas the various
other parts of Gascony sent their own representatives.
Finally, it should be noted that in demographic terms, given the
overwhelming demographic weight of Toulouse (located in Languedoc),
the majority of the inhabitants of Midi-Pyrénées live in the
Languedoc part of Midi-Pyrénées. As a matter of fact, the
historical flag of Languedoc, the
Occitan
cross, was adopted as the official flag of the Midi-Pyrénées
region by the regional council. This historical flag of Languedoc
is itself derived from the
coat of arms
of the old
county of
Toulouse.
Elements of unity
In the
Middle Ages, most of what is now
Midi-Pyrénées was ruled at some time or another by the
counts of Toulouse (except for
Hautes-Pyrénées and the west of Gers), either directly or through
vassals (such as in the case of Foix). After
the French conquest in the 13th century, the county of Toulouse was
dismantled, and eventually Languedoc was born as a remnant of the
old county, but quite smaller than it. Nonetheless, until the
French Revolution the
Parlement
(supreme court of justice) of Toulouse extended its jurisdiction
over not just Languedoc, but also all the other territories that
are now Midi-Pyrénées.
Thus, towns like Tarbes (Bigorre), Auch (Gascony), or Rodez
(Rouergue)
were already under the jurisdiction of Toulouse before the
Revolution, although only for judicial and legal
matters.
Demographics
Here again, Midi-Pyrénées is a region of sharp contrasts. While the
metropolitan area of Toulouse at the center of the region is a
highly densely populated area, with densities reaching 3500
inhabitants per km² (9000 inhabitants per sq. miles), the rest of
the region is sparsely populated, with densities ranging from 12 to
60 inh. per km² (31 to 155 inh. per sq. miles), which are among the
lowest densities in western Europe. Toulouse is often presented as
an oasis in the middle of a desert. Driving a mere half-an-hour
away from Toulouse, one goes from the hustle and bustle of the busy
metropolitan area to the slow pace and timelessness of the hilly
countryside of Gascony or Lauragais and their narrow winding roads
with seldom any traffic.
Midi-Pyrénées was divided in two by its traditional languages,
Languedocian Occitan and
Gascon
Occitan, with Toulouse lying by the limit
between the two dialects of Occitan language, on the Languedocian
side. Gascon (in its several local variants :
Bearnese,
Aranese) was traditionally spoken in the
west and southwest of the region: Gascony, Bigorre, Quatre Vallées,
Nébouzan, Comminges, Couserans. While other variants of Occitan
(but primarily Languedocian) was spoken in the east and northeast
of the region: Languedoc, Rouergue, Quercy, and Comté de
Foix.
However, French is now dominant in the region, and Midi-Pyrénées is
unlike Catalonia or northern Wales where the regional languages are
still very much part of everyday life in urban areas at least.
Occitan was still very much used on a daily basis in the Garonne
and Tarn valleys by the beginning of the 20th century though. More
distant and isolated regions resisted longer, and as late as in the
1970s it was still possible to hear Occitan in the farmer markets
of Gascony or Rouergue. Nonetheless, even there, changes in the
last 30 years of the 20th century have been dramatic, despite
regional efforts to revive the language by teaching them in schools
(
calendretas). Today, Languedocian
Occitan is only spoken by the older people in the distant areas of
Quercy, Rouergue, and Comté de Foix and Gascon is only spoken by
older people in distant areas of Gascony and the Pyrenees valleys.
The regional channel France 3 broadcasts programs in Occitan (but
not its Gascon dialect) a few hours per week. Speakers of Gascon
complain of the hegemony of Languedocian Occitan and its cultural
center of Toulouse, and some followers of a self-proclaimed
linguist, Mr. Lafitte, even reject the classification of Gascon as
a dialect of Occitan.
Today, although the daily use regional languages of Midi-Pyrénées
have for the most part strongly diminished, they have left a strong
imprint on the French language that is spoken in the region. French
in Midi-Pyrénées is pronounced with a distinct southwestern
pronunciation (with many variants from Rouergue, to Toulouse, to
Bigorre). Moreover, people in Midi-Pyrénées use some words and
expressions coming from Occitan which are different from standard
French and other languages used in France and which are not easily
understood outside of southwest France. In that respect, the
linguistic situation in Midi-Pyrénées may be compared with that of
Ireland, where the use of Irish Gaelic has for the most part
decreased, but has left a strong imprint on the accent and the
vocabulary of the English that is used in Ireland.
The
population in the metropolitan area of Toulouse is significantly younger and with a higher level of
education than in the rest of Midi-Pyrénées. Outside of Toulouse,
Midi-Pyrénées is an aging region, which combines with a loss of
population, as can be also seen in Limousin
or other declining areas of France.
Incomes
are also rather high in the Toulouse metropolitan area, among the
highest in France outside of the metropolitan area of Paris
, Lyon and Marseille
whereas outside of Toulouse incomes in
Midi-Pyrénées are rather low, among the lowest in
France.
Finally, Midi-Pyrénées is the only region in France where the
largest city (Toulouse) is so much more populous than the other
towns and cities in the region. The metropolitan area of Toulouse
(1,000,000 inhabitants) far outweighs the second largest
metropolitan area of Midi-Pyrénées,
Tarbes,
with only 110,000 inhabitants.
For all these reasons, Midi-Pyrénées is often dubbed "Toulouse and
the Midi-Pyrenean desert", in reference to the famous phrase "Paris
and the French desert" coined by the French geographer
Jean-François Gravier in 1947,
when it was felt that the ever expanding urban area of Paris, so
much larger than any other city in France, would soon attract all
the French population and economy, turning the rest of the country
into a desert. Cities and towns in Midi-Pyrénées complain of the
overwhelming weight of Toulouse inside the region, and they resent
the fact that so much is done for Toulouse by the regional council,
turning the Midi-Pyrénées region into a "Region of Toulouse".
Indeed, the city of Toulouse adopted the Occitan Flag as its
official flag, thus Toulouse and Midi-Pyrénées are currently
sharing the same flag. Despite the controversy, most researchers
agree that far from distracting resources and workers from the rest
of the region, Toulouse is actually acting as a locomotive for the
whole region. Without Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées would probably be
declining much more than it has in the recent decades, both
demographically and culturally as well as economically.
Politics
Despite all these differences, it is wrong to assume that
Midi-Pyrénées exists only on paper. Since the region was created in
the 1970s, a certain sense of a "Midi-Pyrenean" identity has
emerged. Inhabitants of the region share common cultural or social
features, some of them not just particular to Midi-Pyrénées, but
common to the whole of southwest France, such as an interest in
Rugby union: the south-west of France is
even called
The Land of the Oval Ball ( . There are images
that come spontaneously to the mind of Midi-Pyrénées people when
thinking about their region, such as the Airbus planes leaving
their factories in Toulouse, the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees, or a
game of rugby. These three images were used for some time by the
regional council in video clips to promote the distinct identity of
the region. The regional council has also played a key role in
developing a network of motorways/freeways to bring all the
different areas of Midi-Pyrénées together. As of 2005, there are
seven motorways/freeways that radiate from Toulouse and link all
the most distant corners of the region with its capital city (with
two of these seven motorways/freeways only partly built and
scheduled to be completed by 2010-2015). A network of Regional
Express Trains was also set up by the regional council to ensure
frequent train connections between the different parts of the
region.
Perhaps more importantly, the dynamism of Toulouse, as well as the
fact that many young people from Midi-Pyrénées move to Toulouse
after high-school, means that the inhabitants of Midi-Pyrénées
identify more and more with the regional capital, which acts as a
strong bond between people and areas otherwise quite diverse. When
traveling away from southern France, someone from Midi-Pyrénées
will in most cases introduce oneself as coming "from Toulouse".
Contrary to other régions of France, in Midi-Pyrénées there exist
no other regional city that can rival Toulouse, so all turn toward
Toulouse, which is seen as the cultural, economical, and political
center.
An
interesting phenomenon is that Midi-Pyrénées is one of the very few
areas in France where young people, when thinking about "making it"
in life, still prefer in their majority to move to their regional
capital rather than to Paris with the Rhône-Alpes region around Lyon and maybe
also the Bouches-du-Rhône
around Marseille. In most other regions of France, such as
Champagne-Ardenne, Centre, or even Burgundy, some of which exist
more on paper than in reality, young people always prefer to move
to Paris rather than to their regional capital. The phrase "monter
à Paris" (literally "to ascend to Paris") was even coined to
describe this phenomenon of young people leaving their regions to
move to Paris. Here, Midi-Pyrénées stands clearly apart, with
Toulouse being largely favored by young people over Paris, which is
another proof of the strong identity that has developed around the
regional capital.
Economy of Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of France. It occupies a
strategic position between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic
Ocean. In 2006 its total GDP was 87,915 billions $ for a population
of 2,755,000 people. It had a GDP/capita of $32,519 a year with an
unemployment of 8.9%, the GDP per employment was equal to $80,103 a
year. The economy of Midi-Pyrénées can be divided into three
sectors.
Primary sector: Because of its size
Midi-Pyrénées
has the largest number of farms of all France with 60,000 farms in
active use. It has also the largest amount of land readily usable
with 2.6 million hectares. This is however being reduced by both
the increasing population and the
CAP. The departments of the Gers,
Aveyron, Lot and Tarn-et-Garonne have the most significant
agriculural activity of the region. Wine production has suffered in
recent years from declining demand, reducing prices and
over-production. There are 19
AOC wines in
the region. A policy of merging producers into wider groups has
been initiated.
Secondary sector: The second largest part of the
industrial production of the region is the food industry. 4.6bn
Euros are generated each year agriculture. It is however evolving
as it received the fourth largest amount of foreign investment of
France and is the region of France that created the largest number
of entreprises in 2005 with 14,398 new entreprises. Excluding the
construction and civil engineering field the secondary sector uses
15% of the regional ressources. There are several groups who have
important offices and structures in the region like:
Airbus,
EADS,
Alcatel,
Siemens,
Bosch and
Pierre Fabre. Aerospace industry
is an important source of income for the region and employs 57,000
people not to mention all the surrounding entreprises (more than
3,000) which work on the engineering, electronic, telecommunication
and computing infrastructure for this industry. However there is a
large restructuring plan ongoing and about 10,000 new jobs are
expected to be lost outright and partners will be regrouped into
larger entities.
Tertiary sector: The region has been behind the other
French regions for a long time on services. However this has
changed a lot in the recent years and there are many important
consulting and telemarketing companies based in the area or with
important offices, such as
France
Telecom,
IBM and
CapGemini. It is Toulouse, the largest city and
capital, that currently concentrates the largest amount of
employment however with the progressive extensions of
transportation this has been grown considerably in recent years. In
late 2006 a large plan was initiated to replace older train, the
circulation of regional train has kept on increasing and has now
reach the amount of ten million journeys each year. With 80,000
students and 15,000 scientists divided into 400 laboratories the
region ranks in France's top three for scientific research.
Technology transfers to small-business-entreprises is therefore
substantial.
Tourism is an important source of incomes
for the region, partly due to a sunny climate and the presence of
the Pyrénées
. It is well known for its gastronomy and
quality of life.
Aside of casual tourism the small town of
Lourdes
, because of religious pilgrimage, is France's
second largest tourist destination after Paris and has more hotels
than any other city but Paris.
Future of the region
The administrative division of France is currently in debate. Many
think that the
communes are too
small and should be merged, that the departments are outdated and
should disappear, and that the regions are too small and too
numerous (22 in
metropolitan
France) and should be merged. Regarding Midi-Pyrénées, there
are two thoughts:
There are those who stress the Aquitainian nature of Midi-Pyrénées,
often referring to Midi-Pyrénées as being mostly made up of
Gascony, minimizing the importance of Languedoc in the region.
The
Midi-Pyrénées and Aquitaine regions share a common destiny it is explained,
linked by the Garonne River, and were artificially
separated. It is thus proposed to merge the two regions into
a large region of southwest France.
There have even been talks about building
a single international airport of southwest France that would be
located half-way between Toulouse and Bordeaux
(capital of the Aquitaine region), which are
240 km. (150 miles) from each other. Without entering
into the debate over whether such a distant airport would make any
sense at all, it is quite clear that merging both regions would
create strong rivalries between Toulouse and Bordeaux, which are
competitors economically speaking, not to mention the almost
impossible task of choosing which of the two cities should become
the capital of the new region.
On the
other hand, there are those who stress the past of Toulouse,
referring to the former County of Toulouse which extended to the
Mediterranean Coast, and who would like to merge Midi-Pyrénées with
Languedoc-Roussillon in order to create a large Languedoc region.
This indeed would reunify the old province of Languedoc, which was
split between Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon, and it would
also make sense historically speaking, creating a region roughly
corresponding to the old county of Toulouse. There also seems to be
less economic competition between Toulouse and the cities of
Languedoc-Roussillon.
However, political leaders of Montpellier
(capital of Languedoc-Roussillon) may disagree with
the merger, opposed to losing their status of regional capital in
favor of Toulouse, and loath to have Toulouse dominate the
Mediterranean coast after it has dominated Midi-Pyrénées for more
than 30 years already. Also, people in Roussillon, with their distinct Catalan
culture, might object to being incorporated into a
very large Languedoc region where their identity could become
diluted.
The debate is still going on, and there will probably be no changes
in the boundaries of French regions for some time.
What is sure is that
Midi-Pyrénées, located half-way between the Mediterranean and
Atlantic coasts, shares aspects of both worlds, and cannot be
easily classified as either Mediterranean
or Atlantic
, being more a blend of the two.
Major communities
See also
External links
Notes
¹
In the 1960s, eight large regional cities of France (Toulouse,
Lille
, Nancy
, Strasbourg
, Lyon, Nantes
, Bordeaux, and Marseille) were made "balancing metropolises", receiving
special financial and technical help from the French government in
order to counterbalance the excessive weight of Paris inside
France.
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