Plaissan () is a commune in the

Hérault Hérault (; , ) is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault (river), Hérault River, its Prefectures in France, prefecture is M ...

department in the Occitanie

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in southern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Exposed to a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, Plaissan is drained by the Dardaillon, the Rouvièges stream, and two other rivers. The municipality has a remarkable natural heritage, which includes an area of ecological, fauna, and floristic interest.

Geography

Between the sea and the

Cévennes The Cévennes ( , ; ) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the '' départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geographical, ...

, the village is surrounded by

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

s and

scrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

is 35 km to the east, while

Béziers Béziers (; ) is a city in southern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region. Every August Béziers ho ...

is 40 km to the west. The sea is 30 km to the south.

Climate

In 2010, the municipality’s climate was classified as Mediterranean, based on a study using data from 1971 to 2001. According to

Météo-France Météo-France is the official French meteorological administration, also offering services to Andorra and Monaco. It has the powers of the state and can exercise them in relation to meteorology. Météo-France is in charge of observing, study ...

's 2020 climate typology for metropolitan France, the municipality falls within the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

and

Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon (; ; ) is a former regions of France, administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, it joined with the region of Midi-Pyrénées to become Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It comprised five departments o ...

climate region. The region is characterized by low summer rainfall, abundant sunshine (2,600 hours per year), hot summers (average temperature of 21.5 °C), very dry air in summer, dry conditions throughout the year, frequent strong winds (40 to 50% of days with winds > 5 m/s), and little fog. From 1971 to 2000, the average annual temperature in the municipality was 14.5 °C, with a yearly thermal range of 16.3 °C. Annual precipitation averaged 721 mm, with 6.1 days of rainfall in January and 2.6 days in July. Between 1991 and 2020, the nearest weather station in

Saint-André-de-Sangonis Saint-André-de-Sangonis (''Sant Andrieu de Sangònis'' in Occitan) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Geography Located from Montpellier, Saint-André-de-Sangonis is nestled in the Hérault ...

recorded an average annual temperature of 15.5 °C and an average annual precipitation of 652.4 mm. Climate projections for 2050, based on various

greenhouse gas emission Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

scenarios, are available on a dedicated website published by Météo-France in November 2022.

Natural environments and biodiversity

The Inventory of Natural Areas of Ecological, Fauna, and Floristic Interest (ZNIEFF) aims to encompass the most ecologically significant areas, primarily to enhance understanding of the national natural heritage and to provide regional planners with a tool to integrate environmental considerations into their decision-making processes. In the municipality, a ZNIEFF type 2, noted as "Causse of Aumelas and Moure Mountain" (16,237 ha), is designated, spanning across 16 municipalities within the department.

Population

Plaissan is a rural municipality with a population of 1,545 in 2021, having experienced a significant increase in population since 1975. It is part of the Montpellier attraction area. The inhabitants of Plaissan are called Plaissanais (male) or Plaissanaises (female).

Notes

References