Aston () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Ariège department in the

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

region of south-western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Astonnais'' or ''Astonnaises''.

Geography

Aston is located some 90 km west of Perpignan and 30 km south of

Foix Foix (; oc, Fois ; ca, Foix ) is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. It is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the Préfecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of south ...

. It is located high in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

with its southern border the border between

and

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. Access to the commune is solely by a local road from Les Cabannes in the north to the village which lies at the northern tip of the commune. The D522 road from Les Cabannes passes down the eastern border of the commune in a tortuous route which terminates at the Angaka ski resort just east of the commune. Except for a very small area around the village the commune is extremely rugged and heavily forested.Google Maps
/ref> The Aston river rises in the south of the commune and flows north, passing through the village, to join the Ariège at Les Cabannes, gathering a very large number of tributaries from all corners of the commune.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Géoportail

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Administration

List of Successive MayorsList of Mayors of France

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 220 inhabitants.

Economy

The commune has two dams for the generation of

Hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

: the ''Laparan'' and the ''Riète''. They are operated by Électricité de France.

Sites and monuments

*The Étang de Larnoum

References

External links

Aston on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Aston'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aston, Ariege Communes of Ariège (department)