The Hautes-Alpes department was created on March 4, 1790, at the same time as 82 other French departments. It was formed from the south-eastern part of the province of Dauphiné to which the municipalities of La Grave and Villar d'Arêne were immediately attached, followed by some localities of Provence in 1811. Its capital, initially installed in Chorges, was transferred to Gap in 1790. Very little urbanized, Hautes-Alpes have a low population density (25 inhabitants per square kilometer) and only seven urban units : Gap (41,229 inhabitants), Briançon (17,314 inhabitants), Embrun (6,642 inhabitants), Laragne-Montéglin (3,914 inhabitants), Veynes (3,290 inhabitants), Guillestre (3,268 inhabitants) and L'Argentière-la-Bessée (2,318 inhabitants).