Auvergne

Auvergne Region
Details
Information
Capital	Clermont-Ferrand
Population  - Total (1999)  - Density	1,308,878 50 /km²
Area	26,013 km²
Arrondissements	14
Cantons	158
Communes	1,310
President of the regional council	Pierre-Joël Bonté (since April 2004)
Départements
Allier (03) Cantal (15) Haute-Loire (43) Puy-de-Dôme (63)
Location

Auvergne is an administrative région of central France, consisting of the départements of Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal, Haute-Loire and Allier.

History

Auvergne was also historically a province of France, deriving its name from Averni, a Gallic tribe who once occupied the area. In 1790, the historical province was divided into the modern-day départements, although Haute-Loire and Allier also include some land from the historical provinces of Bourbonnais, Lyonnais and Languedoc.

See also Rulers of Auvergne

Geography

The principal town of Auvergne is Clermont-Ferrand. A large part of the Auvergne region is covered by the volcanic Massif Central mountain range, which stretches over nearly one-sixth of France's total area.

Economy

The region is famed for its cheeses, exports of mineral waters, and tires. It is also the site of a number of major hydroelectric projects, mainly located on the Tarn, Dordogne, Cère, Lot, and Truyère rivers.

Culture

The Auvergnat language was historically spoken in Auvergne.

The composer Joseph Canteloube based his well known piece Songs of the Auvergne (1930; for voice and orchestra) on folk music and songs from Auvergne.

The writer Clark Ashton Smith wrote a series of short stories based in the mythical region of Averoigne, a fictional counterpart to this region.