MIDI

cultural region encompassing the southern French regions of Aquitaine, Languedoc, and Provence. The Midi is bounded by Spain and the Pyrenees to the south and by Italy and the Alps to the northeast. The southern flank of the Massif Central extends into Languedoc. Lowlands include the Aquitaine Basin and the plains of Languedoc and the Rhne Basin. A Mediterranean climate prevails throughout most of the Midi. The northern boundaries of the Midi roughly coincide with the limit of the cultivation of olive trees. The Midi was not politically united during the European Middle Ages and was not fully incorporated into France until 1860, when the house of Savoy relinquished the county of Nice. Catalan culture entered the Midi through Roussillon, and Italian influences penetrated by way of Nice.