is a ''
Département '' in southern
France named after the
Aveyron River .
Aveyron was one of the original 83 ''départements'' created during the
French Revolution on
March 4 ,
1790 .
The first historical inhabitants of the region were the
Rutene tribe, but the area was inhabited more anciently and boasts many prehistoric ruins.
The ''département'' is part of the current
Midi-Pyrénées ''
Région ''. It is surrounded by the ''départements'' of
Tarn ,
Tarn-et-Garonne ,
Lot ,
Hérault ,
Gard ,
Lozère , and
Cantal .
The highest point in the ''département'' is the summit of
Mailhebiau at 1469 m.
The inhabitants of the ''département'' are called ''Aveyronnais''.
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
Dolmen s. The small city of
Millau is the site of the world's tallest bridge, the
''viaduc De Millau'' , opened by President
Chirac in December 2004.
- http://cf.laroque.free.fr/chateau/najac.htm
- http://www.seigneurs-du-rouergue.com/nouveau/PresentFrancais.php?numero=14
- http://perso.wanadoo.fr/vent.ouest/text/197bad3-1031.html
- http://sauzets.co.uk/
- http://www.cister.net/viewabbey/76/
- http://www.aveyron.com/tourisme/Regions/locdieu.html
- http://www.netrando.com/4dcgi/us/geoquery/198.htm
