Key statistics (economics)
The department, with a population of about 223,000 inhabitants, possesses numerous geographical assets favouring agricultural and industrial development:
the plains irrigated by the rivers Tarn and Garonne, essentiel for agricultural production,
sunny hillsides ideal for wine production,
its important position as a crossroads of major road, river and rail routes between the north and south of Europe,
its vicinity to the important regional capital Toulouse and its airport, conducive to the installation of major service industries.
The distribution of economic activities differs depending on the territories or zones ("pays"). Three zones stand out particularly: that of Montauban, the trio of Garonne, Quercy, Gascogne and also the Midi-Quercy.
On an economic front, the installation and integration of new businesses is helped by the existence of networking between companies, sharing leading-edge technology and traditional know-how.
The population
The inhabitants of Tarn-and-Garonne are known as "Tarn-et-Garonnais".
The population was estimated at around 223,000 habitants in 2006, giving 60 habitants per square kilometre. The county town Montauban, renowned for its art and history, numbers 54,421 inhabitants.
Over the last few years, Tarn-and-Garonne has shown a higher population growth than over the previous decade (an increase of 12,300 inhabitants from 1999 to 2004 in comparison with 5,800 between 1990-1999).
This population growth is chiefly centred around main roads (A-roads 20 and 113, motorways 62 and 20) and the 5 principal urban zones: Castelsarrasin, Caussade, Moissac, Montauban and Valence d'Agen.
Economics
Characterised by an economic fabric of high-performance small and medium-sized businesses and industries, Tarn-and-Garonne unites leading-edge technology with traditional expertise.
AERONAUTICS: the principal civil aeronautics manufacturing area of France, the Midi-Pyrénées region accommodates a large number of manufacturers, suppliers, subcontractors and service suppliers.
Possessing a number of firms specialising in high-precision mechanics, metal processing, engineering and technical research, lasers and aeronautical maintenance, Tarn-et-Garonne is a leading contributor to this up-and-coming sector.
AGRIBUSINESS: Historically an agricultural area, Tarn-and-Garonne is today committed to agribusiness. Numerous companies work in this sector of production, processing, packaging and distribution of fruit and vegetables (fruit at Moissac), meat or milk. Cake and biscuit factories " frozen foods " canning factories...
LOGISTICS: Tarn-and-Garonne, junction of the two motorways A62 and A20, has an excellent network of road, rail and air routes. This linking position between the north and the south provides an ideal base for the development of transport and distribution industries. As a result, it already houses numerous haulage centres belonging to large delivery and transportation companies and has developed an outstanding reputation in this field.
ELECTRONICS: firms specialising in electronics exist in Tarn-and-Garonne including production, processing and research. These firms work together with a local systems operater "Micropacc" in partnership with the "Laboratoire Analyse and d'Architecture des Systèmes" (LAAS-CNRS) in Toulouse.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION www.investir-tarn-garonne.com
CHAMBER OF TRADES
http://www.cm-montauban.fr
11 rue du Lycée
82000 MONTAUBAN
TEL. 05 63 63 17 96
e-mail:contact@cm-montauban.fr
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
B.P 527
22 allées de Mortarieu
82065 MONTAUBAN Cédex
TEL. 05 63 22 26 26
e-mail:cci82@montauban.cci.fr