Auvergne
Auvergne is an administrative région of central France, consisting of the départements of Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal, Haute-Loire and Allier.
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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.
The principal town of Auvergne is Clermont-Ferrand, along with the towns of Vichy and Limoges. 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.
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.
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.History
Geography
Economy
Culture
