Massif Central

The () is a highland region in south-central France consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France.

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 (literally "Rhône furrow"). The region was a barrier to transport within France until the opening of the A75 motorway, which not only made north–south travel easier but also opened access to the massif itself.

Geography and geology

The is an old massif, formed during the Variscan orogeny, consisting mostly of granitic and metamorphic rocks. It was powerfully raised and made to look geologically younger in the eastern section by the uplift of the Alps during the Paleogene period and in the southern section by the uplift of the Pyrenees. The massif thus presents a strongly asymmetrical elevation profile with highlands in the south and in the east (Cévennes) dominating the valley of the Rhône and the plains of Languedoc and, by contrast, the less elevated region of in the northwest.

These tectonic movements created faults and may be at the origin of the volcanism in the massif (but the hypothesis is not yet proven). In fact, above the crystalline foundation, one can observe many volcanoes of many different types and ages: volcanic plateaus (Aubrac, Cézallier), stratovolcanoes (Mounts of Cantal, ), and small, very recent monogenic volcanoes (, ). The entire region contains a large concentration of around 450 extinct volcanoes. The (near Clermont-Ferrand), a range running north to south and less than Template:Cvt long, contains 115 of them (monogenic volcanoes only). The Auvergne Volcanoes regional natural park is in the massif. The amusement park of Vulcania near Clermont-Ferrand allows visitors to discover this natural heritage and introduces them to volcanology.

In the south, one remarkable region is made up of features called in French and consists of raised limestone plateaus cut by very deep canyons. The most famous of them is the Gorges du Tarn (Tarn Canyon).

Mountains

Mountain ranges, with notable individual mountains, are (roughly north to south):

• • Puy de Dôme (Template:Cvt)
  • Puy de Pariou (Template:Cvt)
  • Puy de Lassolas (Template:Cvt)
  • Puy de la Vache (Template:Cvt)
• • Puy de Sancy (Template:Cvt)
• Monts du Lyonnais
• Pilat massif
  • Crêt de la Perdrix (Template:Cvt)
• Mounts of Cantal
  • Plomb du Cantal (Template:Cvt)
  • Puy Mary (Template:Cvt)
• Forez mountains
  • Pierre-sur-Haute (Template:Cvt)
• • Signal de Mailhebiau (Template:Cvt)
• Margeride
  • Signal de Randon (Template:Cvt)
  • Mont Mouchet (Template:Cvt)
• ()
  • (Template:Cvt)
  • Mont Gerbier de Jonc (Template:Cvt)
• Cévennes
  • Mont Lozère (Template:Cvt), the highest non-volcanic summit
  • (Template:Cvt), near Le Vigan, Florac
• Monts de Lacaune
  • Montgrand (Template:Cvt)
• Monts de l'Espinouse
  • Sommet de l'Espinouse (Template:Cvt)
• Montagne Noire
  • Pic de Nore (Template:Cvt)

• Chaine des Puys in Auvergne
  Chaine des Puys in Auvergne
• Puy de Sancy (Template:Cvt)
  Puy de Sancy (Template:Cvt)
• The Cévennes range
  The Cévennes range
• Gorges du Tarn canyon
  Gorges du Tarn canyon

Plateaus

File:France Lozère Causse Méjean Chevaux de Przewalski 16.jpg

Causse Méjean

• Causse de Blandas
• Causse Méjean
• Causse de Sauveterre
• Causse de Sévérac
• Causse du Comtal
• Causse Noir
• Plateau de Lévézou

Administration

The following departments are generally considered as part of the : Allier, , , , , , , , , , , , Loire, , , , , , , and ; these form parts of the regions of , , and Occitania.

The largest cities in the region are Clermont-Ferrand, Limoges, and Saint-Étienne.

Economy

File:ViaducdeMillau.jpg

The Millau Viaduct

In the Massif Central, the industry remains little developed except locally (metallurgy in Saint-Étienne; tyres in Clermont-Ferrand, headquarters of Michelin, world leader in the sector; aeronautics industry in Figeac, etc.). The other industries present are linked to agriculture (Groupe Limagrain, the world's third-largest seed producer and cheese-producing industries that export to the world such as Cantal and Roquefort).

On the agricultural level, the Limagne plain is dominated by major cereal crops, but in the mountains, it is mainly livestock farming that predominates: cattle farming in the west for meat and milk (Cantal cheese), sheep farming in the south on the limestone plateaus (Roquefort cheese).

Finally, tourism is booming, taking advantage of the UNESCO heritage classification of the volcanoes of the and the Causses and Cévennes region.

The entire economy of the has benefited from the opening of roads, particularly the construction of the A75 motorway on which is located the famous Millau Viaduct.

See also

• Flora of the Massif Central
• Geography of France
• Mountains of Mezenc

External links

• Template:Sister-inline