Massif Central
Encyclopedia
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountain
s and plateau
x.
Subject to volcanism
that has subsided in the last 10,000 years, these central mountains are separated from the Alps
by a deep north-south cleft created by the Rhône River
and known in French
as the sillon rhodanien (literally "the furrow of the Rhône").
The region was a barrier to communication until the opening of the A75 motorway
, which not only made north-south travel easier, but also opened up the Massif Central itself.
It is situated in the middle of southern France
and it covers 15 percent of the country.
, Ardèche
, Aude
, Aveyron
, Cantal
, Corrèze
, Creuse
, Gard
, Haute-Loire
, Haute-Vienne
, Hérault
, Loire
, Lot
, Lozère
, Puy-de-Dôme
, Rhône
and Tarn.
The following régions are part of the Massif Central: Auvergne
, Limousin
. Part of the following régions are in the Massif Central: Languedoc-Roussillon
, Midi-Pyrénées
, and Rhône-Alpes
.
The largest cities are Clermont-Ferrand
and Saint-Étienne
.
Volcanic rocks on northern part of the Massif Central dominate south France to the west of Rhône valley and limestone, granite and slate(schist) on southern part.
es in the world with approximately 450 volcanoes. One strip alone running north to south and less than 60 square miles (155.4 km²) contains 115 of them. The Auvergne Volcanoes National Park is in the massif.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s and plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
x.
Subject to volcanism
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
that has subsided in the last 10,000 years, these central mountains are separated from the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
by a deep north-south cleft created by the Rhône River
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
and known in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as the sillon rhodanien (literally "the furrow of the Rhône").
The region was a barrier to communication until the opening of the A75 motorway
A75 autoroute
The A75 is an autoroute in France.Known also as la Méridienne, it is a developmental project with the aim of speeding up and reducing the cost of car travel from Paris southwards, and apart from the Millau Viaduct, it is entirely free for the between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers...
, which not only made north-south travel easier, but also opened up the Massif Central itself.
It is situated in the middle of southern France
Southern France
Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...
and it covers 15 percent of the country.
Administration
The following départements are generally considered as part of the Massif Central: AllierAllier
Allier is a department in central France named after the river Allier.- History :Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.In 1940, the government of Marshal...
, Ardèche
Ardèche
Ardèche is a department in south-central France named after the Ardèche River.- History :The area has been inhabited by humans at least since the Upper Paleolithic, as attested by the famous cave paintings at Chauvet Pont d'Arc. The plateau of the Ardeche River has extensive standing stones ,...
, Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
, Aveyron
Aveyron
Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.- History :Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790....
, Cantal
Cantal
Cantal is a department in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department. Residents are known as Cantaliens or Cantalous....
, Corrèze
Corrèze
Corrèze is a department in south central France, named after the Corrèze River.The inhabitants of the department are called Corréziens or Corréziennes according to gender.-History:...
, Creuse
Creuse
Creuse is a department in central France named after the Creuse River.-History:Creuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province of La Marche....
, Gard
Gard
Gard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.- History...
, Haute-Loire
Haute-Loire
Haute-Loire is a department in south-central France named after the Loire River.-History:Haute-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne is a French department named after the Vienne River. It is one of three departments that together constitute the French region of Limousin.The chief and largest city is Limoges...
, Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
, Lot
Lot (département)
Lot is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot River.- History :Lot is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Languedoc. In 1808, some of the original southeastern cantons were...
, Lozère
Lozère
Lozère , is a department in southeast France near the Massif Central, named after Mont Lozère.- History :Lozère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme is a department in the centre of France named after the famous dormant volcano, the Puy-de-Dôme.Inhabitants were called Puydedomois until December 2005...
, Rhône
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
and Tarn.
The following régions are part of the Massif Central: Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
, Limousin
Limousin (région)
Limousin is one of the 27 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.Situated largely in the Massif Central, as of January 1st 2008, the Limousin comprised 740,743 inhabitants on nearly 17 000 km2, making it the second least populated region of...
. Part of the following régions are in the Massif Central: Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
, Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
, and Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
.
The largest cities are Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
and Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
.
Volcanic rocks on northern part of the Massif Central dominate south France to the west of Rhône valley and limestone, granite and slate(schist) on southern part.
Geology
The Massif Central is a distinct physiographic province of the smaller Central European Uplands division. The entire region contains the largest concentration of extinct volcanoVolcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
es in the world with approximately 450 volcanoes. One strip alone running north to south and less than 60 square miles (155.4 km²) contains 115 of them. The Auvergne Volcanoes National Park is in the massif.
Mountains
Mountain ranges, with notable individual mountains, are (roughly north-to-south):- Chaîne des PuysChaîne des PuysThe Chaîne des Puys is a north-south oriented chain of cinder cones, lava domes, and maars in the Massif Central of France. The chain is about 40 km long, and the identified volcanic features include 48 cinder cones, eight lava domes, and 15 maars and explosion craters. Its highest point is...
- Puy de Dôme (1464 m)
- Puy de Pariou (1210 m)
- Puy de LassolasPuy de LassolasThe Puy de Lassolas is a volcano in the Chaîne des Puys in France, peaking at 1187 metres. It forms, with the Puy de la Vache, a group of volcanic craters. Together, they thus form two half craters...
(1187 m) and Puy de la Vache (1167 m)
- Monts-Dores
- Puy de SancyPuy de SancyPuy de Sancy is the highest mountain in the Massif Central and therefore the highest mountain in central France ....
(1886 m)
- Puy de Sancy
- Monts du Cantal
- Plomb du Cantal (1855 m)
- Puy Mary (1787 m)
- ForezForezForez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire département and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme départements....
- Pierre-sur-Haute (1634 m)
- L'Aubrac
- Le Signal de Mailhebiau (1469 m)
- Monts de La Margeride
- Signal de Randon (1551 m)
- Monts du Vivrais (Ardeche)
- Mont Mezenc (1753 m)
- CevennesCévennesThe Cévennes are a range of mountains in south-central France, covering parts of the départements of Gard, Lozère, Ardèche, and Haute-Loire.The word Cévennes comes from the Gaulish Cebenna, which was Latinized by Julius Caesar to Cevenna...
- Mont LozèreMont LozèreMont Lozère is the highest peak in the Cévennes National Park of France. There is also a secondary peak, at .Mont Lozère is commonly used for skiing during the winter months. It is also a popular destination for school/college/university groups during the summer months . It offers some stunning...
(1699 m), the highest non-volcanic summit - Mont AigoualMont AigoualMont Aigoual is the highest point of the Gard département, France. It is part of the Massif Central, and it is located within the Cévennes National Park....
(1567 m), near Le Vigan, Florac
- Mont Lozère
- Monts de Lacaune
- Montgrand (1267 m)
- Monts de L'Espinouse
- Sommet de L'Espinouse (1124 m)
- Montagne NoireMontagne Noire* Not to be confused with the Montagnes Noires in Brittany.The Montagne Noire is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central in the border area of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departments...
- Pic de NorePic de NoreThe pic de Nore at 1211 metres is the highest point in the Montagne Noire, on the border of the Aude and Tarn departments, near to the Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc in southern France...
(1211 m)
- Pic de Nore
Plateaux include
- Causse du Larzac
- Plateau de MillevachesPlateau de Millevachesright|thumb|220px|Plateau de MillevachesThe Plateau de Millevaches is an upland area in the Limousin région of France...
- Plateau de Lévézou
- Causse du Comtal
- Causse de Sauveterre
- Causse de Sévérac
- Causse Méjan
- Causse Noir
- Causse de Blandas
See also
- Geography of FranceGeography of FranceFrance is a country located primarily in Western Europe, but containing territory in South America, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean, as well as numerous territories of various status. In Europe France borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean...
- Sources d'Auvergne
- Ski resorts in Massif Central