Map of the territory
This Cultural Property, one of the largest ever to be listed, spans 3,023 km2 and covers four administrative departments of France, Aveyron, Gard, Hérault and Lozère, as well as two regions, Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées.
It also covers three main geographical and geological areas: the limestone Causses and Gorges, the shale Cévennes and the granite massifs of Mont-Aigoual and Mont-Lozère.
This geological and climatic diversity has led to a variety of architecture that makes use of the hilly areas and local materials, and has forced people to find solutions that harness all this diversity to develop economical, ingenious and resource-efficient agropastoral activities, from the depths of the valleys to the high plateaus.
For millennia, sedentary and transhumant agropastoral activity has enabled people to live in this territory and maintain vast open spaces used for grazing livestock and growing crops, resulting in great biodiversity.
Everywhere, people have made their mark on the landscape through buildings scattered across the vast landscapes, reflecting their activities, beliefs and traditions.
