Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire

Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire
Church of Saint-Pierre Church of Saint-Pierre
Coat of arms of Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire Coat of arms
Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire
Location within Provence-A.-C.d'A. region Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Arrondissement	Forcalquier
Canton	Forcalquier
Intercommunality	Haute Provence
Government
• Mayor (2001–2008)	André Peta
Area1	27.78 km2 (10.73 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	1,113
• Density	40/km2 (100/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	04192 / 04870
Elevation	386–767 m (1,266–2,516 ft) (avg. 543 m or 1,781 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	875	—
1800	857	−2.1%
1806	882	+2.9%
1821	934	+5.9%
1831	973	+4.2%
1836	986	+1.3%
1841	999	+1.3%
1846	949	−5.0%
1851	1,014	+6.8%
1856	1,028	+1.4%
1861	1,000	−2.7%
1866	983	−1.7%
1872	940	−4.4%
1876	877	−6.7%
1881	857	−2.3%
1886	785	−8.4%
1891	779	−0.8%
1896	713	−8.5%
1901	701	−1.7%
1906	706	+0.7%
1911	656	−7.1%
1921	581	−11.4%
1926	515	−11.4%
1931	460	−10.7%
1936	374	−18.7%
1946	420	+12.3%
1954	387	−7.9%
1962	380	−1.8%
1968	443	+16.6%
1975	617	+39.3%
1982	713	+15.6%
1990	844	+18.4%
1999	904	+7.1%
2006	1,065	+17.8%
2009	1,164	+9.3%

Observatory

Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire is the "host town" of the Haute-Provence Observatory, a nationally ranked facility. It is considered, by many astronomers, to be the best European low-altitude (400 meters) observatory in operation. There is also an astronomy center for educational purposes. It hosts students of elementary schools for brief stays (1–2 weeks) during the year and organizes theme nights of combined sky observations and expositions/debates on different themes.

St. Michael was chosen as the location of the Haute-Provence Observatory site, about 600 meters north. The village is located 543m altitude. The rock Guerin rises to 767 meters in the municipality. The neighboring towns of Saint-Michel-Observatoire are Revest des Brousses, Mane, Dauphin, Saint-Martin-les-Eaux, Villemus, Reillane and Aubenas-les-Alpes.

The territory of the Regional Natural Park of Luberon

The village is located in the Regional Natural Park of Luberon. The town is one of the seventy-seven Member States of the Regional Natural Park of the Luberon Park, which extends from Cavaillon in the west to the east Durance, two departments and eighty-five towns and 185,145 hectares. To the south, it overlooks the Luberon Durance basin and the county of Aigues.

The town has two main villages, Saint-Michel and Lincel and several hamlets including the Craux, and quite a few differences.

International relations

The commune is twinned with:

• Monte Porzio Catone, Italy

See also

• Luberon
• Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department
• St Michel l'Observatoire en Haute Provence

References

• INSEE