Overview
The Massif Central is a highland region in the middle of Southern France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France.
Description
Massif Central, upland area in south-central France. Bordered by the lowlands of Aquitaine on the west, the Paris Basin and the Loire River valley on the north, the Rhône-Saône river valley on the east, and the Mediterranean coastlands of Languedoc on the south, it is conventionally demarcated by the 1,000 feet- (300 m-) above-sea-level contour. Occupying about one-sixth of France (33,000 square miles [86,000 square km]), the massif, for the most part, consists of plateaus lying between 2,000 and 3,000 feet (600 and 900 m). The highest peaks are Sancy Hill (Puy de Sancy; 6,184 feet [1,885 m]) and the Plomb du Cantal (6,096 feet [1,858 m]).