Clermont-Ferrand is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in central-southern France.

It is the prefecture of the department and the capital of the arrondissement of Clermont-Ferrand and the historical capital of the region of Auvergne.

History
The modern city was born from the union of two separate towns, Clermont and Montferrand. This union has been imposed by Louis XIII in 1630 (Edict of Troyes) and was confirmed by Louis XV.

While Montferrand was founded in the early twelfth century by the Counts of Auvergne on the model of fortified cities in the Southwest, Clairmont is much older, as it existed in ancient times. The earliest mention of the existence of Clairmont contained in the work of Strabo, the early first century. The city was then known Nemossos described as a "metropolis of Arvernes." She later took the name of Augustonemetum then Arverni.

Geography
To the west of Clermont-Ferrand, there is a plateau where is the Chaîne des Puys, a chain of dormant volcanoes including the Puy de Dôme. To the north of the city is the plain de Limage, a large plain in the Auvergne region in the valley of the Allier river.

Clermont-Ferrand has an area of , and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

The distances from Clermont-Ferrand to other cities are:
 Paris, the national capital - ;
 Lyon, the regional capital - ;
 Bordeaux - ;
 Marseille - ;
 Montpellier - ;
 Nantes - ;
 Nice - ;
 Strasbourg - ;
 Toulouse - .

Clermont-Ferrand is surrounded by the communes:

Climate
The climate of Clermont-Ferrand is an oceanic climate, Cfb (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification.

The average temperature for the year in Clermont-Ferrand, at an altitude of , is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of .

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Clermont-Ferrand is . The month with the most precipitation on average is May with  of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is January with an average of .

Population
The inhabitants of Clermont-Ferrand are known, in French, as Puydômois (women: Puydômoises).

With a population of 141,365, Clermont-Ferrand has a population density of  inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand forms, together with other 16 communes, the urban area of Clermont-Ferrand with a population of 264,704 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Clermont-Ferrand, formed by 184 communes, with a population of 475,694 inhabitants (2013) and an area of .

Administration
Clermont-Ferrand is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department since 1790. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Clermont-Ferrand and the administrative centre () of six cantons:
 Clermont-Ferrand-1, formed by part of Clermont-Ferrand, with 22,260 inhabitants (2014).
 Clermont-Ferrand-2, formed by part of Clermont-Ferrand, with 23,991 inhabitants (2014).
 Clermont-Ferrand-3, formed by part of Clermont-Ferrand, with 23,934 inhabitants (2014).
 Clermont-Ferrand-4, formed by part of Clermont-Ferrand, with 21,592 inhabitants (2014).
 Clermont-Ferrand-5, formed by part of Clermont-Ferrand, with 25,415 inhabitants (2014).
 Clermont-Ferrand-6, formed by part of Clermont-Ferrand, with 24,173 inhabitants (2014).

It is part of the intercommunality Clermont Auvergne Métropole.

Sister cities 
Clermont-Ferrand is twinned with:

Education 
 ESC Clermont Business School

Gallery

Related pages
 Arrondissements of the Puy-de-Dôme department
 Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department

References

Other websites

 City council website 
 Local tourism website  

 
Departmental capitals in France
Former regional capitals in France