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Gap is the préfecture (capital) of the Hautes-Alpes département in France.
Originally founded by the Gauls, the Roman emperor Augustus seized the town in 14 BC and renamed it Vapincum. Gap was annexed by the French crown in 1512.
Napoleon I left Elba in February of 1815 and had reached Gap on March 15 with 40 horsemen and 10 grenadiers where he had thousands of copies of his Proclamations printed. The whole population of the city accompanied Napoleon when he left Gap.
An Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route Nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies 2,406 feet above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River (close to where it joins the Durance River).
History
Geography