Le Mas-d'Azil

Le Mas-d'Azil
The church of Saint-Etienne
Coat of arms
Le Mas-d'Azil
Location within Midi-Pyrénées region  Le Mas-d'Azil
Coordinates: 43°04′54″N 1°21′41″E / 43.0817°N 1.3614°ECoordinates: 43°04′54″N 1°21′41″E / 43.0817°N 1.3614°E
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Ariège
Arrondissement	Pamiers
Canton	Le Mas-d'Azil
Intercommunality	L'Arize
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Raymond Berdou
Area^1	39.36 km^2 (15.20 sq mi)
Population (2008)^2	1,226
• Density	31/km^2 (81/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	09181 / 09290
Elevation	275–580 m (902–1,903 ft) (avg. 320 m or 1,050 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. ^2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Le Mas-d'Azil is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France, containing a cave that is the typesite for the prehistoric Azilian culture. The Grotte du Mas d'Azil (sometimes hyphenated, sometimes not) is a "supersite" with rich remains of human usage from about 30,000 years ago, and is also a key site for the preceding Magdalenian culture. The D119 road runs right through the large cave, which is a natural tunnel 420 metres long and 50 metres high.^[1]

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1962	1,643	—
1968	1,682	+2.4%
1975	1,568	−6.8%
1982	1,404	−10.5%
1990	1,307	−6.9%
1999	1,117	−14.5%
2008	1,226	+9.8%

See also

• Communes of the Ariège department

References

• INSEE

1. Philippe Barbour, Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls (2004). Cadogan guides France. New Holland Publishers. p. 520. ISBN 186011881X.; Paul G. Bahn, Jean Vertut (1997). Journey Through the Ice Age. p. 96. ISBN 9780520213067.