Gard

Gard
From top down, left to right: Pont du Gard, prefecture building in Nîmes, Cévennes and Arena of Nîmes
Flag of Gard
Coat of arms of Gard
Location of Gard in France
Location of Gard in France
Coordinates: 44°7′41″N 4°4′54″E / 44.12806°N 4.08167°E / 44.12806; 4.08167
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
PrefectureNîmes
SubprefecturesAlès
Le Vigan
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilFrançoise Laurent-Perrigot[1] (PS)
Area
 • Total5,853 km2 (2,260 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Total756,543
 • Rank32nd
 • Density130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number30
Arrondissements3
Cantons23
Communes351
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Gard (French pronunciation: [ɡaʁ] ) is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;[3] its prefecture is Nîmes.

The department is named after the river Gardon. In recent decades of the 21st century, local administration and French speakers have returned to the original Occitan name of the river, Gard (Occitan pronunciation: [gaɾ]). It is part of a revival of Occitan culture.

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Populations légales 2019: 30 Gard, INSEE