Auvergne

Auvergne
Auvèrnhe / Auvèrnha (Occitan)
Cultural region
Flag of Auvergne
Coat of arms of Auvergne
Location of Auvergne in France
Location of Auvergne in France
Coordinates: 45°20′N 3°00′E / 45.333°N 3.000°E / 45.333; 3.000
Country France
Area
 • Total26,013 km2 (10,044 sq mi)
Population
 • Total1,362,367
 • Density52/km2 (140/sq mi)
GDP
 • Total€43.022 billion (2022)
 • Per capita€31,600 (2022)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

Auvergne (/ˈvɛərn(jə), ˈvɜːrn/;[2][3][4][5] French: [ovɛʁɲ] ; Occitan: Auvèrnhe or Auvèrnha) is a cultural region in central France.

As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dissolved in 1790, and with the now-defunct administrative region of Auvergne, which existed from 1956 to 2015.

The region is home to a chain of volcanoes known collectively as the "chaîne des Puys". The volcanoes began forming about 70,000 years ago, and most have eroded, leaving plugs of hardened magma that form rounded hilltops known as puys.[6] The last confirmed eruption occurred around 4040 BCE.[7]

  1. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Auvergne". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Auvergne". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Auvergne". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2022-03-31.
  5. ^ "Auvergne". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Chaîne des Puys". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
  7. ^ "Chaine des Puys". Volcano World. Oregon State University. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2016.