Massif Central

American  

[ma-seef sahn-tral] / ma sif sɑ̃ˈtral /

noun

1. a great plateau and the chief water divide of France, in the central part.

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Massif Central British  

/ masif sɑ̃tral /

noun

1. a mountainous plateau region of S central France, occupying about one sixth of the country: contains several extinct volcanic cones, notably Puy de Dôme, 1465 m (4806 ft). Highest point: Puy de Sancy, 1886 m (6188 ft). Area: about 85 000 sq km (33 000 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

Woods then dropped Jorgenson at ease and reached the summit of the Puy de Dome, a famed volcanic crater in the Massif Central region of south-central France that last hosted a stage 35 years ago.

From Washington Times • Jul. 9, 2023

With its constant ups and downs, the stage profile through the Massif Central was ideal for a breakaway.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 16, 2022

This transitional stage could end up being one of those days when fractures emerge in the peloton as it travels at full gas from the Alps to the magnificent views of the Massif Central.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2022

Their activity has been particularly robust in France’s “empty diagonal,” a band of low-density settlement that stretches from the Massif Central, in the south, to Lorraine, in the northeast.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 24, 2019

Its most striking feature is the mountainous and eruptive area known as the Massif Central, which covers south-central France.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 7 "Fox, George" to "France" by Various