Descartes, Indre-et-Loire
Descartes | |
|---|---|
 Town hall | |
 Coat of arms | |
show Location of Descartes | |
  Descartes | |
| Coordinates: 46°58′28″N 0°41′55″E / 46.9744°N 0.6986°ECoordinates: 46°58′28″N 0°41′55″E / 46.9744°N 0.6986°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Centre-Val de Loire |
| Department | Indre-et-Loire |
| Arrondissement | Loches |
| Canton | Descartes |
| Intercommunality | CC Loches Sud Touraine |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Bruno Méreau |
| Area 1 | 38.08 km2 (14.70 sq mi) |
| Population (Jan. 2018)[1] | 3,427 |
| • Density | 90/km2 (230/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 37115 /37160 |
| Elevation | 37–121 m (121–397 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Descartes (French pronunciation: [dekaʁt] (
listen)) is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. It is approximately 29 kilometers east of Richelieu and about 48 kilometers east of Loudun, on the banks of the Creuse River.
History[]
Initially called La Haye en Touraine, the town was the birthplace of the philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650), although his family home was in nearby Châtellerault. Descartes left La Haye in approximately 1606 to attend the College Henri IV at La Flèche.[2] The town was renamed La Haye-Descartes in 1802 in his honour, and then renamed again to Descartes in 1967.
Population[]
See table at left.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1793 | 997 | — |
| 1800 | 850 | −14.7% |
| 1806 | 943 | +10.9% |
| 1821 | 1,123 | +19.1% |
| 1831 | 1,293 | +15.1% |
| 1836 | 1,393 | +7.7% |
| 1841 | 1,459 | +4.7% |
| 1846 | 1,592 | +9.1% |
| 1851 | 1,633 | +2.6% |
| 1856 | 1,532 | −6.2% |
| 1861 | 1,620 | +5.7% |
| 1866 | 1,609 | −0.7% |
| 1872 | 1,722 | +7.0% |
| 1876 | 1,735 | +0.8% |
| 1881 | 1,608 | −7.3% |
| 1886 | 1,694 | +5.3% |
| 1891 | 1,806 | +6.6% |
| 1896 | 1,786 | −1.1% |
| 1901 | 1,622 | −9.2% |
| 1906 | 1,638 | +1.0% |
| 1911 | 1,697 | +3.6% |
| 1921 | 1,702 | +0.3% |
| 1926 | 1,670 | −1.9% |
| 1931 | 1,570 | −6.0% |
| 1936 | 1,537 | −2.1% |
| 1946 | 1,477 | −3.9% |
| 1954 | 1,466 | −0.7% |
| 1962 | 1,679 | +14.5% |
| 1968 | 4,267 | +154.1% |
| 1975 | 4,446 | +4.2% |
| 1982 | 4,357 | −2.0% |
| 1990 | 4,120 | −5.4% |
| 1999 | 4,015 | −2.5% |
| 2006 | 3,855 | −4.0% |
| 2009 | 3,817 | −1.0% |
Personalities[]
The town is notable in Acadian genealogy as the birthplace of the Heberts and the famous mathematician Rene Déscartes
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Editor's Preface" in on First Philosophy (Hackett: 1998)
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