Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Blieux (French pronunciation: [blijø]; Occitan: Blieus) is a rural commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France.
Blieux
| |
|---|---|
 A ravine in the territory of the Blieux commune | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Blieux  | |
  Blieux  Blieux | |
| Coordinates: 43°52′24″N 6°22′18″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Arrondissement | Castellane |
| Canton | Riez |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Gérard Collomp[1] |
| Area 1 | 56.8 km2 (21.9 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 54 |
| • Density | 0.95/km2 (2.5/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04030 /04330 |
| Elevation | 831–1,921 m (2,726–6,302 ft) (avg. 950 m or 3,120 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
The commune of Blieux first appeared on maps in 1100.[3]
Much later, during the French Revolution, records show that the residents of Blieux had created a political club (patriotic society), which was very common at the time. (See Jacobin Club).[4]
According to Ernest Nègre, the first recorded name for the commune, Bleus, was derived from the Occitan word bleusse, meaning 'dry'. This was likely a reference to the local soil.[5] By contrast, Charles Rostaing argues that the name derives from the pre-Indo-European root word, *BL, meaning 'mountain in the form of a spur'.[6]
La Melle, the name of a nearby hamlet, comes from the Celtic word, mello, meaning an elevated location.[7]
Historically, Blieux was a pastoral community, with a yearly alpine grazing cycle known as transhumance. As with much of Provence, tourism the primary source of economic activity today[citation needed].
The village is located at an altitude of 950m,[3] in the valley formed by a tributary of the river Asse, known as the 'Asse de Blieux'.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 59 | — |
| 1975 | 54 | −1.26% |
| 1982 | 59 | +1.27% |
| 1990 | 57 | −0.43% |
| 1999 | 59 | +0.38% |
| 2009 | 56 | −0.52% |
| 2014 | 59 | +1.05% |
| 2020 | 55 | −1.16% |
| Source: INSEE[8] | ||
With the exception of those that have been totally abandoned, Blieux is one of the communities in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department that has experienced the greatest population decline from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries.
Inhabitants are known as Blieuxois (masculine) and Blieuxoises (feminine) in French.
