Aveyron

Aveyron (Occitan: Avairon) is a department in southern France named after the Aveyron River.This department is located in the Midi-Pyrénées region, south of France. It is surrounded by the departments of Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot, Hérault, Gard, Lozère, and Cantal. The main city is Rodez, located in the centre of a triangle formed by Clermont-Ferrand, Montpellier and Toulouse which is a very practical location.

Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790.

The first known historical inhabitants of the region were the Rutenii tribe, but the area was inhabited previously to this, boasting many prehistoric ruins. Aveyron contains a part of the Cévennes National Park. Two well known tourist attractions are the castle of Najac, a medieval ruin perched high on a hill, and the abbey of Loc-Dieu, located near Martiel in a region with many dolmens. The small city of Millau is the site of the world's tallest bridge, the Millau viaduct, opened by President Chirac in December 2004.

Activities include horseriding, fishing, swimming in the Lacs du Lévézou and hiking/camping. The inhabitants are also very good craftsmen, and Aveyron is full of various craft objects, handmade, that can be found locally. Examples include the couteau de Laguiole, the world famous Roquefort cheese, from the village of the same name and other local produce. Markets take place every Saturday on market places around the region.