Population: 2.1 million

Principal city: Montpellier

The name 'Languedoc' comes from the old southern word for 'yes' (oc) and the local language occitan is still kept alive. The southernmost tip of the region is French Catalonia: its history, culture and traditions, and even its flag, span the Pyrenees and are shared with Spanish Catalonia.

Containing all the Mediterranean resorts from Aigues-Mortes to Perpignan, the main industry in Languedoc-Roussillon is tourism. The Cap d'Agde's quartier naturiste is Europe's biggest garment-free zone; the Mediterranean climate and setting probably help the cause. Often overlooked in favour of the popular and nearby Cap d'Agde, the bassin de Thau has much to offer. It is the hub of the French oyster and mussel industry and shellfish fairs take place here annually. The sunny region of Languedoc-Roussillon has made it an obvious candidate for solar power: at Font-Romeu (Pyrénées-Orientales) the power of the sun has been harnessed by a spectacular solar furnace.

The region has bitter experience of the evil done in the name of Christianity: the peaceful Cathars were brutally exterminated by the Inquisition in the 12th and 13th centuries, and the Protestants of the Cévennes were similarly persecuted by the Vatican during the Wars of Religion.

The Cévennes region is more famous these days for Robert Louis Stevenson's travels with a donkey — and to this day it's still possible to experience this rustic way of travelling. In the far south of the region, the pic du Canigou is known as the Sacred Mountain of Catalonia: Catalans treat it with great respect, as do the many walkers who come to climb the 2,784 metre peak.

A lot of wine is grown in this region. Much of it used to be inferior pinard (plonk) but the quality has been forced to increase in order to compete. Banyuls wine was one of the first to obtain an appellation d'origine contrôlée. It is aged in an unusual way, sometimes being left outside, exposed to the elements, for 20 years.

Cassoulet (originally cassole d'Issel, meaning the cooking pot from the small Languedoc town of Issel) has become a national dish, but there are many regional variations. The newly created Route du Cassoulet is dedicated to extolling the excellence of this traditional stew: it can be sampled at a range of restaurants along the route which stretches from Lézignan (Aude) to Toulouse.

The beautiful capital and ancient university town of Montpellier, founded from the 10th to the 12th century by Jews, Muslims and Christians, has the oldest botanical gardens in France. Suggested visits outside the city include Aigues-Mortes and the Camargue.

Carcassonne epitomises the old fortress towns of the middle ages, and the spirit of the time is brought to life in a reconstruction of a medieval banquet in nearby Villerouge.

The city of Nîmes dates back to Roman times: its most impressive sights are the amphitheatre and the Maison Carrée. However, it also has examples of modern architecture and design — notably the Carré d'Art (a modern art museum) and an unusual marble bus stop. The Pont du Gard, the oldest bridge in France, dates from 19 BC. This unmistakeable landmark was built to transport water from Uzès to Nîmes, a distance of some 30km.

The Causse Méjean is one of several desert-like landscapes at the southern edge of the Massif Central. Deforestation during the last 200 years has made it bleak and barren, but there is some spectacular scenery and amazing underground caverns.