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Larzac

Larzac is a limestone plateau in southern France, part of the Grands Causses in the Massif Central, located mainly in the Aveyron department and surrounding the Millau area. The plateau sits at elevations around 600 to 900 meters and features karst topography, open pastures, and scrubland, with a network of small villages and hamlets, including La Couvertoirade and Le Caylar. The landscape supports traditional dry farming and sheep pastoralism, and the economy today blends agriculture with growing rural tourism, notably hiking and caving.

Historically, the Larzac area has been inhabited for centuries and is notable for its pastoral traditions and

Today, the Larzac is recognized for its distinctive landscape within the Parc naturel régional des Grands Causses

stone-built
settlements.
In
the
20th
century,
the
French
government
proposed
expanding
a
military
encampment
on
the
site.
Beginning
in
1971,
a
broad-based,
nonviolent
protest
movement
known
as
the
Larzac
movement
mobilized
peasants,
students,
and
supporters
from
across
France
to
resist
the
expansion.
After
a
decade
of
demonstrations
and
negotiation,
the
project
was
scaled
back
in
1981,
making
the
Larzac
campaign
a
landmark
example
of
rural
activism
and
civil
society
engagement
in
France.
and
for
its
role
in
social
history
as
a
symbol
of
popular
protest
and
citizen
activism.
The
area
remains
a
destination
for
outdoor
recreation,
cultural
heritage,
and
sustainable
agriculture,
preserving
traditional
shepherding
practices
and
rural
ways
of
life.