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

On Monday, the race takes in eight categorised climbs on Bastille Day as it travels 165.3km from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy in the Massif Central.

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2025

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

From Seattle Times • Jul. 16, 2022

Squeezed between the crossing of the Vosges and Massif Central mountains, the stage took the peloton from Belfort to Chalon-sur-Saone.

From Washington Post • Jul. 12, 2019

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