At the beginning of the 20th century,viticulture in thewine-growing region was devastated by a slump in sales combined with disease affecting the vines. Thousands of small scale producers revolted. This revolt was suppressed very harshly by the government ofGeorges Clemenceau.
The catastrophic frost of the winter of 1956 damaged theolive trees, and the olive-growing regions did not recover until the late 1980s. Many of the olive-industry co-ops closed.
During the second half of the twentieth century theMontpellier basin saw some of the most rapid population growth in France.[5]
Hérault is part of theregion ofOccitanie and is surrounded by the departments ofAude,Tarn,Aveyron,Gard, and the Mediterranean (Gulf of Lion) on the south. The department is geographically very diverse, with beaches in the south, theCévennes mountains in the north, and agricultural land in between. The territory of Hérault is often described as an open amphitheater facing the sea. The geography of Hérault is marked by the diversity of its geology and its landscapes. These range from the southern foothills of theMassif Central, to theMediterranean Sea, through the areas ofgarrigue and the low plain of Languedoc wine. Hérault has aMediterranean climate.
The minimum elevation is at sea level and the highest point of the department is at an elevation of 1181m in one of the peaks of theEspinouse. The average elevation is about 227m.
The department of Hérault is crossed by several rivers that originate in the southern foothills of the Massif Central and empty into theMediterranean Sea, flowing more-or-less from north to south over a relatively short distance from high elevation. The main rivers flowing from east to west are theVidourle, which marks the limit with theGard department; theLesz, which flows throughMontpellier; theHérault, which gave its name to the department, and theOrb, which flows throughBéziers. To the west, theAude, a 224 km-long river flowing from thePyrenees, has a course oriented west–east and marks the boundary between Hérault and the neighbouring department of Aude. These rivers as well as their tributaries take their character from the region's 'cévénol' climate, with sudden variations of flow causing sudden floods. Lagoons are found along the coast of Herault, the largest of which is theÉtang de Thau, with an area of about 7,500 hectares.
The hinterland of the lowlands of Bas-Languedoc is gradually hilly. It is the territory of the vineyard, olive groves, orchards and scrubland. Olive growing and viticulture symbolize an important part of the Mediterranean heritage and lifestyle.
The most populous commune isMontpellier, the prefecture. The least populated municipality isRomiguières with 21 inhabitants in 2019. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:[4]
The average temperature of the summer months is close to the maximum French average. Nevertheless, the sea protects the coastal areas from the extremes of heat waves in summer, but also frosts in winter. They range from about 27 degrees Celsius on the seashore to 32 degrees Celsius inland. Mean minimum temperatures also vary, ranging from about 19 degrees Celsius on the coast to 15 degrees Celsius in the interior.
The totemic animals of Herault are typical. During cultural events or local votive festivals, many towns or villages parade a totemic animal representing their municipality through the streets, often accompanied by the sound of traditional musical instruments, such as the Languedoc oboe or fife. The most well-known is the "Foal ofPézenas", which UNESCO proclaimed as part of theintangible cultural heritage, being an example of theProcessional giants and dragons in Belgium and France.
Montpellier festivals :I Love Techno Europe, Mediterranean Film Festival, Comédie du Livre, Montpellier Dance Festival, International Festival of Extreme Sports (FISE)
Sète festivals : Sète's Jazz Festival, Documentary Photo Festival "ImageSingulieres", Poetry Festival "Vivid Voice of the Mediterranean in the Mediterranean"
185,048 hectares (nearly 30%) of land in Hérault is used for agriculture. Viticulture is the most important, with 85,525 hectares. The cultivation of cereals uses 20,095 hectares, grazing 7,090 hectares, 4,991 hectares are left fallow, 3,788 hectares are devoted to the cultivation of vegetables, and 3,400 hectares for orchards (olives, chestnuts, walnuts, plums, apples).
The vineyards of Hérault are very old, dating from before the founding ofGallia Narbonensis. Hérault is today the second French wine department, after theGironde, representing 14% of the total area of the department. The department has a favorable climate, excellent exposure, a wide variety of soils and many varieties of grape: all these assets result in generous, sometimes robust, wines with a wide aromatic palette
In Hérault, the cultivation of shellfish produces 8,300 tons of oysters (10% of the national production) and 5,900 tons of mussels a year. TheÉtang de Thau is a centre for growing mussels and oysters in the Mediterranean. AtBouzigues, oysters are cultivated on permanently-immersed, raised breeding.
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