AVEYRON

dpartement, Midi-Pyrnes regin, southern France. Aveyron was formed from the old province of Guyenne. It encompasses the southwest sector of the Massif Central and consists of a series of crystalline and limestone plateaus extending westward from the Cvennes range across the Causses plateau to the margins of the lowlands of Aquitaine. It is bordered on the northeast by the volcanic highlands of Aubrac. The plateaus, with large areas between 2,500 and 4,000 feet (750 and 1,200 m), are deeply cut by the Lot, Aveyron, and Tarn rivers, which often flow in gorges 1,500 feet (450 m) deep. Along the margins softer rock has been hollowed into warm, sheltered depressions where, as in the low valleys, orchards and vineyards prevail. The climate is wetter and more severe on the plateaus, which are pastoral. The lower plateaus of the west have small enclosed fields, support cattle, and yield fodder and potatoes. Some wheat is grown in the dry, thin soil of the Causses, but sheep dominate the economy, their milk being used for making Roquefort cheese, matured in limestone caves. Millau is a glove-making centre. In the vicinity of Aubin and Dcazeville are a small coalfield and some iron, zinc, glass, and chemical works. The valley of the Truyre River is the site of a hydroelectric power plant. The Tarn River gorges are an important tourist attraction. Aveyron is rich in dolmens and was settled in Roman times. Unremitting grazing and deforestation have desolated much of the region, however, and since 1900 depopulation has been more rapid there than in most of rural France. The dpartement of Aveyron corresponds roughly to the ancient countship of Rouergue, which was united to Toulouse in the 11th century. After the devastation of the Albigensian Crusade, new colonists were settled in Aveyron, and among the towns established were Villefranche and Sauveterre. In the north the monastery and church of Conques are among the architectural treasures of France. Espalion, Najac, and Sylvans also have noteworthy castles and churches. Rodez, the capital, on the Aveyron River; Millau, chief town for the Causses, at the outlet of the Tarn River gorges; and Villefranche-de-Rouergue give their names to the three arrondissements. Area 3,373 square miles (8,736 square km). Pop. (1992 est.) 268,000.