Foix is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. Today it is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the Préfecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of south western France. It is the second smallest and the least populated French departmental capital, the least-populous being Privas. Foix lies south of Toulouse, close to the borders with Spain and Andorra. At the time of the 2009 census, the city had a population of 9,861. It is only the second biggest town in Ariège, the biggest being Pamiers, which is one of the two sub-prefectures, the other being St Girons. Foix is twinned with the English cathedral city of Ripon, with the Spanish towns of Sarroca de Lleida and Lerida and the Andorran capital Andorre-la-Vieille.