Lys, Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Lys
Lys
Location within Aquitaine region  Lys
Coordinates: 43°07′52″N 0°21′06″W / 43.1311°N 0.3517°WCoordinates: 43°07′52″N 0°21′06″W / 43.1311°N 0.3517°W
Country	France
Region	Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes
Department	Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Arrondissement	Oloron-Sainte-Marie
Canton	Arudy
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes de la Vallée d'Ossau
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Francis Laur
Area^1	15.40 km^2 (5.95 sq mi)
Population (2006)^2	353
• Density	23/km^2 (59/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	64363 / 64260
Elevation	304–510 m (997–1,673 ft) (avg. 424 m or 1,391 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.

Lys is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France.

Geography

Hydrography

The town is bisected by a tributary of the Gave de Pau, the Luz Creek (15.2 km in France) and its tributaries:

• The Gest Brook (14.8 km in France) and its tributary:
  • The Herran stream
• The Luz de Casalis brook

A tributary of the Beez (which in itself is a tributary of the Gave de Pau) also runs through the town: the Landistou Creek (12.5 km in France) and its tributaries:

• The Betbeder stream
• The Bonnasserre stream
• The Chourrup stream
• The Lazerau stream
• The Lespereu stream

The town is also traversed by the stream of the Fountain Mesplé, and its tributary, the stream of Subercase.

Localities and Hamlets

• lou Boscq
• Vic de Hoges de Baix
• Vic de Hoges de Haut
• Vic de Lis de Baix
• Vic de Lis de Haut

Surrounding Communities

• Sévignacq-Meyracq to the north
• Haut-de-Bosdarros to the northeast
• Bruges-Capbis-Mifaget to the east
• Sainte-Colome to the southwest
• Louvie-Juzon to the south

Toponymy

The name Lys appears as Lis-Sainte-Colomme (Lily Saint Colomme) from the 1721 census. The name comes from Gascony, and means 'flat land'.

History

Lys was formerly an annex of Sainte-Colome until it acquired municipality status on January 2, 1858.

Government

Francis Laur has served as mayor since 1995, and is currently serving his third term, which will last until 2014.

Intermunicipal

The town is part of six intercommunal structures:

• Communauté de communes de la Vallée d'Ossau (The Municipality of the Ossau Valley)
• Syndicat de la perception d'Arudy
• Municipal association for the management of the Beez and Ouzom watersheds.
• Municipal association for the construction of the CES of Nay
• Ossau Valley water union
• Lower Ossau electric union

Population

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
-	1080	1070	1084	1040	962	985	998	924
1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
916	908	856	685	657	622	621	564	526
1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2007	-
518	450	430	412	376	348	353	354	-

Economy

The town's economy is primarily oriented toward agriculture and livestock (sheep, cattle, pigs, mules).

See also

• Ossau Valley
• Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
• Sainte-Colome

References

• INSEE