Languedoc

Languedoc is a former province of France. It now makes up most of the Languedoc-Roussillon région, as well as a fifth of the Midi-Pyrénées région, including its traditional capital city Toulouse. The province of Languedoc covered an area of approximately 42,000 km² (16,230 sq. miles) in the south of France, roughly the region between the Rhône; and the Garonne River, extending northwards to the Cévennes and the Massif Central.

The Languedoc province has been divided between 4 modern-days région:
- 55% of its former territory lies in the Languedoc-Roussillon région, covering the départements of Gard, Hérault, and Lozère
- 24% of its former territory lies in the Midi-Pyrénées région, covering the département of Tarn, as well as the north of Haute-Garonne and the south of Tarn-et-Garonne
- 13% lies in the Rhône-Alpes région, covering the département of Ardèche
- 8% lies in the Auvergne région, covering the central and eastern part of the département of Haute-Loire

On the traditional territory of the province of Languedoc there live approximately 3,650,000 people (as of 1999 census), 52% of these in the Languedoc-Roussillon région, 35% in the Midi-Pyrénées région, 8% in the Rhône-Alpes région, and 5% in the Auvergne région. The five largest metropolitan areas on the territory of the former province of Languedoc are (as of 1999 census): Toulouse (964,797 inhabitants), Montpellier (459,916 inh.), Nîmes (221,455 inh.), Béziers (124,967 inh.), and Alès (89,390 inh.).

Languedoc is a significant producer of wine, historically of indifferent quality, and a major contributor to the surplus known as the "wine lake". Today it produces more than a third of the grapes in France, and is undergoing something of a renaissance due to an increased focus on quality and outside investment. Wines from the Mediterranean coast of Languedoc are labeled as Languedoc, those from the interior have other labels such as Fronton, Gaillac, or Limoux. Other crops include wheat (the traditional crop which made the fortune of the landlords and parliamentarians based in Toulouse, and for whose trade the famous Canal du Midi was built), maize (the new and nowadays most popular crop in the region), olives (only on the Mediterranean coast of Languedoc), fruit, and rice (in some coastal areas). In hilly areas sheep and goat are raised for meat and cheese. The coastal area is, naturally, a source of fish and shellfish. The area is a popular tourist destination.

The Mediterranean coast of Languedoc has been settled by the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romanss, and invaded by the Alamanni, Vandals, Visigoths, and Saracens. Languedoc was known in the Middle Ages as the county of Toulouse, an independent county which was in theory part of the kingdom of France. In the 12th century, Languedoc was the center of the Cathar religious movement. The Roman Catholic Church declared them heretics, and the Albigensian Crusade wiped them out. As a consequence, the county of Toulouse returned to the crown of France in 1271, and has been part of France ever since. Later the name given to the area was Languedoc, literally meaning "language of oc", from the word "yes" in the local Occitan language ("oc", as opposed to "oïl", later "oui", in the north of France). The kings of France made Languedoc one of the provinces of the kingdom, and established the parliament of Languedoc in Toulouse. The parliament and the province were abolished at the time of the French Revolution, like all the other parliaments and provinces of France.