Istres (French pronunciation: [istʁ]; Occitan: Istre) is a commune in southern France, some 60 km (38 mi) northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture.

Istres
Historic center
Historic center
Coat of arms of Istres
Location of Istres
Map
Istres is located in France
Istres
Istres
Istres is located in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Istres
Istres
Coordinates: 43°30′54″N 4°59′22″E / 43.51510°N 04.98950°E / 43.51510; 04.98950
CountryFrance
RegionProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
DepartmentBouches-du-Rhône
ArrondissementIstres
CantonIstres
IntercommunalityAix-Marseille-Provence
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) François Bernardini[1]
Area
1
113.73 km2 (43.91 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
44,577
 • Density390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
13047 /13800
Elevation0–120 m (0–394 ft)
(avg. 20 m or 66 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Location edit

 
Istres Harbour

Istres is adjacent to the Étang de Berre lagoon (the largest in Europe) and the Étang de l'Olivier lagoon. It is located some 60 km (38 mi) north-west of Marseille, 20 km (13 mi) south-west of Salon-de-Provence, 10 km (6 mi) north of Martigues and 45 km (28 mi) south-east of Arles. Istres is also adjacent to the plaine de la Crau and the Camargue national park.

Sports edit

The city has numerous sports facilities and exactly 102 clubs. Each year, a race is organized around the Étang de l'Olivier. Many runners participate. The town's main football club is FC Istres.

Facilities edit

Istres is the home of the Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (BA 125). This air base was one of three utilized by NASA as a contingency landing site for the Space Shuttle in the case of a Transoceanic Abort Landing.[3] Istres shared this responsibility with Zaragoza, Spain and Moron, Spain.

Climate edit

Istres has a Mediterranean climate characterised by mild, humid winters and hot, dry summers. January and February are the coldest months, averaging temperatures of around 7 °C. July and August are the hottest months. The mean summer temperature is around 24 °C (75 °F) with an average maximum temperature around 32 °C. The amount of precipitation is around 566 mm (22 inches) per year. The mistral, a cold and often violent wind, blows through the city mostly in winter and spring.

Climate data for Istres (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1920–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 21.0
(69.8)
23.3
(73.9)
26.0
(78.8)
29.8
(85.6)
34.5
(94.1)
44.3
(111.7)
39.5
(103.1)
39.8
(103.6)
34.9
(94.8)
30.9
(87.6)
25.2
(77.4)
20.3
(68.5)
44.3
(111.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 11.2
(52.2)
12.4
(54.3)
15.6
(60.1)
18.3
(64.9)
22.5
(72.5)
27.1
(80.8)
30.2
(86.4)
29.8
(85.6)
25.4
(77.7)
20.6
(69.1)
14.8
(58.6)
11.6
(52.9)
20.0
(68.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 7.0
(44.6)
7.8
(46.0)
10.7
(51.3)
13.3
(55.9)
17.4
(63.3)
21.5
(70.7)
24.6
(76.3)
24.2
(75.6)
20.3
(68.5)
16.3
(61.3)
10.8
(51.4)
7.7
(45.9)
15.2
(59.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.8
(37.0)
3.2
(37.8)
5.7
(42.3)
8.3
(46.9)
12.2
(54.0)
16.0
(60.8)
18.9
(66.0)
18.6
(65.5)
15.3
(59.5)
11.9
(53.4)
6.9
(44.4)
3.8
(38.8)
10.3
(50.5)
Record low °C (°F) −11.1
(12.0)
−13.6
(7.5)
−7.2
(19.0)
−1.4
(29.5)
3.1
(37.6)
6.7
(44.1)
9.0
(48.2)
9.6
(49.3)
5.1
(41.2)
−2.0
(28.4)
−4.9
(23.2)
−12.6
(9.3)
−13.6
(7.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 53.9
(2.12)
36.2
(1.43)
33.9
(1.33)
53.1
(2.09)
42.2
(1.66)
25.7
(1.01)
10.2
(0.40)
26.5
(1.04)
76.8
(3.02)
84.8
(3.34)
60.2
(2.37)
50.8
(2.00)
554.3
(21.82)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5.2 4.3 4.2 5.9 4.7 3.3 1.4 2.6 4.3 6.1 6.1 5.5 53.5
Average snowy days 0.8 0.8 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.8 2.8
Average relative humidity (%) 74 71 67 65 65 63 59 62 69 73 73 75 68
Source 1: Meteo France[4]
Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days 1961–1990)[5][6]

Population edit

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 2,081—    
1800 2,081+0.00%
1806 1,991−0.73%
1821 2,785+2.26%
1831 3,023+0.82%
1836 3,036+0.09%
1841 3,122+0.56%
1846 3,268+0.92%
1851 3,389+0.73%
1856 3,614+1.29%
1861 3,776+0.88%
1866 3,905+0.67%
1872 3,937+0.14%
1876 3,849−0.56%
1881 3,701−0.78%
1886 3,750+0.26%
1891 3,405−1.91%
1896 3,495+0.52%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 3,517+0.13%
1906 3,681+0.92%
1911 3,810+0.69%
1921 5,462+3.67%
1926 5,547+0.31%
1931 7,034+4.86%
1936 7,286+0.71%
1946 5,749−2.34%
1954 8,009+4.23%
1962 9,478+2.13%
1968 13,404+5.95%
1975 18,129+4.41%
1982 28,561+6.71%
1990 35,163+2.63%
1999 38,855+1.12%
2007 42,775+1.21%
2012 42,944+0.08%
2017 43,133+0.09%
Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE (1968-2017)[8]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "France to assist NASA with the future launches of the Space Shuttle". Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Istres (13)" (PDF). Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records (in French). Meteo France. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Normes et records 1961-1990: Istres - Le Tubé (13) - altitude 23m" (in French). Infoclimat. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  6. ^ "45,9°C : Un record en questions".
  7. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Istres, EHESS (in French).
  8. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE

External links edit