Languedoc-Roussillon

Geography Located in southern France. Borders Spain and the Mediterranean sea. It has mountains (which ones?), plains and coastline It is also near the very small country Andorra.

The Massif Central marks the northwestern borders of the départements of Gard, Hérault, and Aude. It also extends into the département 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 Pyrénées mountains are to the south. A Mediterranean climate prevails along the coast and a mountain climate is found in Lozère and the Pyrénées.



Its name The name Languedoc comes from the Oc language -- Langue d'Oc (language of Occitan). This region spoke Occitan (where the word Oc meant yes) whereas the rest of France spoke "langue d 'oïl’ where the word oui meant yes.

Culture - Language Language Their formal language is French but lots of people in this region speak Occitan at home. This is a very old language. The Occitan language is also called Provencale or Languedoc and is spoken by about 1.5 million people in the region.

Occitan literature is plentiful. This is because, in the 12th to 14th century, Provençal was a standard and literary language in southern France and in northern Spain and was widely used in poetry. The medieval troubadours used it as their primary language. The earliest written material in Occitan is a refrain attached to a Latin poem said to date from the 10th century.

Culture - Cuisine Regional cuisine relies heavily on olive oil and garlic. Pork fat is widely used in the preparation of Cévennes. The soups include the garlic based aigo bouillido and oulade, which is made with potatoes and seasoned with pickled pork and various herbs. Aligot is a puree. It is made with potatoes and cheese and is seasoned with garlic. A beef stew, called Ollada, or ouillade, is cooked in a heavy pot. Cargolada is a regional escargot plate.

Culture - its flag

Economy

Overall, a lot of wine, some agriculture and manufacturing and tourism.

They produce a lot of wine. The lowland, warm in winter and hot and dry in summer, produces vast quantities of inexpensive wine. Béziers is the Center for the wine trade in [|Hérault] département.

> Some areas just produce grapes and some people are trying to diversify the area to produce different crops Other areas produce fruit and vegetables; sheep; textiles; shoes; clothing; processed food; brandy; machinery; chemicals; pottery and tile; metallurgy; electronics; marsh salt. There is a uranium processing plant. Carcassone and Montpellier are popular tourist attractions, so tourism is an industry there. There are some seaside resorts and winter sports are becoming popular.
 * Côtes-du-Rhône and Tavel are among the quality wines produced in the département of [|Gard].
 * Other notable wines come from Banyuls-sur-Mer, Rivesaltes and Maury.
 * Vineyards in the plains of [|Aude], [|Hérault] , and [|Gard], produce about one-half of France's grapes.

History The turbulent history, Roman, Caroligien, Toulouse, Spain then France in 1659. What does this mean?

Cities Perpignan Mende Montpellier - regional capital Nîmes Carcassonne

Interesting - visit Excellent climate and beaches, the Camarague area. Summer music festivals

Miles of fine sandy beaches, a hinterland rising up the foothills of the Massif Central and the Pyrénées - Languedoc-Roussillon is a land of sun-filled charm. The Languedoc-Roussillon region, where the Pyrénées Mountains plunge into the Mediterranean, has come into its own with a sparkling group of new yacht-port resorts.

Map



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