France, viewed from the NASA Shuttle Topography Radar Mission. The Massif Central is visible as a large mass in the mid-southern part of the country. On the southeastern border with Italy are the Alps and on the southwestern border with Spain are the Pyrenees.

The Massif Central (Occitan: Massís Central / Massís Centrau) is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus.

Subject to vulcanism 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 sillon rhodanien (literally "the furrow of the Rhône").

Long a barrier to communication, the opening of the A75 motorway has not only made north-south travel easier but it has also opened up the Massif Central itself.

Administration

The following départements are generally considered as part of the Massif Central: Allier, Ardèche, Aveyron, Cantal, Corrèze, Creuse, Haute-Loire, Haute-Vienne, Loire, Lot, Lozère, and Puy-de-Dôme.

The following régions are part of the Massif Central: Auvergne, Limousin. Part of the following régions are in the Massif Central: Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées, and Rhône-Alpes.

The largest cities are Clermont-Ferrand and Saint-Étienne.

Physiography

The Massif Central is a distinct physiographic province of the larger Central European Uplands division. The entire region contains the largest concentration of extinct volcanoes in the world with approximately 450 volcanoes. One strip alone running north to south and less than 60 square miles contains 115 of them.

Mountains

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

• Chaîne des Puys
  • Puy de Dôme (1464 m)
  • Puy de Pariou (1210 m)
  • Puy de Lassolas (1187 m) and Puy de la Vache (1167 m)
• Monts-Dores
  • Puy de Sancy (1886 m)
• Le Cantal
  • Plomb du Cantal (1855 m)
  • Puy Mary (1787 m)
• Forez
  • Pierre-sur-Haute (1634 m)
• L'Aubrac
• Cevennes
  • Mont Lozère (1702 m), the highest non-volcanic summit
  • Mont Aigoual (1567 m), near Le Vigan

Plateaux include

• Larzac
• Plateau de Millevaches

References

See also

• Geography of France
• Sources d'Auvergne

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