Laz, Finistère

Laz

Laz
Laz Laz
Commune
	The church of Saint-Germain and Saint-Louis, in Laz
	Coat of arms
	show Location of Laz
	Laz Show map of FranceShow map of BrittanyShow all
	Coordinates: 48°08′18″N 3°50′02″W / 48.1383°N 3.8339°WCoordinates: 48°08′18″N 3°50′02″W / 48.1383°N 3.8339°W
Country	France
Region	Brittany
Department	Finistère
Arrondissement	Châteaulin
Canton	Briec
Intercommunality	Haute Cornouaille
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Annick Barré
Area 1	34.44 km2 (13.30 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2018)	668
• Density	19/km2 (50/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	29122 /29520
Elevation	31–295 m (102–968 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Laz is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.

Geography[]

The commune is situated at the heart of a hilly and forest-covered region called the Montagnes Noires (black mountains) which extends for approximately 30 kilometres between the communes of Gourin to the east and Gouezec in the west.

The population of the commune is quite scattered, forming small settlements that could be considered as hamlets. Laz offers exceptional scenic outlooks over the valley of the Odet to the south and the canalized Aulne river and its serene locks to the north.

Economy[]

Agricultural development was held back by the French revolution and the subsequent royalist revolt, combined with poor soil conditions. The commune started to grow in the middle of the 19th century, when the use of fertiliser and other new techniques allowed the land to be brought into full agricultural use.

Population[]

Inhabitants of Laz are called in French Laziens.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1793	1,280	—
1800	1,383	+1.11%
1806	1,133	−3.27%
1821	1,291	+0.87%
1831	1,358	+0.51%
1836	1,429	+1.02%
1841	1,404	−0.35%
1846	1,555	+2.06%
1851	1,433	−1.62%
1856	1,242	−2.82%
1861	1,251	+0.14%
1866	1,250	−0.02%
1872	1,201	−0.66%
1876	1,209	+0.17%
1881	1,238	+0.48%
1886	1,245	+0.11%
1891	1,203	−0.68%
1896	1,313	+1.77%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1901	1,389	+1.13%
1906	1,412	+0.33%
1911	1,464	+0.73%
1921	1,383	−0.57%
1926	1,384	+0.01%
1931	1,370	−0.20%
1936	1,290	−1.20%
1946	1,211	−0.63%
1954	1,115	−1.03%
1962	1,025	−1.05%
1968	996	−0.48%
1975	863	−2.03%
1982	786	−1.33%
1990	706	−1.33%
1999	694	−0.19%
2007	767	+1.26%
2012	685	−2.24%
2017	661	−0.71%

Source: EHESS^[3] and INSEE (1968-2017)^[4]

References[]

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
^ "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.
^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Laz, EHESS. (in French)
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE