Bélesta, Ariège

Commune in Occitanie, France

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Commune in Occitania, France

Coat of arms

Location of Bélesta

(2020–2026) Marcel Girma^[1]Area

26.94 km² (10.40 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

1,078 • Density40/km² (100/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

09047 /09300

Elevation475–1,082 m (1,558–3,550 ft)
(avg. 494 m or 1,621 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Bélesta (French pronunciation: [belɛsta] ^ⓘ; Occitan: Belestar) is a commune, situated on the Hers-Vif river in the Ariège department of southwestern France.

History

Situated in the valley of the Hers-Vif, Bélesta is known for its fir tree forest, which was a former royal forest whose wood was used to construct the mast of ships. 1 km upstream from the village is a spring, created by a significant surge of water from the Karst Plateau de Sault.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1962	1,265	—
1968	1,330	+5.1%
1975	1,441	+8.3%
1982	1,386	−3.8%
1990	1,337	−3.5%
1999	1,179	−11.8%
2008	1,106	−6.2%

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.