Lys is a commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a department in the southwest of France which takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.- History :...

 department in southwestern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Hydrography

The town is bisected by a tributary of the Gave de Pau

Gave de Pau

The Gave de Pau is a river of south-western France and a left tributary of the Adour. It takes its name from the city Pau, through which it flows. The river is in length, and its source is at the Cirque de Gavarnie in the Pyrenees mountains....

, the Luz Creek (15.2 km in France) and its tributaries:

• The Gest Brook (14.8 km in France) and its tributary:
  • The Herran stream
• The Luz de Casalis brook

A tributary of the Beez

Béez

The Béez, is a left tributary of the Gave de Pau, in Béarn , in the Southwest of France. It flows into the gave upstream from Pau, between the Ouzoum and the Luz.- Name :...

 (which in itself is atributary of the Gave de Pau) also runs through the town: the Landistou Creek (12.5 km in France) and its tributaries:

• The Betbeder stream
• The Bonnasserre stream
• The Chourrup stream
• The Lazerau stream
• The Lespereu stream

The town is also traversed by the stream of the Fountain Mesplé, and its tributary, the stream of Subercase.

Localities and Hamlets

• lou Boscq
• Vic de Hoges de Baix
• Vic de Hoges de Haut
• Vic de Lis de Baix
• Vic de Lis de Haut

Surrounding Communities

• Sévignacq-Meyracq
  Sévignacq-Meyracq
  Sévignacq-Meyracq is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-References:*...
  
   to the north
• Haut-de-Bosdarros
  Haut-de-Bosdarros
  Haut-de-Bosdarros is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-References:*...
  
   to the northeast
• Bruges-Capbis-Mifaget
  Bruges-Capbis-Mifaget
  Bruges-Capbis-Mifaget is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-References:*...
  
   to the east
• Sainte-Colome
  Sainte-Colome
  Sainte-Colome is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-References:*...
  
   to the southwest
• Louvie-Juzon
  Louvie-Juzon
  Louvie-Juzon is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-References:*...
  
   to the south

Toponymy=
The name Lys appears as Lis-Sainte-Colomme (Lily Saint Colomme) from the 1721 census. The name comes from Gascony

Gascony

Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...

, and means 'flat land'.
History=
Lys was formerly an annex of Sainte-Colome

Sainte-Colome

Sainte-Colome is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-References:*...

 until it acquired municipality status on January 2, 1858.
Government=

Francis Laur has served as mayor since 1995, and is currently serving his third term, which will last until 2014.
Intermunicipal=

The town is part of six intercommunal structures:

• Communauté de communes
  Communauté de communes
  A communauté de communes is a federation of municipalities in France. It forms a framework within which local tasks are carried out together...
  
   de la Vallée d'Ossau (The Municipality of the Ossau Valley
  Ossau Valley
  The Ossau Valley is a valley of the French Pyrénées, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département.- Administration :...
  
  )
• Syndicat de la perception d'Arudy
• Municipal association for the management of the Beez
  Béez
  The Béez, is a left tributary of the Gave de Pau, in Béarn , in the Southwest of France. It flows into the gave upstream from Pau, between the Ouzoum and the Luz.- Name :...
  
   and Ouzom watersheds.
• Municipal association for the construction of the CES of Nay
  Nay, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
  Nay is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It lies in the former province of Béarn.-Geography:The land of the commune are crossed by the Gave de Pau and one of its tributaries, the Béez-Place names:...
  
  
• Ossau Valley
  Ossau Valley
  The Ossau Valley is a valley of the French Pyrénées, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département.- Administration :...
  
   water union
• Lower Ossau electric union

Population=

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
-	1080	1070	1084	1040	962	985	998	924
1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
916	908	856	685	657	622	621	564	526
1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2007	-
518	450	430	412	376	348	353	354	-

Economy=
The town's economy is primarily oriented toward agriculture and livestock (sheep, cattle, pigs, mules).
See also=

• Ossau Valley
  Ossau Valley
  The Ossau Valley is a valley of the French Pyrénées, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département.- Administration :...
  
  
• Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
• Sainte-Colome
  Sainte-Colome
  Sainte-Colome is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-References:*...