Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne.
Situated mostly in the west side of south-central French Massif Central, Limousin had (in 2010) 742,770 inhabitants spread out on nearly , making it the least populated region of metropolitan France.
Forming part of the southwest of the country, Limousin is bordered by the regions of Centre-Val de Loire to the north, Auvergne to the east, Midi-Pyrénées to the south, Aquitaine to the southwest, and Poitou-Charentes to the west. Limousin is also part of the larger historical Occitania region.
Population
The population of Limousin is aging and, until 1999, was declining. The department of Creuse has the oldest population of any in France. Between 1999 and 2004 the population of Limousin increased slightly, reversing a decline for the first time in decades.
Major communities
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Guéret
Limoges
Panazol
Saint-Junien
Tulle
Ussel
History
Limousin is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its name derives from that of a Celtic tribe, the Lemovices, who had their capital at Saint-Denis-des-Murs and whose main sanctuary in 2004 was found in Tintignac, a site which became a major site for Celtic studies thanks to unique objects which were found – such as the carnyces, unique in the whole Celtic world.
Viscount Aimar V of Limoges ( – ) was a notable ruler of the region.
Language
Until the 1970s, Occitan was the primary language of rural areas. There remain several different Occitan dialects in use in Limousin, although their use is rapidly declining. These are: Limousin () dialect Auvergnat () dialect in the East/North-East Languedocien () in the Southern fringe of Corrèze in the North, the Crescent transition area between Occitan and French is sometimes considered as a separate (basically Occitan) dialect called Marchois ().
Transportation
The word limousine is derived from the name of the region. A particular type of carriage hood or roof physically resembled the raised hood of the cloak worn by the shepherds there.
Notable residents
From Corrèze
From Creuse
From Haute-Vienne
See also
Limousin (province), former province of France under the Ancien Régime. Limousin (cattle), breed of beef cattle bred in the Limousin region. Limousin (dialect), Occitan dialect of the region. TER Limousin
Footnotes
External links
Limousin : the “château d'eau” - Official French website (in English) Limousin regional council website, with a presentation video in English. Art in the Limousin region History and Geography (University of Limoges)