Auvergne (original) (raw)

Auvergne is an administrative r�gion of central France, consisting of the d�partements of Puy-de-D�me, 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 d�partements, although Haute-Loire and Allier also include some land from the historical provinces of Bourbonnais, Lyonnais and Languedoc.

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, C�re, Lot, and Truy�re rivers.

Culture

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.

Traditional costume in Auvergne around 1900 ()