Languedoc : qu'ès aco ?*

*qu'ès aco (pronounce kes a ko) means "what is it ?"

Situation

Languedoc means language of "oc" , "oc" meaning "yes". The "oc" language is a Romance language, heir of the Latin as it was spoken in the Late Roman Empire. It's a language which is very close to Provençal and Catalan. It reached its maximum influence during Middle Ages, when it was used by the troubadours, lyric poets whose major theme was courtly love. It was spoken in a large southern part of France until the XIX century. From the river Loire to the Pyrenees, from the Atlantic to the river Rhône.

Today, Languedoc refers to a less large area of a dozen departments surrounding a line between Toulouse and Montpellier.

In a first step, this web site limits itself to the departments of Aude, Gard, Hérault and Lozère.

Geography

The area is divided into large units:

- the eastern plain, along the Mediterranean is a land of vineyards , garrigues, beaches and ponds. The climate is of extreames, consisting of very hard, dry Summers, followed by torrential rain in Autumn.

- the Corbières, southern, are little mountains which announce the Pyrénées. It's a land of ruined castle and Cathare nostalgia.

- the Massif Central, north-west, has several faces: the large plateau of Grand Causses, the Cévennes mountains, and the large and dark forests of Aigoual, Espinouse and Montagne Noire. It's a nice refreshing area during summer, but cold during winter and very rainy during Spring and Autumn (because it receive clouds from both the Mediterranean sea end the Atlantic ocean.

- the Lauragais, west, is a rich farming plain crossed by the Canal du Midi.