Plateau de Lannemezan facts for kids
The Lannemezan Plateau is a flat area of land, also known as a plateau, located in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France. It's found near the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, not far from Spain. About 10,000 people live on this plateau.
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What's in a Name?
The Lannemezan Plateau gets its name from the city of Lannemezan, which is located right in the middle of this flat area.
The Plateau as a Water Tower
For over 150 years, from 1840 to 1995, a lot of work was done to make the Lannemezan Plateau act like a giant "water tower" for the wider region, especially the area around the Bay of Biscay. This means it helps collect and distribute water.
The main way this happens is through the Canal de la Neste. This canal is more than 28 kilometers (about 17 miles) long. It gets its water from the Beyréde Jumet dam, which is in the Aure Valley. The dam itself is fed by water from several lakes high up in the mountains, including those in the Néouvielle massif (like Aumar, Aubert, and Orédon lakes) and the Louron Valley (like Caillaouas lake). The Canal de la Neste brings all this mountain water down to the Lannemezan Plateau.
This system is very important because it helps supply water to many rivers that start on the plateau, which then flow to different parts of France.
Rivers Starting Here
Many rivers begin their journey on the Lannemezan Plateau. These rivers are part of two major river systems:
Garonne River Basin
Adour River Basin
See also
In Spanish: Meseta de Lannemezan para niños
