LOT

dpartement, Midi-Pyrnes region, southwestern France, created from the major part of the Quercy district in the historic province of Guyenne. Its 2,019 sq mi (5,228 sq km) extend from the western part of the Massif Central into the Aquitaine Basin. The Lot River cuts eastwest in a deep valley through arid limestone plateaus known as the Causses and meanders around Cahors (q.v.), Lot's capital, one of the most ancient towns in France. The Lot is joined from the northwest by the Cl, which flows through the market town of Figeac, the only other locality with more than 10,000 inhabitants. The Dordogne River flows across the northeast. Warm, humid winds predominate in the winter, but icy mountain winds blow across the plateaus in spring and autumn. Agriculturevegetables, cereals, fruit trees, tobaccoflourishes in the sheltered valleys in which most of the villages and towns are situated; vines grow on the lower slopes. On the plateaus, sometimes called the Petits Causses, cattle and sheep are raised, and truffles are found. Industry is not very well developed: there is an aeronautical factory at Figeac, but little else. Lot has continued to suffer from an exodus of rural inhabitants despite the increasing number of tourists, who are attracted by the beauty of the countryside and its ancient towns and villages. The famous Gouffre de Padirac, a sinkhole with an underground river, lies near Rocamadour, a pilgrimage centre. Pech-Merle, a cave with prehistoric wall paintings, is located east of Cahors. Murat, king of Naples, was born in Labastide-Murat (formerly La Bastide-Fortunire); the statesman Lon Gambetta, in Cahors. Lot has three arrondissements: Cahors, Figeac, and Gourdon; it is in the educational division of Toulouse. Pop. (1982) 154,533.