Prior to the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, most of the present department was part of the former Principality of Catalonia, within the Crown of Aragon, therefore part of the Kingdom of Spain, so the majority of it has historically been See more

Pyrénées-Orientales is a wine-growing area and a tourist destination. See more

The cuisine of Pyrénées-Orientales draws naturally from the historical Catalan presence in the area, so dishes like paella, cargols a la llauna and calçots are prevalent in the restaurants, especially at important dates such as the various saints' feast days and … See more

• Intercommunalities of the Pyrénées-Orientales department See more

Pyrénées-Orientales has an area of 4,115 km . It consists of three river valleys in the Pyrenees mountain range –from north to south, those of the See more

Population development since 1793:
French is spoken by almost the entire population. Minority languages in the region are Catalan and Occitan, which between them are estimated to be spoken by 34% of the population and understood by an additional 21%. See more

Places of interest include:
• Banyuls-sur-Mer, famous for its Grenache-based Banyuls wine, birthplace of See more