Gap

Gap, town and capital of Hautes-Alpes département, Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur région, southeastern France, lying south-southeast of Grenoble. Situated at an elevation of 2,406 feet (733 metres) in a valley on the right bank of the Luye, a tributary of the Durance, it is a thriving tourist centre surrounded by mountains that attracts visitors in both summer and winter. Through the town pass the main road from Briançon to the Rhône valley and the Route Napoléon—the 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 about 14 bce. The town remained under episcopal rule until 1512, when it was annexed by France. In addition to being a tourist destination, Gap is an administrative and commercial centre with a number of light industries (computers, biotechnology). Its relative isolation is reduced by the highway that links Gap to Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. Pop. (1999) 36,262; (2014 est.) 40,225.