Southern France
Southern France
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Country | France |
Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as le Midi,[1][2] is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,[3] Spain, the Mediterranean Sea and Italy. It includes southern Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the west, Occitanie in the centre, the southern parts of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in the northeast, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in the southeast, as well as the island of Corsica in the southeast. Southern France is generally considered part of southern Europe because of its association with the Mediterranean Sea.
The term Midi derives from mi ('middle') and di ('day') in
Geography
The area corresponds in large part to
, may also be included.Tourism
Notable touristic landmarks include the Roman-era Pont du Gard and the Arena of Nîmes; the Verdon Gorge, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; the Canal du Midi, linking Toulouse by to the Mediterranean Sea; and the natural regions of Larzac, Luberon and Camargue. The French Riviera is in southern France's southeastern quadrant. Several towns in southern France are renowned for their architecture and surroundings, such as Roussillon, Ménerbes, Cordes-sur-Ciel, Gordes, Rocamadour, Rennes-le-Château, Les Baux-de-Provence, Lourmarin, Gassin, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Seillans, Crillon-le-Brave and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
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Coastal road near Sainte-Maxime
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Lavender fields, a well-known feature of southern France, are mainly in Provence.
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Pont du Gard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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View of Vaucluse vineyards producing Provence wine
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Traditional landscape of the historical province of Béarn, in Pyrénées-Atlantiques
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Village of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, near Avignon
Cuisine
Southern France has a cuisine that is different from those of northern France and other Mediterranean countries. The major difference from the rest of France is in the use of olive oil, instead of butter. Local agriculture supplies the olives for consumption as well as cooking, the ducks and geese to make
Films
The following films are set in southern France:
- To Catch a Thief (1955)
- Summer Holiday (1963)
- Pierrot le Fou (1965)
- Lacombe, Lucien (1974)
- French Connection II (1975)
- Never Say Never Again (1983)
- Under the Cherry Moon (1986)
- Jean de Florette (1986)
- Manon des Sources (1986)
- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
- Happiness Is in the Field (1995)
- Taxi (1998)
- Chocolat (2000)
- The Transporter (2002)
- Swimming Pool (2003)
- Le Grand Voyage (2004)
- Priceless (2006)
- The Grocer's Son (2007)
- Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)
- Amer (2009)
- Magic in the Moonlight (2014)
- Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)
See also
- French Riviera
- Béarn
- Corsica
- Gascony
- Mediterranean Sea
- Northern Basque Country
- Northern Catalonia
- Novempopulania
- Occitania
- Southern Europe
- Southern Italy
- Vichy France
References
- ISBN 978-1-85284-559-9.
- ^ Passy, Paul (1904). International French–English and English–French dictionary. Hinds, Noble & Eldredge.
- ^ Louis Papy, Le midi atlantique, Atlas et géographie de la France moderne, Flammarion, Paris, 1984.
- ISBN 978-1800464964.