Languedoc - Roussillon situated on the north of France, in-between
Cote D'Azur and Midi Pyrenees.
Roman monuments, Greek ruins, medieval castles and
ancient villages are set amidst a patchwork of vineyards, farmlands, mountains
and plateaus. Practically any city of the region has something to offer to those
interested in historical heritage. The walled city of Carcassonne serves as one
of the most impressive examples of medieval France with its towers, dungeons,
moats and drawbridges. Ruins of the former Cathare castles can be seen
throughout the region, as well as Roman sites, medieval towns and Gothic
cathedrals.
Languedoc takes its name from langue d'oc, a language
closely linked to Catalan, and Roussillon in the far south was known as
France's Catalonia, but today Catalonia is confined to an autonomous région
in north-eastern Spain.
The southernmost extension of the Massif Central can be found in the north.
Here, the Parc Naturel Regional du Haut Languedoc is, to the west made up of
deciduous forest, and to the east dry and craggy. The very isolated and
mountainous Lozère is a wilderness where hermits and exiles have long sought
refuge. The Montagne Noire, Corbière hills and the Cévennes
are all areas of dramatic hills, mountains and deep river gorges.
The landscape flattens around the tranquil Canal Du Midi, which cuts across
the region's middle with Carcassonne, a world heritage site, at its centre.
South of the canal gentle rolling foothills start to ascend, climbingto the
dramatic peaks of the Pyrenees.
The Massif Central marks the northwestern borders of the departments of Gard, Hérault,
and Aude. It also extends into the department of Lozère. The plain
of Languedoc faces the Mediterranean. The
plain of Roussillon is to the southwest. It
is separated from the plain of Languedoc by the Corbières mountains.
The Pyrenees mountains are to the south.
A Mediterranean climate prevails along the coast and a mountain climate
is found in Lozère and the Pyrenees.Languedoc-Roussillon is another of France's
major vine-growing regions,
though its wines are less famous than those from Bordeaux or Burgundy.
Languedoc-Roussillon is France's fastest-growing region in terms of population,
and it has developed a number of innovative structures to provide an efficient
interface between scientific and economic communities. These initiatives
have greatly dynamized the university and research offer in the region's major
towns of Montpellier, Nîmes and Perpignan. The Agropolis Museum in
Montpellier, for example, is a facility unique in France, combining an agronomy
research centre and a food chain museum.
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