Southern France | |
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 Southern France, based on a split along the 45th parallel | |
| Country | France |
Southern France, also known as thesouth of France or colloquially inFrench asle Midi,[1][2] is a geographical area consisting of theregions of France that border theAtlantic Ocean south of theMarais Poitevin,[3]Spain, theMediterranean Sea andItaly. It includes southernNouvelle-Aquitaine in the west,Occitania in the centre, the southern parts ofAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes in the northeast,Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in the southeast, as well as the island ofCorsica in the southeast. Southern France is generally considered part ofsouthern Europe because of its association with the Mediterranean Sea.
The colloquial French name for the region,le Midi, is derived from anOld French compound composed ofmi ("middle") anddi ("day"), meaning literally "midday".[4] Thus, the term is comparable in both origin and meaning toMezzogiorno, which to indicates southern Italy, andRomanianMiazăzi which is a synonym for south.
The area corresponds in large part toOccitania insouthern Europe, the historical and cultural region in whichOccitan (French:langue d'oc), as distinct from thelangues d'oïl of northernFrance, was the predominant language. Despite being part of Occitania, the regions ofAuvergne andLimousin are not normally considered part of southern France. The largest cities of southern France areMarseille,Toulouse,Bordeaux,Nice andMontpellier. ThePyrenees andFrench Alps are also located in the area, in respectively its southwestern and eastern parts.Corsica, which is south ofContinental France and just north ofSardinia,Italy, may also be included.
Notable touristic landmarks include theRoman-eraPont du Gard and theArena of Nîmes; theVerdon Gorge, inAlpes-de-Haute-Provence; theCanal du Midi, linking Toulouse by to theMediterranean Sea; and the natural regions ofLarzac,Luberon andCamargue. TheFrench Riviera is in southern France's southeastern quadrant. Several towns in southern France are renowned for their architecture and surroundings, such asRoussillon,Ménerbes,Cordes-sur-Ciel,Gordes,Rocamadour,Rennes-le-Château,Les Baux-de-Provence,Lourmarin,Gassin,Saint-Paul-de-Vence,L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue,Seillans,Crillon-le-Brave andSaint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Southern France has a cuisine that is different from those of northern France and other Mediterranean countries. The major difference from the rest of France is in the use of olive oil, instead of butter. Local agriculture supplies the olives for consumption as well as cooking, the ducks and geese to makefoie gras,haricot beans that are used incassoulet, the sheep whose milk producesRoquefort cheese, tomatoes and melons. To accompany the richer food, the area also supplies much stronger wines, fromBordeaux,Cahors,Madiran, andLanguedoc, all of which are washed down withbrandy fromArmagnac.[5]
The following films are set in southern France:
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