Editing Cantal (section)

== Geography ==
{{hatnote|See also: [[Arrondissements of the Cantal department|Arrondissements of Cantal]], [[Cantons of the Cantal department|Cantons of Cantal]] and [[Communes of the Cantal department|Communes of Cantal]]}}
[[File:Dordogne-pres-du-pont-de-Chambon-DSC 0403.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Dordogne (river)|Dordogne]] river in Cantal]]
[[File:Fonds de vallée de l'Impradine brèche de Roland et Puy Mary dpt Cantal DSC2-621.JPG|left|thumb|[[Pas de Peyrol]]]]
Cantal lies in the middle of France's central plateau.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} The Cantal range is a group of extinct and eroded volcanic peaks. Its highest point is the [[Plomb du Cantal]], which reaches an elevation of {{convert|1858|m|sp=us}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Auvergne {{!}} History, Culture, Geography, & Map |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Auvergne#ref886302 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica }}</ref> Its neighbors are [[Puy Mary]] (elev. {{convert|1787|m|disp=or|sp=us}}) and [[Puy Chavaroche]] (elev. {{convert|5722|ft|disp=or|sp=us}}). To their north lie the ''{{lang|fr|Cézallier}}'' and [[Monts Dore|Dore]] ranges and the arid Artense Plateau. Immediately to their east is the fertile Planèze Plateau, bound on its east by the ''{{lang|fr|Monts de la Margeride}}''.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}

The principal rivers are the [[Alagnon]], which is a tributary to the [[Allier (river)|Allier]]; the [[Celle (river)|Celle]] and [[Truyère]], tributary to the [[Lot (river)|Lot]]; and the [[Cère]] and [[Rhue (river)|Rhue]], tributary to the [[Dordogne (river)|Dordogne]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} At an elevation of {{convert|250|m|sp=us|0}} above sea level, the low point of the province lies in the [[Lot (river)|Lot valley]].{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} The Truyère valley skirts the Planèze on the south and divides it from the ''{{lang|fr|Monts d'Aubrac}}'', whose foothills include the thermal springs of [[Chaudes-Aigues]]. The western area of the department consists of grassy plateaus and river valleys.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}

At first, Cantal was divided into four [[Arrondissements of Cantal|arrondissement]]s—[[Arrondissement of Aurillac|Aurillac]], [[Arrondissement of Mauriac|Mauriac]], [[Arrondissement of Saint-Flour|Saint-Flour]] and Murat (later merged with Saint-Flour).{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}

=== Climate ===
The climate of the department varies considerably.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} Prevailing winds and mountain ranges divide Cantal into four climatic zones:
* The west is subject to oceanic winds which bring rains.
* The Cantal and the Cézallier mountains create a rain shadow: it rains and snows quite often.
* The Planèze of Saint-Flour and the region of Massiac receive less precipitation, owing to winds coming from the north and south.
* The plateaus of the Margeride and the Aubrac have harsh winters and pleasant summers.

[[File:PuyGriou.JPG|thumb|left|[[Puy Griou]] in the winter season]]
Generally, the weather is mild and dry in the [[alluvial plain]] between [[Murat, Cantal|Murat]] and Saint-Flour and around Aurillac, while summer storms and winters can be long and severe in the northern and central areas.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} The west—nearer precipitation coming in from the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]]—is well watered.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} There is abundant snowfall which can remain up to six months on the mountaintops. Winter temperatures can fall to below {{convert|-15|°C|0|abbr=on}}, whereas in summer {{convert|25|°C|0|abbr=on}} is often reached.  The southern part of the department, on its borders with [[Aveyron]] and [[Lot (department)|Lot]], is the hottest region. Aurillac averaged 2080 hours of sunlight per year over the period from 1991 to 2000. Fog is rare and disappears quickly. Wind is usually not very strong, but the lightning flashes in this department are among the most spectacular in France.

Televised French weather forecasts often note Aurillac as the coldest city in France in the mornings. This status should be understood in light of their derivation from temperature readings by {{lang|fr|[[Météo-France]]}}. Of the 30 cities included on its maps, Aurillac is by far the one with the highest altitude, at {{convert|640|m|sp=us|abbr=on|0}} above sea level.

===Principal towns===

The most populous commune is [[Aurillac]], the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 3,000 inhabitants:<ref name=pop2019/>

{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2019)
|-
| [[Aurillac]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 25,593
|-
| [[Saint-Flour]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 6,458
|-
| [[Arpajon-sur-Cère]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 6,279
|-
| [[Ytrac]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 4,335
|-
| [[Mauriac, Cantal|Mauriac]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 3,498
|}