The Ariege is a Department of the Midi-Pyrenees region of SW France. The capital of the Ariege is a town called Foix and other large towns in the Department are Pamiers, Saverdun, St Girons, Mirepoix, Laroque D'Olmes, Lavelanet, Tarascon-sur-Ariege and Ax-Les-Thermes. The Ariege department is a largely unknown department which is situated next to the Aude in the most southern part of the Midi-Pyre
nees department and shares its borders with the Aude, Andorra, Haute Garonne and the Pyrenees Orientales. This is predominantly a farming area as the soil is rich and fertile, but more than 50% of the Ariège is mountainous and 40% of this 40,965 hectares is covered by forests. There are also a number of fresh water lakes which provide a variety of activities including, walking, swimming, fishing, canoeing, sailboarding and also picnicing. The Ariege has several of its own downhill ski resorts, the three largest being Ax-Bonascre, Les Monts D'Olmes and Guzet. There are many cross country ski-ing resorts, one of the best being at Plateau de Beille, near Les Cabannes. Part of the Ariege is situated in the Pyrenees, next to Andorra. Unbelievably, the highest peaks are visible from Toulouse in the Haute Garonne. It is one of the least populated and most unspoiled regions of France. The locals enjoy keeping old traditions alive. There is no website for this page.
