Sisteron

Sisteron
Sisteron in 2004
Location of Sisteron
Sisteron
Sisteron
Coordinates: 44°11′28″N 5°56′50″E / 44.1911°N 5.9472°E / 44.1911; 5.9472
CountryFrance
RegionProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
DepartmentAlpes-de-Haute-Provence
ArrondissementForcalquier
CantonSisteron
IntercommunalitySisteronais Buëch
Government
  Mayor (20202026) Daniel Spagnou
Area
1
50.25 km2 (19.40 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)
7,776
  Density150/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
04209 /04200
Elevation448–1,145 m (1,470–3,757 ft)
(avg. 485 m or 1,591 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Sisteron (French pronunciation: [sistəʁɔ̃]; Occitan: [sisˈtɛru(n)], Mistralian norm: Sisteroun; from Old Occitan: Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France.

Sisteron is situated on the banks of the river Durance just after the confluence of the rivers Buëch and Sasse. It is sometimes called the "Gateway to Provence" because it is in a narrow gap between two long mountain ridges. Despite its relatively small population, it serves as a long-distance navigation reference point, routinely signed as far away as Grenoble.

It is 135 km (84 mi) from Marseille, also 135 km (84 mi) from Grenoble, 180 km (110 mi) from Nice and 40 km (25 mi) from Forcalquier.

There are 1,573 hectares (3,890 acres) of forest and wood within the commune.