Sournia 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-Orientales

Pyrénées-Orientales

Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...

 department in the Languedoc-Roussillon

Languedoc-Roussillon

Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...

 region of south-western 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...

. Its inhabitants are known as Sourniannais.

Geography

Sournia is a town of the Fenouillèdes, the languedoc

Languedoc

Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...

ienne part of the Pyrénées-Orientales

Pyrénées-Orientales

Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...

, on the river Désix. Sournia is 22 km from Ille-sur-Têt

Ille-sur-Têt

Ille-sur-Têt is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.Its inhabitants are called Illois.-Geography:...

 and from Vinça

Vinça

Vinça is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...

, 24 km from Prades and from Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet

Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet

Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...

, 30 km from Latour-de-France

Latour-de-France

Latour-de-France is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.The village – Latour de France 66720Originally called “Triniac” or “three views”, Latour de France is situated by the original frontier between France and Catalonia and is rich in history...

 and 34 km from Axat

Axat

Axat is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.Axat is a pretty tourist town dituated on the D118 in the high valley of Aude. Surrounded by mountains and gorges, the narrowest Gorges St Georges is only 3 km away. The River Aude runs through Axat making a picturesque setting and a...

.
The commune is covered by the quality wine standard AOC

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée

Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...

 'Côtes-du-Roussillon'.
Sournia is crossed by the long distance footpath, GR 36.

Administration

The current mayor of Sournia is Paul Blanc, a senator, of the centre-right and right wing party UMP founded by Jacques Chirac

Jacques Chirac

Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...

.

Demography

The population of Sournia in 2006 was 414 people.

http://cassini.ehess.fr/cassini/fr/PHP/affiche_diagramme.php?nbVal=35&tab0=&annee0=1790&tab1=761&annee1=1794&tab2=814&annee2=1800&tab3=812&annee3=1806&tab4=882&annee4=1820&tab5=929&annee5=1831&tab6=957&annee6=1836&tab7=933&annee7=1841&tab8=945&annee8=1846&tab9=1073&annee9=1851&tab10=1006&annee10=1856&tab11=950&annee11=1861&tab12=921&annee12=1866&tab13=885&annee13=1872&tab14=850&annee14=1876&tab15=765&annee15=1881&tab16=725&annee16=1886&tab17=686&annee17=1891&tab18=634&annee18=1896&tab19=604&annee19=1901&tab20=604&annee20=1906&tab21=583&annee21=1911&tab22=463&annee22=1921&tab23=410&annee23=1926&tab24=424&annee24=1931&tab25=389&annee25=1936&tab26=382&annee26=1946&tab27=347&annee27=1954&tab28=351&annee28=1962&tab29=339&annee29=1968&tab30=296&annee30=1975&tab31=339&annee31=1982&tab32=376&annee32=1990&tab33=367&annee33=1999&tab34=&annee34=2004Graph of population change 1794-1999]

Places of interest

• Ruins of the former church of Saint-Michel from the tenth century.
• The ancient church of Sainte-Félicité from the tenth and eleventh centuries.
• Church of Arsa from the twelfth century.