- Massat
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Massat
Étang de Lers in Massat 
MassatAdministration Country France Region Midi-Pyrénées Department Ariège Arrondissement Saint-Girons Canton Massat Intercommunality Massat Mayor Léon-Pierre Galy-Gasparrou
(2008–2014)Statistics Elevation 598–1,941 m (1,962–6,368 ft)
(avg. 651 m/2,136 ft)Land area1 44.71 km2 (17.26 sq mi) Population2 710 (2008) - Density 16 /km2 (41 /sq mi) INSEE/Postal code 09182/ 09320 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. Coordinates: 42°53′23″N 1°20′55″E / 42.8897222222°N 1.34861111111°E
Massat is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.
It is situated on the former Route nationale 618, the "Route of the Pyrenees".
Contents
History
The area dates back to paleolithic times, when tribes left some traces in painted caves in the Ker valleys of Massat. The village later became a territory used by the Lords of Lomagne to disperse the population to, overcoming a serious problem of overpopulation. Several charters dating from 1146 specify the reciprocal rights of the inhabitants and the lords. The valley was directed towards an industrial activity lasting almost seven centuries. This included the manufacture of charcoal and cast iron of iron ores in five forging mills operated by Catalan women. From 1820, with the discovery of the means of melting iron with coal, the industrial prosperity of the valley disappeared.
Later in the 19th century, agricultural, primarily pastoral farming became the main source for the Massat economy, particularly the production of butter. With a very strong rural migration, amplified by World War I, the valley depopulated quickly, falling dramatically from 17,000 inhabitants in 1800 to just 1700 in total today, and just 589 in the village.
Chapel of Ave Maria
Population
Historical population of Massat 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2008 643 746 711 598 624 685 710 
See also
References
Categories:- Communes of Ariège
- Ariège geography stubs
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