Gigean

Gigean (French pronunciation: [ʒiʒɑ̃]; Occitan: Gijan) is a commune in the Hérault département in Occitanie in southern France.

Map

Gigean
Commune
Abbey St Félix de Montceau.
Coat of arms
Location of Gigean
Gigean Show map of France Gigean Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 43°30′01″N 3°42′42″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Hérault
Arrondissement	Montpellier
Canton	Frontignan
Intercommunality	CA Sète Agglopôle Méditerranée
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Marcel Stoecklin[1]
Area 1	16.56 km2 (6.39 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	6,559
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	34113 /34770
Elevation	10–232 m (33–761 ft) (avg. 44 m or 144 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Gigean is bordered by the Étang de Thau to its west, the Gardiole hills to its south and by a wine growing plain, which runs from the Moure Hills to the edge of Montpellier.

Gigean is 18 km (11 mi) from Montpellier and 14 km (8.7 mi) from Sète.

The A9 autoroute exchange is 2 km (1.2 mi) south, which runs to the A75 33 km (21 mi) away at Clermont-l'Hérault.

The climate is Mediterranean: warm and dry in the summer, mild in the winter. Autumn is often marked by rain and heavy wind.

Neighboring communes

Poussan, Montbazin, Cournonsec, Fabrègues, Vic-la-Gardiole, Frontignan and Balaruc-le-Vieux.

Population

Its inhabitants are called Gigeannais

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,847	—
1975	2,135	+2.09%
1982	2,021	−0.78%
1990	2,529	+2.84%
1999	3,552	+3.85%
2007	5,186	+4.84%
2012	5,957	+2.81%
2017	6,426	+1.53%
Source: INSEE[3]

Sights

• Saint Félix-de-Montceau: 13th century abbey, a listed monument historique since 1925, now in ruins,^[4] situated on the Gardiole hills.
• Église Saint Genis: 13th century church.

See also

• Communes of the Hérault department