Auvergne (region)
| Auvergne | |||
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| — Region of France — | |||
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| Country | France | ||
| Prefecture | Clermont-Ferrand | ||
| Departments |
4
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| Government | |||
| - President | René Souchon (PS) | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 26,013 km2 (10,043.7 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008-01-01) | |||
| - Total | 1,341,000 | ||
| - Density | 51.6/km2 (133.5/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| NUTS Region | FR7 | ||
| Website | auvergne.org | ||
Auvergne (French pronunciation: [ovɛʁɲ]; Occitan: Auvèrnhe / Auvèrnha) is one of the 26 administrative regions of France.
The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not part of Auvergne. The Auvergne region is composed of the following old provinces:
- Auvergne: departments of Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal, north-west of Haute-Loire, and extreme south of Allier. The province of Auvergne is entirely contained inside the Auvergne region.
- Bourbonnais: department of Allier. A small part of Bourbonnais is also contained inside the Centre region (south of the department of Cher).
- Velay: center and southeast of department of Haute-Loire. Velay is entirely contained inside the Auvergne region.
- a small part of Gévaudan: extreme southwest of Haute-Loire. Gévaudan is essentially inside the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
- a small part of Vivarais: extreme southeast of Haute-Loire. Vivarais is essentially inside the Rhône-Alpes region.
- a small part of Forez: extreme northeast of Haute-Loire. Forez is essentially inside the Rhône-Alpes region.
Velay, Gévaudan, and Vivarais are often considered to be sub-provinces of the old Languedoc province. Forez is also often considered to be a sub-province of Lyonnais province. Therefore, the modern region of Auvergne is composed of the provinces of Auvergne, major part of Bourbonnais, and parts of Languedoc and Lyonnais.
The 2002 award-winning film, To Be and to Have (Être et avoir), documents one year in the life of a one-teacher school in rural Saint-Étienne-sur-Usson, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne.[1]
The region contains many volcanoes, although the last confirmed eruption was around 6,000 years ago. They began forming some 70,000 years ago, and most have eroded away leaving plugs of unerupted hardened magma that form rounded hilltops known as puys.[2]
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Geography
In the region surrounding Clermont-Ferrand, the highest mountain is 1,885m (6,180ft). From north to south, with a small ascent around the Plateau de Millevaches (978m/3,200ft) the terrain becomes flatter and rockier. The Auvergne is 25 per cent woodland, 45 per cent grassland, 20 per cent arable land and 10 per cent other uses (including urban areas).
Climate
The average annual temperature is 12 degrees C (53 degrees F), and the region receives 510 to 1,020 mm (20 to 40 in) of rainfall annually.
Demographics
Auvergne is one of the least populated régions in Europe, let alone France. The département of Cantal would be almost completely depopulated if it wasn't for the town Aurillac. Major communities include the capital Clermont-Ferrand, Montluçon, Aurillac and Vichy.
Major communities
- Aurillac
- Chamalières
- Clermont-Ferrand
- Cournon-d'Auvergne
- Issoire
- Le Puy-en-Velay
- Montluçon
- Moulins, Allier
- Riom
- Vichy
Economy
The region is predominantly agricultural with tourism slowly becoming more important. Cows are much in evidence and are used both for meat and for milk, which is made into a number of well known cheeses: Bleu d'Auvergne, Cantal, Fourme d'Ambert and Saint-Nectaire.
Auvergne is a relatively poor region, and the department of Haute-Loire in particular is suffering from the decline of agriculture and an ageing population.
References
- ↑ IMDB retrieved April 22, 2008
- ↑ "Chaîne des Puys". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=100-02-. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
External links
- Auvergne regional council website (French)
- Auvergne at the Open Directory Project (English)
- Auvergne Web Tourist and general information about the Auvergne region. (English) and (French)
- Regordane Info Independent portal for the Regordane Way or St Gilles Trail. The Regordane Way starts in Auvergne (English) and (French)
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