Gex, Ain

Gex (French: [ʒɛks]) (Italian:Gesio) is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.

Gex
Subprefecture and commune
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Gex
Gex Gex
Coordinates: 46°20′00″N 6°03′28″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ain
Arrondissement	Gex
Canton	Gex
Intercommunality	CA Pays de Gex
Government
• Mayor (2014-2020)	Patrice Dunand
Area ^1	32.02 km^2 (12.36 sq mi)
Population  (2017-01-01)[1]	13,118
• Density	410/km^2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	01173 /01170
Elevation	532–1,614 m (1,745–5,295 ft) (avg. 617 m or 2,024 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It lies 5 km (3.1 mi) from the Swiss border and 16 km (9.9 mi) from Geneva. It is a subprefecture of Ain.

History

The town gave its name to the Pays de Gex, at various times under the jurisdiction of France, Switzerland and the Duchy of Savoy.

With the 1815 Protocol of the Conference of Paris, (signed on 20 November) and the Treaty of Paris of the same date, Gex was placed in the Customs region of Switzerland and neutralised. The resolutions regarding the Pays de Gex were annulled by Art 435 of the Treaty of Versailles. In November 1923 France moved its customs office to Gex, and the matter was brought before the Permanent Court of International Justice (predecessor of the International Court of Justice), which decided in favour of Switzerland;[2] this case is also notable for being an early example of the doctrine of fundamentally changed circumstances being invoked before an international court.[3] A compromise was reached in 1932.

Historically, citizens spoke a dialect of the Franco-Provençal language but this dialect is not in use anymore.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1793 2,398 —     1800 2,415 +0.7% 1806 2,354 −2.5% 1821 2,536 +7.7% 1831 2,834 +11.8% 1836 2,894 +2.1% 1841 2,835 −2.0% 1846 2,785 −1.8% 1851 2,874 +3.2% 1856 2,662 −7.4% 1861 2,602 −2.3% 1866 2,642 +1.5% 1872 2,675 +1.2% 1876 2,719 +1.6% 1881 2,720 +0.0% 1886 2,693 −1.0% 1891 2,659 −1.3% 1896 2,878 +8.2%

Year Pop. ±% 1901 2,822 −1.9% 1906 2,727 −3.4% 1911 2,175 −20.2% 1921 2,030 −6.7% 1926 2,065 +1.7% 1931 2,048 −0.8% 1936 1,966 −4.0% 1946 1,874 −4.7% 1954 2,041 +8.9% 1962 2,361 +15.7% 1968 3,137 +32.9% 1975 4,296 +36.9% 1982 4,868 +13.3% 1990 6,615 +35.9% 2008 9,694 +46.5% 2012 10,677 +10.1% 2016 12,652 +18.5%

Economy

Its principal market for exports is Geneva.

See also

• Communes of the Ain department

• Sights of Gex
• 
  Water fountain
• 
  St Peter church
• 
  Gex city hall with Tibetan flag
• 
  House of culture

References

1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
2. Case of the Free Zones of Upper Savoy and the District of Gex Archived 2013-02-09 at Archive.today, Permanent Court of International Justice, Parties: France & Switzerland, August 19th, 1929, Initiated March 29th, 1928
3. Mahmood M. Poonja, Termination of Treaties Owing to Fundamental Change of Circumstances (Clausula Rebus Sic Stantibus): A Doctoral Dissertation [Juris Doctor dissertation, Charles University, Prague, 1977] (Rawalpindi: Abbas Arts, 1982), p. 21.

External links

• Official town website (in French)
• "Gex" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.