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Aude
In 1790, the
département of Aude was formed from part of the old province of Languedoc.
Carcassonne, the département’s capital, contains a picturesque citadel with its restored medieval fortifications and buildings.
Carcassonne,
Narbonne and Limoux, are the heads of arrondissements.
On the east, the département boarders the Mediterranean, at the Gulf of Lions.
To the south lies the département of
Pyrénées-Orientales.
To the west are the départements of
Haute-Garonne and Ariège. To the north is the département of Tarn; the département of
Hérault is to the northeast. Hérault’s westward reaches extend into the Garonne River basin.
However, most of the département of Aude is drained by the Aude River basin.
Gard
The département of
Gard was created from an eastern portion of the old province of Languedoc in 1790.
Its capital is
Nîmes.
The département has three arrondissements: Nîmes, Alès, and Le Vigan.
The département of Gard is bounded by the Rhône River and the region of
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur to the east.
On the south, it runs along 10 miles of the Mediterranean coastline.
The département’s northeastern boarder is
the Ardèche River.
The département of
Lozère is to the east and the département of
Hérault is to the south.
Near Remoulins, the famous Pont du Gard traverses the Gard River.
This is an ancient Roman aqueduct that once brought water to
Nîmes from springs near the picturesque medieval town of Uzès.
The
Camargue, a coastal plain south of the city of Nîmes, includes part of the Rhône River delta.
Hérault
The département of
Hérault was created from the central part of the historic province of Languedoc.
Its capital is the university city of Montpellier.
The département has three arrondissements:
Montpellier, Béziers, and Lodève.
To
Hérault’s north is the département of
Gard.
To the west is the region of Midi-Pyrénées.
To the south is the département of
Aude and to the east is the Mediterranean Sea.
The Hérault River, which gives the département its name, flows across it from north to south, reaching the Mediterranean Sea in a lowland of small coastal lagoons.
Lozère
The département of Lozère is located in the southeastern part of the Massif Central on the Atlantic-Mediterranean watershed. All of Lozère’s rivers and streams, some 400, have their sources in the département itself.
The Allier River, which originates in the Maure de la Gardille range, flows for 25 miles along Lozère’s northeastern border.
The Tarn River begins south of Mount Lozère and the Lot River rises south of the Montagne du Goulet.
It flows east through Mende.
Several small rivers, including the Chassezac, one of the wildest torrents in France, flow into the Rhône Basin via the Ardèche River and the Gard River.
Pyrénées-Orientales
The capital of the département of Pyrénées-Orientales is
Perpignan. The département was created from the historic province of Roussillon, the region of Cerdagne and fragments of Languedoc.
Pyrénées-Orientales is bounded on the east by the Mediterranean Sea, on the south by Spain, and on the west by the small principality of Andorra and the region of
Midi-Pyrénées.
In the département’s west is the granite Carlit Peak that soars to the height of 9,583 feet. The peak is surrounded by glacial lakes and by other peaks that exceed 8,500 feet.
The Carlit Massif feeds the Ariège, the Aude, and the Têt rivers.
The département is mountainous in the south, with the Roussillon alluvial plain in the center.
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