Anvergne, a southern central district of France, was before the Revolution a separate province, and coincided nearly with the modern departments of Cantal and Puy-de-Dôme. Auvergne falls naturally into two divisions—Upper Auvergne, to the south, rugged and mountainous; and Lower Auvergne, to the north, some parts of which, especially on the left bank of the Allier, are distinguished for extraordinary fertility. The climate is subject to violent extremes and great storms, cold in the mountainous districts, whilst in the plains the heat of summer is often oppressive. Not only do the cone and dome-like shapes of the summits betray a volcanic formation, but also the great masses of basalt and trachyte that break through the crust of granite and gneiss, render it manifest that this was a great focus of volcanic action at a comparatively recent period. Among the summits that have apparently been at one time volcanoes, the most remarkable are Cantal (6093), Mont-Dore (6188), and Puy-de-Dôme (4806): all are now covered with verdure. The lava-covered plateaus are desert, but the pulverised volcanic earths that cover the slopes and valleys form a rich and fruitful soil. Agriculture is in a rude and backward condition; but the breeding of cattle, especially of mules, is diligently carried on. Auvergne produces iron, lead, copper, and coal, and is rich in valuable mineral springs, both cold and hot.
The Auvergnats are a highland people, rude and ungainly, poor, ignorant, and, though of southern temperament, laborious. They are probably the almost unmixed descendants of the ancient inhabitants of this part of Gaul, and speak a dialect of their own. Large numbers of them go to service in Paris and other northern towns, where they are marked by their pronunciation. Auvergne has, however, produced distinguished men, such as the Arnauld family, Lafayette, and Polignac. The chief towns are Clermont and Aurillac (q.v.). The country derived its name from the Celtic Avernii or Averni, who long defended their fastnesses against Cæsar, as later against the Goths, Burgundians, and Franks. Long a separate county, it was not incorporated with France till 1531.