Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc
Encyclopedia
Massif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
within the 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....
, 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...
and Tarn departments of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. These areas are considered the Haut-Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
, compared to the Bas-Languedoc.
Administered by the Fédération des Parcs Naturels Régionaux de France, it was created on 22 October 1973 and revised 17 August 1999. It has an area of 2,605 km², with 82,000 people living within its boundaries.
The park comprises a very diverse range of countryside, which is why seven different areas have been officially defined within it:
- Caroux-Espinouse
- 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...
- Monts de Lacaune
- Monts d'Orb
- Plateau des Lacs
- Sidobre
- Vignes et Vallées
The park provides a habitat for more than 240 species of birds, in a stunningly diverse range of climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
and scenery. It also provides a home for mouflon
Mouflon
The mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...
s, successfully reintroduced from Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
.