Herault

Hérault is a department in the southwest of France named after the Hérault River.

Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc. At the beginning of the 20th century, the wine-growing region was devastated, and thousands of workers revolted. This revolt was suppressed very harshly by the government of Georges Clemenceau. The catastrophic frost of the winter of 1956 damaged the olive trees, and the olive-growing regions did not recover until 1980. Many of the olive-industry co-ops closed. Hérault is part of the current region of Languedoc-Roussillon and is surrounded by the departments of Aude, Tarn, Aveyron, Gard, and the Mediterranean Sea (Gulf of Lion) on the south. The department is very geographically diverse, with beaches in the south, the Cévennes mountains in the north, and agricultural land in between.

The average temperature is between 15 and 16 degrees Celsius. The Mediterranean beaches are a major attraction, as well as the caves of Clamouse and Demoiselles.