Bélesta-en-Lauragais
Commune in Occitania, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bélesta-en-Lauragais (French pronunciation: [belɛsta ɑ̃ loʁaɡɛ], literally Bélesta in Lauragais; Occitan: Belestar de Lauragués) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.
Bélesta-en-Lauragais
| |
|---|---|
The town hall in Bélesta-en-Lauragais | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Bélesta-en-Lauragais | |
  Bélesta-en-Lauragais Location within France  Bélesta-en-Lauragais Location within Occitanie | |
| Coordinates: 43°26′32″N 1°49′24″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Haute-Garonne |
| Arrondissement | Toulouse |
| Canton | Revel |
| Intercommunality | CC aux sources du Canal du Midi |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Jean-Luc Gouxette[1] |
Area 1 | 5.59 km2 (2.16 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 114 |
| • Density | 20.4/km2 (52.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 31060 /31540 |
| Elevation | 209–300 m (686–984 ft) (avg. 260 m or 850 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 74 | — |
| 1975 | 61 | −2.72% |
| 1982 | 72 | +2.40% |
| 1990 | 66 | −1.08% |
| 1999 | 84 | +2.72% |
| 2007 | 110 | +3.43% |
| 2012 | 108 | −0.37% |
| 2017 | 115 | +1.26% |
| 2023 | 114 | −0.15% |
| Source: INSEE[3] | ||
The inhabitants of the commune are known in French as Bélestais and Bélestaises.
Astronomical observatory
A group of amateur astronomers formed the Association pour le Développement Amateur d’un Grand Instrument d’Observation (ADAGIO), which established the Bélesta Observatory in 1996. In 2019, the association donated the land from the Bélesta Observatory to the Société astronomique de France, with ADAGIO remaining the owner and operator of the telescopes.[4]
