Millau
Millau is a town and commune of southern France. It is located at where the Tarn and Dourbie rivers meet. Already in the first century AD there was a settlement on the spot, called Condatomagus, which was a major earthenware centre in the Roman Empire, La Graufesenque. The town is known for its gloves and most recently for the elegant Millau viaduct, the tallest cable-stayed road bridge in the world, which carries the A75 autoroute across the valley of the River Tarn near Millau, relieving the town of much traffic, especially during the summer months.
Millau's best-known inhabitant is Jose Bove, an anti-globalization activist who demolished a McDonalds in symbolic protest of the spread of fast food and Americanization. There is a substantial population who support his aims if not his actions, both in Millau and on the surrounding Larzac plateau, where peace activists have lived since the 1970s.
Commune of Millau
Location
Longitude 03° 04' 42" E
Latitude 44° 05' 55" N
Administration
Département Aveyron (sous-préfecture)
Canton Chief town of 2 cantons
Mayor Jacques Godfrain
(2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude 340 m–888 m
(avg. 379 m)
Land area¹ 168.23 km²
Population² (1999) 21,339
Density (1999) 126.8/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 12145/ 12100
