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Niort
Panorama Niort.jpg
Coat of arms of Niort
Coat of arms
Niort is located in France
Niort
Niort
Location in France
Niort is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Niort
Niort
Location in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Country France
Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Deux-Sèvres
Arrondissement Niort
Canton 3 cantons
Intercommunality CA Niortais
Area
1
68.20 km2 (26.33 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)
59,193
 • Density 867.93/km2 (2,247.93/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
79191 /79000
Elevation 2–77 m (6.6–252.6 ft)
(avg. 28 m or 92 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Niort ( Poitevin: Niàu; Occitan: Niòrt; Latin: Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.

The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area.

Geography

The town is located on the river Sèvre Niortaise and is a centre of angelica cultivation in France. Near Niort at Maisonnay there is one of the tallest radio masts in France (height: 330 metres).

Transport

Niort has a railway station on the TGV route between Paris and La Rochelle, Gare de Niort. Direct TGV to Paris Montparnasse station takes 2 hours and 15 minutes. Niort is a road and motorway junction, connected to Paris and Bordeaux by the A10 motorway, with Nantes by the A83, and with La Rochelle by the N11. It is the largest French city to offer free mass transit.

Population

The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Niort proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Niort absorbed the former commune of Souché in 1964, Sainte-Pezenne in 1965, Saint-Florent in 1968 and Saint-Liguaire in 1971.

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1793 11,515 —    
1800 15,028 +3.88%
1806 15,066 +0.04%
1821 15,499 +0.19%
1831 17,000 +0.93%
1836 18,197 +1.37%
1841 18,739 +0.59%
1846 18,604 −0.14%
1851 18,727 +0.13%
1856 20,037 +1.36%
1861 20,831 +0.78%
1866 20,775 −0.05%
1872 21,344 +0.45%
1876 20,923 −0.50%
1881 22,254 +1.24%
1886 23,015 +0.67%
1891 23,225 +0.18%
1896 23,674 +0.38%
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1901 23,897 +0.19%
1906 23,329 −0.48%
1911 23,775 +0.38%
1921 23,559 −0.09%
1926 25,721 +1.77%
1931 25,935 +0.17%
1936 27,830 +1.42%
1946 32,752 +1.64%
1954 33,167 +0.16%
1962 37,512 +1.55%
1968 48,469 +4.36%
1975 62,267 +3.64%
1982 58,203 −0.96%
1990 57,012 −0.26%
1999 56,663 −0.07%
2007 58,576 +0.42%
2012 57,607 −0.33%
2017 58,707 +0.38%
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017)

Economy

Niort is the French capital of mutual insurance and bank companies, with the headquarters of MAAF, MAIF, MACIF, SMACL and regional branches of national mutual companies such as Groupama, Banque Populaire. Niort is a main financial centre of France (fourth ranked after Paris, Lyon and Lille). Chemistry and aeronautics are the main industries.

Niort is a major administrative and commercial centre.

Notable people

Niort is the birthplace of the following people:

  • Mickaël Brunet, footballer
  • Achille-Félix Montaubry (1826–98), tenor singer associated with opéra comique and operetta
  • Gaston Chérau (1872–1937), writer, a member of the Académie Goncourt
  • Aurélien Capoue, footballer
  • Étienne Capoue, footballer
  • Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon (1635–1719), second wife of Louis XIV
  • Henri-Georges Clouzot (1904–1977), film director
  • Paul Collomp (1885–1943), French hellenist and papyrologist
  • Julien N'Da, footballer
  • Louis-Marcelin, marquis de Fontanes (1757–1821), poet and politician
  • Jean-Francois Milou, architect, born 1953, member of the French Order of Architects
  • Mamadou Camara, footballer
  • Pascal Depierris (born 1967), former professional footballer
  • Isabelle Druet (born 1979), mezzo-soprano
  • Mickaël James (born 1976), former professional footballer
  • Jacques Antoine Marie de Liniers et Brémond (Santiago Antonio María de Liniers y Bremond) (1753–1810), Spanish Viceroy in the Río de la Plata
  • Jean Sauvaget (1901–1950), historian and orientalist
  • Philippe Souchard (born 1979), footballer
  • Mathieu Texier (born 1981), footballer

Fictional works

Niort is featured or mentioned in the following fictional works:

Sports

The football team is Chamois Niortais, which plays in the Ligue 2, the second-highest league in French football. Rugby team Stade Niortais celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2009. The city also is home to a professional basketball club named ASN Niort. The team plays at the second highest league in French basketball. The team celebrated its 100th birthday in 2021.

Education

Donjeon
The old keep of Niort

Upper secondary schools:

  • Lycée Jean Macé
  • Lycée général, technologique et professionnel Paul Guérin
  • Lycée de la Venise Verte
  • Lycée professionnel Gaston Barré
  • Lycée professionnel Thomas Jean Main
  • Lycée de l'horticulture et du paysage
  • Lycée Saint-André / Notre-Dame (private)

There is a post-secondary institution, Pôle universitaire de Niort.

International relations

Niort is twinned with:

Climate

Climate data for Niort (1981–2010 averages)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.0
(62.6)
22.1
(71.8)
25.5
(77.9)
29.8
(85.6)
32.3
(90.1)
38.0
(100.4)
38.1
(100.6)
40.1
(104.2)
35.7
(96.3)
30.0
(86.0)
22.9
(73.2)
19.2
(66.6)
40.1
(104.2)
Average high °C (°F) 8.5
(47.3)
10.0
(50.0)
13.4
(56.1)
16.0
(60.8)
20.0
(68.0)
23.7
(74.7)
26.1
(79.0)
26.1
(79.0)
22.9
(73.2)
18.0
(64.4)
12.2
(54.0)
8.9
(48.0)
17.2
(63.0)
Average low °C (°F) 2.4
(36.3)
2.3
(36.1)
4.0
(39.2)
5.7
(42.3)
9.4
(48.9)
12.4
(54.3)
14.3
(57.7)
14.0
(57.2)
11.6
(52.9)
9.3
(48.7)
5.1
(41.2)
2.9
(37.2)
7.8
(46.0)
Record low °C (°F) −16.0
(3.2)
−13.3
(8.1)
−10.7
(12.7)
−4.8
(23.4)
−1.6
(29.1)
3.1
(37.6)
5.1
(41.2)
4.4
(39.9)
2.5
(36.5)
−3.3
(26.1)
−7.0
(19.4)
−10.5
(13.1)
−16.0
(3.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 84.4
(3.32)
66.1
(2.60)
63.8
(2.51)
71.3
(2.81)
69.9
(2.75)
59.2
(2.33)
55.5
(2.19)
50.3
(1.98)
60.5
(2.38)
96.8
(3.81)
93.2
(3.67)
96.2
(3.79)
867.2
(34.14)
Average precipitation days 12.3 9.9 10.4 10.6 11.2 8.0 7.4 6.5 7.7 11.5 11.9 12.3 119.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours 78.0 106.0 157.7 180.1 215.0 243.2 251.0 247.5 203.2 133.0 90.2 75.4 1,980.3
Source: Meteo France

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Niort para niños

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