GAP

town, capital of the Hautes-Alpes dpartement, Provence-Alpes-Cte-d'Azur region, southeastern France, south-southeast of Grenoble. Situated at an altitude of 2,406 ft (733 m) in a valley on the right bank of the Luye, a tributary of the Durance, it is a tourist centre surrounded by mountains. Through the town pass the main road from Brianon to the Rhne Valley and the Route Napolonthe road that Napoleon took in 1815 when he crossed the Alps into France on his return from exile on Elba. Gap was the first place where he was well received. Known as Vapincum to the Romans, the town was founded by the Roman emperor Augustus in about 14 BC. The town remained under episcopal rule until 1512, when it was annexed by France. Gap has an agricultural market and is an industrial centre (food processing, underwear, and wood products). Pop. (1982) 21,798.