Clermont-Ferrand

City and administrative centre of Puy-de-Dôme département in the Auvergne region of France, situated 140 km/87 mi east of Limoges; population (1999) 137,200. It is a centre for agriculture; the rubber industry here, including the manufacture of car tyres, is the largest in France. The town has over 20 mineral springs and supplies a large amount of the country's bottled water. Other products include chemicals, preserves, foodstuffs, and clothing.

The Gothic cathedral, construction of which began in 1248, contains fine medieval stained glass and frescoes. Pope Urban II ordered the first crusade at a council here in 1095. The philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal was born here in 1623.