Puy-de-Dôme facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Puy-de-Dôme
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Prefecture building of the Puy-de-Dôme department, in Clermont-Ferrand
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Location of Puy-de-Dôme in France
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| Country | France | ||
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | ||
| Prefecture | Clermont-Ferrand | ||
| Subprefectures | Ambert Issoire Riom Thiers |
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| Area | |||
| • Total | 7,970 km2 (3,080 sq mi) | ||
| Population
(2016)
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| • Total | 650,700 | ||
| • Rank | 38th | ||
| • Density | 81.64/km2 (211.46/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
| Department number | 63 | ||
| Arrondissements | 5 | ||
| Cantons | 31 | ||
| Communes | 464 | ||
| French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 | |||
Puy-de-Dôme is a region in the middle of France. It is named after the famous dormant volcano, the Puy de Dôme. People who live here are called Puydômois. This name has been used in all official documents since 2006.
Contents
History of Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme is one of the first 83 departments created in France. This happened during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was formed from a part of the older region called Auvergne.
Why the Name Changed
At first, the department was going to be called Mont-d'Or, which means "Golden Mountain." But this name was changed to Puy-de-Dôme. A local leader, Jean-François Gaultier de Biauzat, helped make this change. He was worried that "Golden Mountain" might attract too much attention from the government's tax collectors.
Geography of Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in France. It is surrounded by other departments like Loire, Haute-Loire, Cantal, Corrèze, Allier, and Creuse.
Volcanoes and Mountains
This department is located in the Massif Central mountain range. It has more than 80 volcanic craters, which are now dormant. This means they are not active.
Travel and Main Cities
Puy-de-Dôme is easy to reach by car. It is about three hours from Paris and one hour from Lyon using major highways. The A75 highway also connects it to the Mediterranean Sea.
The main cities in Puy-de-Dôme are Clermont-Ferrand, Thiers, Riom, Issoire, Ambert, and Cournon-d'Auvergne. Some parts of the department are also within the Parc naturel régional Livradois-Forez, which is a natural park.
Images for kids
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The black Cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand
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Saint-Floret, one of the most beautiful villages of France
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The Puy de Dôme volcano
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The Lac de Guéry in the Massif Central
See also
In Spanish: Puy-de-Dôme para niños
