Saint-Paul-lès-Durance

Saint-Paul-lès-Durance (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ pɔl lɛ dyʁɑ̃s], literally Saint-Paul near Durance; also spelled Saint-Paul-lez-Durance; Provençal: Sant Pau de Durença) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in Provence, southern France.

Saint-Paul-lès-Durance
Commune
The town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Saint-Paul-lès-Durance
Saint-Paul-lès-Durance Show map of France Saint-Paul-lès-Durance Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Coordinates: 43°41′16″N 5°42′30″E
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement	Aix-en-Provence
Canton	Trets
Intercommunality	Aix-Marseille-Provence
Government
• Mayor (2021–2026)	Romain Buchaut[1]
Area 1	45.81 km2 (17.69 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	886
• Density	19/km2 (50/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	13099 /13115
Elevation	230–519 m (755–1,703 ft) (avg. 254 m or 833 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The Cadarache research center for nuclear energy is located in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance and next to it the international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject ITER one of the most expensive buildings ever built and the largest scientific research collaboration in history.

The town was established in the 10th century^[3] and has around 1,000 inhabitants, a school, a church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Aix, a 15th-century château, and a little shopping center.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	503	—
1975	463	−1.18%
1982	461	−0.06%
1990	643	+4.25%
1999	790	+2.31%
2007	964	+2.52%
2012	987	+0.47%
2017	871	−2.47%
2021	900	+0.82%
Source: INSEE[4]

See also

• Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department