Puy-de-Dôme

Département in the Auvergne region of France; area 7,954 sq km/3,071 sq mi; population (1999 est) 604,300. Plateaux and branches of the Cévennes and the Auvergne Mountains occupy three-quarters of it, plain and valley the rest. The principal river is the Allier. The chief products are wheat, rye, flax, and fruit. The high pasture lands support large numbers of cattle. There are metalworking, aerospace, and motor-parts industries. The hot and cold mineral springs are a tourist attraction, as are the mountains. The administrative centre is Clermont-Ferrand. Other important towns are Ambert, Issoire, Riom, and Thiers.

Physical The multitude of conical hills, or puys, of basaltic and lava masses, and of craters, show the volcanic origins of the landscape. The climate is varied; the mountain districts, to the east and west, often have severe storms, and snow lies on the upper slopes for six or seven months of the year. The soil is, in general, light and poor; but the valley of Limagne is fertile throughout. Among the most frequented mineral springs are those of St-Myon and Châteldon.