Editing Camargue (section)

== Human influence ==
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Humans have lived in the Camargue for millennia, greatly affecting it with drainage schemes, [[Levee|dykes]], [[rice]] paddies and [[Salt evaporation pond|salt pans]]. Much of the outer Camargue has been drained for agricultural purposes.

The Camargue has an eponymous horse breed, the white [[Camargue (horse)|Camarguais]]. Camargue horses are ridden by the ''[[gardian]]s'' (cowboys), who rear the region's cattle for [[Bullfighting|fighting bulls]] for regional use and for export to Spain, as well as sheep. Many of these animals are raised in [[semi-feral]] conditions, allowed to roam through the Camargue within a [[manade]], or free-running herd. They are periodically rounded up for culling, medical treatment, or other events.

[[File:Gardian house.JPG|thumb|A 20th-century "gardian" home. The pole is used to climb up and check the animals]]
[[File:Entrée de l'église des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.jpg|thumb|The [[Cross of Camargue]] on the [[Church of the Saintes Maries de la Mer]]]]
Few towns of any size have developed in the Camargue. Arles has been called its "capital", located at the extreme north of the delta where the Rhône forks into its two principal branches. The only other towns of note are along the seafront or near it: [[Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer]], which has also been dubbed its "capital", about {{cvt|45|km}} to the southwest. The medieval fortress-town of [[Aigues-Mortes]] is located on the far western edge, in the Petite Camargue. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is the destination of the annual [[Romani people|Romani]] pilgrimage for the veneration of [[Saint Sarah]].

The Camargue was exploited in the Middle Ages by [[Cistercians|Cistercian]] and [[Benedictines|Benedictine]] monks. In the 16th–17th centuries, big estates, known locally as ''[[Mas (Provençal farmhouse)|mas]]'', were founded by rich landlords from [[Arles]]. At the end of the 18th century, they had the Rhône diked to protect the town and their properties from flooding. In 1858, the building of the ''digue à la mer'' (dyke to the sea) achieved temporary protection of the delta from erosion, but it is a changing landform, always affected by waters and weather.

The north of the Camargue is agricultural land. The main crops are cereals, grapes and rice. Near the seashore, prehistoric man started extracting salt, a practice that continues today. Salt was a source of wealth for the Cistercian "salt abbeys" of [[Abbaye d'Ulmet|Ulmet]], [[Franquevaux]] and [[Psalmody Abbey|Psalmody]] in the Middle Ages. Industrial salt collection started in the 19th century, and big chemical companies such as [[Pechiney]] and Solvay founded the "mining" city of [[Salin-de-Giraud]].

The boundaries of the Camargue are constantly altered by the Rhône as it transports huge quantities of mud downstream – as much as 20 million m<sup>3</sup> annually. Some of the ''étangs'' are the remnants of old arms and legs of the river. The general trend is for the coastline to move outwards as new earth is deposited in the delta at the river's mouth. [[Aigues-Mortes]], originally built as a port on the coast, is now some {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}} inland. The pace of change has been modified in recent years by man-made barriers, such as [[dam]]s on the Rhône and sea dykes, but flooding remains a problem across the region.