Auvergne

**Auvergne** () is a former administrative region of France. It is now part of the administrative region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is in the Massif Central in south-central France. The inhabitants of the region are known as _Auvergnats_.

The four departments in Auvergne were Allier, Cantal, Haute-Loire, and Puy-de-Dôme. Its capital was Clermont-Ferrand.

## History

The region of Auvergne was named after the Arverni, one of the most powerful Gallic tribes.

The administrative region of Auvergne was formed with the territory of the old province of Auvergne, most of the territory of the Bourbonnais and small parts of Languedoc and Lyonnais.

During World War II, Vichy (a city in the department of Allier) was the headquarters of the government of the French State.

## Geography

The Auvergne region has an area of , 4.8% of France's total surface area. It was surrounded by six other former regions: Burgundy to the northeast, Rhône-Alpes to the east and to the southeast, Languedoc-Roussillon to the south, Midi-Pyrénées to the southwest, Limousin to the west and Centre-Val de Loire to the northwest.

The landscape of the region varies greatly, with valleys, mountain, meadows and forests. Much of the regions is in the Massif Central, a high region in south-central France with mountains and plateaus.

There are many dormant volcanoes (volcanoes that are not active) in Auvergne, mainly in the _Monts Dore_ and in the _Chaîne des Puys_. The highest point in Auvergne is the ***Puy de Sancy*** (), at  high.

The northern part of the region (in the Allier department) is a land of small hills cut in two parts by a plain, the valley of the Allier river.

Auvergne has about 50 freshwater ponds and lakes. Some are high in the mountains and have volcanic origins. The _Guéry Lake_ is, at  high in the Puy-de-Dôme department, the highest lake in Auvergne.

The main rivers of the region are the:
- Loire, that runs through the Haute-Loire in the southeast and then, after returning from the Rhône-Alpes region, makes the northeastern border of the Allier department; and
- Allier, that runs though the centre of the region.

## Departments

The Auvergne region was formed by four departments:

|Département|Préfecture|ISO 3166-2|Population <small>(2012)</small>|Area <small>(km²)</small>|Density <small>(Inh./km²)</small>|||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Allier|Moulins|align="center"|FR-03|align="right"|342,911|align="right"|7,340|align="center"||
|Cantal|Aurillac|align="center"|FR-15|align="right"|147,415|align="right"|5,726|align="center"||
|Haute-Loire|Le Puy-en-Velay|align="center"|FR-43|align="right"|225,686|align="right"|4,977|align="center"||
|Puy-de-Dôme|Clermont-Ferrand|align="center"|FR-63|align="right"|638,092|align="right"|7,970|align="center"||

## Demographics

The Auvergne region had a population, in 2012, of 1,354,104, for a population density of  inhabitants/km<sup>2</sup>.

The ten main cities in the department are:
|City|Population (2012)|Départment|
| --- | --- | --- |
|Clermont-Ferrand|141,569|Puy-de-Dôme|
|Montluçon|38,072|Allier|
|Aurillac|27,074|Cantal|
|Vichy|25,315|Allier|
|Cournon-d'Auvergne|19,223|Puy-de-Dôme|
|Moulins|18,959|Allier|
|Le Puy-en-Velay|18,599|Haute-Loire|
|Riom|18,484|Puy-de-Dôme|
|Chamalières|17,480|Puy-de-Dôme|
|Issoire|14,296|Puy-de-Dôme|

## Economy

The region is predominantly agricultural. Cattle are common and are used both for meat (beef) and for milk, which is made into a number of well-known cheeses such as Bleu d'Auvergne, Cantal, Fourme d'Ambert and Saint-Nectaire.

The main industry in Auvergne is the tyre industry, represented by _Michelin_, with headquarters and history in Clermont-Ferrand, and _Dunlop_ in Montluçon.

## Other websites

- Regional Council of Auvergne official website
- Visit Auvergne: Cultural, gastronomic, and literary history of Auvergne
- About-France.com: Auvergne guide and tourist attractions

## Infobox (settlement)

- **official name**: Auvergne
- **native name**: /
- **settlement type**: Regions of France, Region of France
- **image flag**: Flag of Auvergne.svg
- **flag size**: 120px
- **image shield**: Blason de l'Auvergne.svg
- **blank emblem size**: 75px
- **image map**: Auvergne in France.svg
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **extinct title**: Dissolved
- **extinct date**: 1 January 2016
- **seat type**: Prefectures in France, Prefecture
- **seat**: Clermont-Ferrand
- **parts type**: Departments of France, Departments
- **parts style**: list
- **parts**: 4
- **p1**: Allier
- **p2**: Cantal
- **p3**: Haute-Loire
- **p4**: Puy-de-Dôme
- **leader party**: Socialist Party (France), PS
- **leader title**: President of the Regional Council (France), President
- **leader name**: René Souchon
- **area total km2**: 26013
- **population total**: 1357668
- **population as of**: 2013-01-01
- **population density km2**: auto
- **timezone1**: Central European Time, CET
- **utc offset1**: +1
- **timezone1 dst**: Central European Summer Time, CEST
- **utc offset1 dst**: +2
- **blank name sec1**: Gross domestic product, GDP (2012)
- **blank info sec1**: List of French regions and overseas collectivities by GDP, Ranked 19th
- **blank1 name sec1**: Total
- **blank1 info sec1**: €33.8 billion (US$47.29 bn)
- **blank2 name sec1**: Per capita
- **blank2 info sec1**: €24,920 (US$34,868)
- **blank name sec2**: First level NUTS of the European Union#France, NUTS Region
- **blank info sec2**: FR7
- **website**: [http://www.auvergne.fr auvergne.fr]
- **iso code**: FR-C