Canton of Montréal, Gers
| Canton of Montreal | |
|---|---|
| French canton | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Midi-Pyrénées |
| Department | Gers |
| Arrondissement | Condom |
| Seat | Montreal |
| Communes | 9 |
| Area¹ | |
| • Total | 241.62 km2 (93.29 sq mi) |
| Population (1999) | |
| • Total | 4,741 |
| • Density | 20/km2 (51/sq mi) |
| Cantonal code | 32 21 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2. | |
The canton of Montréal is a former administrative division in the Gers department, which is itself a component of the region Midi-Pyrénées, in the area formerly called Gascony, France. It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. It consisted of 9 communes, which joined the canton of Armagnac-Ténarèze in 2015.
The canton lies around Montréal in the arrondissement of Condom, the altitudes vary between 64 m at Fourcès and 186 m at Castelnau-d'Auzan with an average altitude of 143 m. The canton is situated on the limits of the departements Lot-et-Garonne and Landes.
It is a very rurally agrarian area, practically without tourism, in the Armagnac-Ténarèze, exclusively confessed for its production of Armagnac, foie gras and Côtes de Gascogne wines.
The canton of Montréal counted nine communes with a total area of 240 km².
Like in other communes in rural France, the canton is facing a major decline in population. In 1962 the canton had 5,938 citizens. At the last count of the population in 1999, only 4,741 inhabitants could be counted, representing a decrease of 20%. This decrease is still continuing.
Young people leave the area, the old stay behind.
This phenomenon started, as in many other rural areas during the War of 1914-1918. Many young men did not return home, with the consequences we still see to day. Lack of manpower changed the once wealthy and healthy pastoral area in a region where the population and wealth both decreased. New immigrants from Spain and Italy compensated partly for the loss in population.
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