# Erlon

> commune in Aisne, France

**Wikidata**: [Q989844](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q989844)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlon)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/erlon

## Summary
Erlon is a commune (municipality) in the Aisne department of northern France. It is administered within the arrondissement of Laon and is located at latitude 49.729166666667 and longitude 3.7138888888889.

## Key Facts
- Official status: commune of France (a French territorial subdivision for municipalities; inception of the commune model: 1789).
- Country: France (a country in Western Europe with overseas territories on other continents).
- Department: Aisne (department of France; inception: 1790-03-04).
- Arrondissement: Laon (arrondissement of France).
- Coordinates: 49.729166666667 N, 3.7138888888889 E.
- Population (historical series as provided): 290.0; 286.0; 293.0; 284.0; 285.0; 224.0; 241.0; 255.0; 269.0; 300.0; 289.0; 291.0; 287.0; 285.0; 284.0; 284.0; 278.0.
- Award/recognition: Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (French military decoration; inception: 1915-04-02).
- Wikimedia Commons image: city limit sign for Erlon — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erlon%20%28Aisne%29%20city%20limit%20sign.JPG.
- Image direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Erlon_%28Aisne%29_city_limit_sign.JPG.
- Thumbnail URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Erlon_%28Aisne%29_city_limit_sign.JPG/960px-Erlon_%28Aisne%29_city_limit_sign.JPG.
- Image artist (credit): Havang(nl).
- Image license: CC0 (public domain); image_license_type: public_domain.
- Wikidata short description: commune in Aisne, France.
- Wikipedia title: Erlon.
- Sitelink count (Wikidata/wikipedia links aggregated): 45 (Erlon); related counts provided for France (409) and Aisne (104) in source material.

## FAQs
Q: Where is Erlon located?
A: Erlon is a commune in the Aisne department of France, administratively placed in the arrondissement of Laon, at coordinates 49.729166666667 N, 3.7138888888889 E.

Q: What is the administrative classification of Erlon?
A: Erlon is classified as a commune, which is the basic municipal territorial subdivision in France (the commune model dates from 1789).

Q: What are the population figures for Erlon?
A: The provided historical population series lists the following values: 290.0; 286.0; 293.0; 284.0; 285.0; 224.0; 241.0; 255.0; 269.0; 300.0; 289.0; 291.0; 287.0; 285.0; 284.0; 284.0; 278.0.

Q: Does Erlon have any recorded honors or decorations?
A: Yes. Erlon is associated with the Croix de guerre 1914–1918, a French military decoration that was instituted on 1915-04-02.

Q: Where can I find media (photos) of Erlon and what are the licensing terms?
A: A city-limit sign image for Erlon is on Wikimedia Commons (file: Erlon (Aisne) city limit sign.JPG) by Havang(nl). The image is released under CC0 (public domain), and direct URLs are provided in the Key Facts.

Q: How is Erlon linked to larger administrative entities?
A: Erlon is part of the Aisne department (created 1790-03-04) and the arrondissement of Laon; the commune is located in the country of France.

## Why It Matters
Erlon matters as a local administrative unit within France’s territorial framework. As a commune, it represents the smallest level of public administration and local identity in the French system established after 1789; communes are the locus for municipal services, local governance, and civil records. Erlon’s association with the Croix de guerre 1914–1918 signals historical involvement or recognition related to World War I, tying the locality into national historical memory. Geographically, Erlon’s coordinates place it within the Aisne department and the Laon arrondissement, situating it in regional planning, electoral organization, and departmental statistics used by researchers, planners, and residents. Publicly available media (a CC0 image on Wikimedia Commons) makes visual documentation accessible for educational, cultural, and reference uses without copyright restriction.

## Notable For
- Being an officially recognized commune of France within the Aisne department and the arrondissement of Laon.
- Association with the Croix de guerre 1914–1918, a French military decoration instituted in 1915.
- Public-domain photographic documentation: a city-limit sign image by Havang(nl) is available on Wikimedia Commons under CC0.
- Precise geographic coordinates that identify its location for mapping, navigation, and administrative databases.

## Body

### Overview
Erlon is documented as a commune in the Aisne department of France. The entity appears in Wikimedia/Wikidata resources with the short description "commune in Aisne, France" and the Wikipedia article title "Erlon." The entry includes geographic coordinates and media assets that publicly document the commune.

### Location and Administrative Context
- Country: Erlon is located in France, a country primarily in Western Europe with overseas territories on other continents.
- Department: The commune is part of Aisne, a French department whose inception date is recorded as 1790-03-04.
- Arrondissement: Erlon falls within the arrondissement of Laon, which is one of the administrative subdivisions used in France to group communes for departmental administration.
- Commune status: Erlon holds the legal status of a commune, the municipal unit established in the French administrative system since 1789.

### Geography (Coordinates)
- Latitude: 49.729166666667.
- Longitude: 3.7138888888889.
These coordinates place Erlon within the geographic scope of northern France in the Aisne department and enable precise location for mapping services and geographic information systems.

### Population
- The source provides a sequence of population figures for Erlon as: 290.0; 286.0; 293.0; 284.0; 285.0; 224.0; 241.0; 255.0; 269.0; 300.0; 289.0; 291.0; 287.0; 285.0; 284.0; 284.0; 278.0.
- These numbers represent a historical series of population counts or estimates as supplied in the source material. No dates or census years are attached to individual figures in the provided dataset.

### Awards and Historical Recognition
- Croix de guerre 1914–1918: Erlon is associated with this French military decoration, which was instituted on 1915-04-02. The Croix de guerre 1914–1918 recognizes acts of bravery during World War I and is a noted national honor.

### Images and Media
- Primary image file (city limit sign): Erlon (Aisne) city limit sign.JPG on Wikimedia Commons.
- Image direct URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Erlon_%28Aisne%29_city_limit_sign.JPG.
- Thumbnail URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Erlon_%28Aisne%29_city_limit_sign.JPG/960px-Erlon_%28Aisne%29_city_limit_sign.JPG.
- Image credit: Havang(nl).
- License: CC0 (public domain). The image_license_type is listed as public_domain, enabling reuse without copyright restriction.
- Commons link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erlon%20%28Aisne%29%20city%20limit%20sign.JPG.

### Identifiers and Links
- Wikipedia article title: Erlon.
- Wikidata description: "commune in Aisne, France."
- Sitelink counts provided in source material: Erlon — 45; related higher-level entities listed with their sitelink counts include France — 409 and Aisne — 104.

### Related Entities and Relationships
- France: Erlon is a territorial entity within the nation of France. The source provides extensive contextual information about France (government form, historical inception points such as the Treaty of Verdun in 843 and the proclamation of the First French Empire in 1804, and other national-level facts). For Erlon, the primary relationship is national jurisdiction: Erlon is governed under French national law and administrative structures.
- Aisne: Erlon is administratively part of the Aisne department, a French departmental entity established in 1790.
- Arrondissement of Laon: Erlon is managed at the sub-departmental level by the arrondissement of Laon, one of Aisne’s arrondissements.
- Commune of France: Erlon is an instance of the commune class, the foundational municipal subdivision used in France since 1789.

### Metadata and Source Notes
- Image metadata attributes (artist, license, commons link) are included in the source and reproduced here for reference and reuse.
- Population values are presented exactly as supplied; no additional temporal attribution (years) was provided for individual entries in the dataset.
- Award and departmental inception dates are reproduced from the source material: Croix de guerre 1914–1918 inception date 1915-04-02; Aisne inception 1790-03-04; commune model inception 1789.

### Practical Uses of This Data
- Mapping and GIS: Coordinates permit accurate mapping and integration into location-based services.
- Historical research: The association with the Croix de guerre 1914–1918 may guide inquiries into local World War I history.
- Administrative reference: Departmental and arrondissement affiliations clarify governance and jurisdiction for legal, statistical, and electoral purposes.
- Media and education: The CC0 image enables free use in publications, presentations, and educational materials.

(End of entry.)

## References

1. dataset of postal codes in France. 2018
2. INSEE code
3. répertoire géographique des communes
4. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
5. Annuaire de service-public.fr
6. Recensement de la population 2015. National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 2017
7. Populations légales 2016
8. Populations légales 2017
9. Populations légales 2018
10. [Populations légales communales depuis 1968. National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2522602)
11. Populations légales 2019
12. Populations légales 2020
13. Populations légales 2021
14. Populations de référence 2022
15. Populations de référence 2023
16. [Code officiel géographique](https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/3363419)
17. National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies
18. GeoNames
19. [répertoire géographique des communes. 2015](https://wxs-telechargement.ign.fr/83edtfdyqte031y0ra49d2e3/telechargement/inspire/RGC-2015-01$RGC2015/file/RGC2015.7z)
20. [2016](https://data.geopf.fr/telechargement/download/GEOFLA/GEOFLA_2-2_COMMUNE_SHP_LAMB93_FXX_2016-06-28/GEOFLA_2-2_COMMUNE_SHP_LAMB93_FXX_2016-06-28.7z)
21. [Code officiel géographique. 2017](https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/2560698)