Lozère, a department in the south of France, derives its name from Mont Lozère, one of the summits of the Cévennes (q.v.). It comprises the arrondissements of Mende, Florac, and Marvejols. Area, 1996 sq. m.; pop. (1872) 135,190; (1891) 135,527. Capital, Mende. The department forms the south-east extremity of the central uplands of France, and embraces the highest peaks of the Cévennes (Pic de Finiels, 5584 feet). These mountains are the birthplace of numerous rivers, which go down to feed the Rhone, the Garonne, and the Loire. In the mountains the climate is severe, and little grain is produced. Potatoes, chestnuts, fruits, hemp, and flax are the more important products, and silkworms are bred. The department contains some of the grandest scenery of France in the eroded limestone districts of the 'Causse's.'
See Martel's Les Cévennes (1890), and Betham-Edwards, The Roof of France (1889).